Alicia Keys’ third studio album, As I Am, was released this past Tuesday.  I have to tell you that I’ve been a fan of Ms. Keys since the beginning and I have been eagerly awaiting the release of her latest effort.  What I love about Alicia Keys is that she writes and produces her own songs, she’s a talented vocalist and pianist, and on top of it all she’s drop dead gorgeous.  I have seen her live in concert three times and if you haven’t been to one of her shows, you should definitely go.  Anyway, let me get onto the new album.  Forgive me if I’m a little biased.

My first taste of As I Am was back in September when I heard the first single “No One” online.  Initially I was not too impressed with the song.  It has since grown on me, but I was a little skeptical as to how the new album was going to turn out if I didn’t even like the first single.  I’ve since learned that first singles do not set the stage for an album.  Jay-Z’s American Gangster is an excellent case in point.  “Blue Magic” was a horrible first single selection, but American Gangster is amazing.  This concept holds true for As I Am.

As I Am has that classic Alicia Keys sound, but you can tell that she’s grown and matured.  My favorite songs from Alicia have always been her slow songs.  Songs like “Troubles”, “Butterflies”, “Caged Bird”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, and “Diary”.  Damn, can she make a grown man feel soft!  Luckily for me, As I Am has some of the best slow songs she has recorded yet.  Her new single, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again”, literally sends chills up my spine.  But don’t worry, the album definitely has more to it than the slow jams.  Let me break it down track by track…

1. “As I Am (Intro)” (10/10) - I love Alicia’s album intros.  This is the classic piano intro that she does on all of her albums, although unlike her previous intros I believe this one is totally written by her and not based off a classical piece.  As far as intros go, this one sets the tone for the album very well.
2. “Go Ahead” (9/10) - This is a moderately uptempo song with a driving beat.  Good choice for an opening song.  I love the chorus to this one; very simple yet effective.  You can hear Alicia’s piano in the background as well as other keyboard elements.  I can imagine her performing this track live.  Marsha Ambrosius from Floetry is credited as helping Alicia write this track.
3. “Superwoman” (10/10) - Here we go… Alicia on the keys and singing her heart out.  This track is a very soulful song, kind of in the same sense as “A Woman’s Worth”.  Once the beat kicks in you can hear a bunch of different keyboard effect that Alicia experimented with to include an old soulful jazz organ.  Her voice is flawless on this song as well.  This track is really nice.
4. “No One” (8/10) - The first single off the album.  Like I said previous, I’m not a big fan of this song; not that it’s a bad song.  It has definitely grown on me since I first heard it a couple of months ago.  I guess initially it was just a little too simple for me.  Plus her voice sounded a little like Gloria Estefan in the beginning of the song.  With all that said, you know this song.
5. “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” (10/10) - Wow!  Only that one word is needed to describe this song.  Everything about this song reeks perfection.  The piano, her voice, the melody, the chorus, the lyrics, the guitar at the end of the song… damn, even the added touch of vinyl you hear at the beginning of the track.  Alicia has once said that Prince was a huge influence on her musically and this song definitely shows that.  Alicia has captured everything perfect in every Prince song and put it together here.  The song is actually reminiscent to “Purple Rain”, a Prince classic.  Alicia, if you’re reading this, write more songs like this!  Incredible…
6. “Lesson Learned (featuring John Mayer)” (9/10) - This is another slow jam, but with a groove to it.  She teamed up with blues-rocker John Mayer and he adds a nice touch to this song.  You may remember John Mayer from the skit he did a few years back on “Chappelle’s Show”, playing his guitar.  You can hear him playing guitar in the background of this song; a nice bluesy guitar.  He also sings backup.  Overall good song.
7. “Wreckless Love” (10/10) - Just as we’re starting to mellow out, Alicia brings it back with another uptempo song.  This one is is kind of bouncy, yet soulful at the same time.  I love the drums on this song and if you listen to the piano in the background it kind of reminds me of LL Cool J’s “6 Minutes of Pleasure”.  She nailed it with this song!
8. “The Thing About Love” (10/10) - Yes!  Another hot slow jam!  Ohmygod, Alicia’s voice sounds so smoky on this track.  Man, she really hits home here.  Even though this is a simple song, it’s much, much better than “No One”.  Toward the middle of the song, she puts a little swing into the number and picks up the pace — not simple anymore. then she brings it back down a notch at the end to finish the song off.   So far I’m very impressed with this album.
9. “Teenage Love Affair” (9/10) - Alicia doesn’t want you to get too mellowed out.  She brings it back again with another up tempo jam.  Unlike her previous albums, I’m really feeling her uptempo songs on As I Am.  This song kind of has that “You Don’t Know My Name” vibe, but with a harder beat.
10. “I Need You” (8/10) - Looking at the title of this song, I was expecting another slow jam, but was surprised when the song opened with a driving drum beat.  This song seems a little experimental, as it’s a little different from songs she’s done before.  There are a lot more instruments; lots of acoustic guitar and different keyboards.  It’s not a bad song, just not a favorite of mine on the album.
11. “Where Do We Go From Here” (7/10) - This song is different.  More experimental stuff here.  Starts out with what sounds like an old record playing; not sure if it’s a sample or if it’s just made to sound that way.  About 30 seconds in, the song kicks in with a prominent bass line, soulful organ, and hard drumbeat.  It’s soulful, but a little different, so it doesn’t catch me right away.  Could grow on me though
12. “Prelude To A Kiss” (10/10) - This is what I love to hear; just Alicia’s voice over a piano.  She should definitely do an acoustic-only album, with just her and the piano.  This song runs deep.  Too short though at only two minutes long, but it sets the stage for the next song.
13. “Tell You Something (Nana’s Reprise)” (8/10) - Another slow jam, but I wish it were more of the previous song.  This one has a harder drum beat and lots of instrumentation in the background.  This is one of those songs that builds and builds all the way up to the marching drums towards the end of the song.  I’m not a big fan of this style, but it sets up the closing of the album and works well here.
14. “Sure Looks Good To Me” (9/10) - Alicia smooths it out for the final number.  If the last song was the album’s finale, then this is the encore.  Her voice sounds a bit more raspy her.  The vibe of the song kind of reminds me of a soft rock song that Prince would do, but without the guitar.  Sort of like “She’s Always in My Hair”, but softer.  The drums are definitely rock inspired.  Now that I think of it, I can see her striving for a Stevie Nicks style in her voice.  Surprisingly, the song works well here.  Overall, I prefer the first half of the album the most.  The first nine tracks are classic Alicia Keys.  I commend her for experimenting with the last few tracks on the album though.  She definitely switched it up without ruining the album.

Total runtime: 55 minutes, 58 seconds
Overall Score:  9/10

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