In 2007 the bluesy R&B singer Alicia Keys released her third album “As I Am”, once again showing how unconventional methods can be input into the R&B world and still come up with great successes by combing her classical training with the mainstream sounds.
1. “As I Am” (Intro)
2. “Go Ahead”
To get things underway, you have a track which has her combining quite a few of her various musical influences as you here clear indications of how the Jazz and Blues sides of her have come into play to get her through this song. The production is fly and engaging to bring you into the album and get you ready for what is to come.
**Four Stars**
3. “Superwoman”
This was one of the significant t tunes to come off the album and it sees her doing a kind of track which we would recognise from her earlier works, especially from her debut cut, as in this one she chooses to do it when led minimally with her piano largely taking this production aspects by itself as she sings an empowering ballad for the girls.
**Four Stars**
4. “No One”
This was perhaps the biggest single to come off the album and it was one which showed the world just how capable she is in not only doing the odd
hit, but actually coming up with monster tunes which take over the world for some time. However I have to say that I’m not one who really feel for this one, and although I can appreciate what is done with it,,. It just didn’t quite reach where it needed to be for me.
You see that in order to keep the flow of the album going, she opt to stick in another single to ensure that she is able to connect with her listeners before she attempts to bring in any material it is likely that they will not of heard prior to going through the whole record. In a contrast to the two others, this is a rather calm one from her where she shows how delicate she can make her vocals.
**Four Stars**
6. “Lesson Learned”
She is joined by John Mayor on this one, (who is put their o bring life to the song through some gripping guitar work and to give a lift to the hook as on this song you her that she chooses to go more a Blues kind of thing. I felt that she was successful at bringing this type of thing up to modern times without losing the essence of what she is representing.
**Four Stars**
7. “”Wreckless Love”
On this one you see that she does a song which appears to fit much more in line with the sounds of the Neo-Soul side of R&B and the type of things which may just edge its way into the mainstream for short periods of time. Here you see her blasting one out in a similar way to what you get in “Teenage Love Affair” (found later in the album) and with this she provides the attention-grabbing ascending melodies which force you in.
**Four Stars**
8. “The Thing About Love”
This is a song on the album which finds her resorting to the type of thing which we would have associated with earlier times in her career as she chooses to go back to the much softer and light work, but I felt as though that for this one it wasn’t quite doing enough to bring in though who enjoy the work where she goes out of her way to appeal to wider audiences. I understand that she probably prefers this kind of thing, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
**Two Stars**
9. “Teenage Love Affair”
I saw this one as the biggest track off the album, and It was in fact one of the key singles to drop off the record as it finds that she does a song which has her retuning to a state of mind which she would relate to her teenage years when she describes how a new relationship always feels as though it is as it was when she was a teen.
**Five Stars**
10. “I Need You”
Off one of the big one, you see that she keeps the hype of the last one through into this one as she chooses to bring the pace up as she gets into this one and is backed by some freaky percussion on live drums and I felt that it was just the thing which was required to lift it as despite the fac that her vocals don’t really change all that much, the production allows it to come off as something much more than it is.
**Four Stars**
11. “Where Do We Go From Here”
After sampling a little from Wendy Rene in order to set the scene for the track, you have her taking the essential elements of that particular one to get her through this song. In it you see that she chooses to adapt her music quite significantly by doing a song which has her Blues delivery and performance twisted with beats which bring in basic Hip Hop to show further diversity form the artist.
**Four Stars**
12. “Prelude To A Kiss”
13. “Tell You Something”
Following a atmosphere-changing interlude, you see that she has gone for a song which has her taking things in a new direction as she gets back to the ballad work in order to show just how well she can construct songs and how she can really delivery in every way. It is one which I wasn’t really that keen on, but I knew that she would eventually work her way back to this at some point.
**Two Stars**
14. “Sure Looks Good To Me”
It appears that she is sticking to this kind of thing for the final track too as it has her backed by the piano, as with earlier tunes on the album, and so it has her displaying the rawness of her voice and just how much she can get out of it. In spite of the fact that I wasn’t feeling many of the ballads on the album, this was one I could get down to, and I felt that the increased range which she displayed was an influencing factor upon my enjoyment of it.
**Four Stars**
I have to admit that I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy much of this album, and I was surprised to hear just how many tunes fro the record which have her getting down with some new and engaging things as she take son influences which are much easier to connect with than hat was found from other works from her.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
By the time this long-awaited album saw its release date, most fans had probably read at ... more
least a couple of interviews with Alicia Keys in which she explained that first single, "No One"--a firestorm of a song clearly born of a sore heart and steeped in...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
By the time this long-awaited album saw its release date, most fans had probably read at ... more
least a couple of interviews with Alicia Keys in which she explained that first single, "No One"--a firestorm of a song clearly born of a sore heart and steeped in...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
By the time this long-awaited album saw its release date, most fans had probably read at ... more
least a couple of interviews with Alicia Keys in which she explained that first single, "No One"--a firestorm of a song clearly born of a sore heart and steeped in...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 6 to 12 days...
Advantages: Refreshing classical piano, promising vocal talent Disadvantages: None that can't be put up with - although there are few out of place tracks towards the beginning
Jul 16th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
