As I Am

Album Review

Alicia Keys is in love. The walking on cloud nine, birds’ singing outside your window, sun is always shining and head held high type of love. You see you her face radiantly glowing on the magazine covers. She openly professes it in interviews. And more importantly, she sings about it. As evidenced by her first single “No One,” Alicia is wearing her heart on her sleeve. So with love on her mind and in her heart, Ms. Keys brings us her third studio album, “As I Am.”

The first thing that catches your ear this time around is Alicia’s voice. It’s noticeably stronger and full of emotion. She’s gained better control of her lower vocal register and is able to use her voice as more of an instrument. She has a few missteps, where she can’t quite reign in her voice, but those are few and far between. On “Go Ahead,” a song about realizing what love isn’t and finding the ability to step away, there are times when her voice sounds really strained. Not to the point where it’s detrimental to the song, but it’s noticeable. But in a day and age where artists’ voices are “auto-tuned,” it’s refreshing to hear an artist’s voice “flaws and all.”

Alicia enjoys bringing the listener into her world and “As I Am” is no exception. Numerous aspects of love are addressed her. “Like You’ll Never See Me Again,” finds her seeking a deeper relationship over a hypnotic piano melody. “Wreckless Love” & “Teenage Love Affair” explore the excitement of new love. The latter is accompanied by a backdrop reminiscent of “You Don’t Know My Name.” While “Lesson Learned” featuring John Mayer is about realizing what everyone was telling you about him is true. Over the blues influenced backdrop of “Where Do We Go From Here,” addresses the decision that must be made when love comes to that fork in the road.

Sonically, “As I Am” is an intimate affair, with simplistic piano and keyboard driven melodies driving a majority of the album. More upbeat, Motown influenced songs are sprinkled in to keep things interesting. Rightfully, Alicia’s voice is the true star. The minimalistic production allows her to convey how she wants the songs to feel and she’s up to the task. The songs have a timeless quality that will allow for them to be around long after a majority of today’s music has been forgotten. This speaks highly on the quality of the album, but also exposes one its few blemishes. The intimate songs force the listener to be actively engaged throughout the listen, otherwise 2 or 3 songs can pass by unnoticed. While not the leap forward many were expecting, “As I Am” is another exceptional diary entry for Alicia Keys.

Rating: 4/5