Alicia Keys - As I Am | Damn I Like That!

« Mike & Chris Kyle Knit Scarf | Home | BCBG Max Azria Hade »

Alicia Keys - As I Am

By Cecil | November 13, 2007

Alicia Keys - As I Am

While I’m a big fan of Alicia Keys and her work, I’ve always thought she made great songs but never great albums. Her first two albums were both good, but individual tracks stuck out and the album as a whole suffered because the singles were far more superior then the album as a whole . With As I Am, Keys has finally put together an album where each song competes to out do the other.

The first thing you notice about As I Am is the maturation of Alicia Key’s voice. When I first heard No One, the albums single, I thought her voice was strained, but now, after multiple times of listening, it’s grown on me. As a matter of fact I like it! The best example of this would be, Like You’ll Never See Me Again. She’s definitely singing in a different register then she normally does, but that’s what makes these songs great and far better then anything she has done to date. It’s all about the emotion she puts into them.

Alicia Keys - Like You’ll Never See Me Again

If you’re looking for classic Alicia Keys, don’t worry, she shows up on tracks like her collaboration with John Mayer, Lesson Learned. My favorite track on the album (at the moment) would have to be Wreckless Love. This mid-tempo track slowly build as Keys tries to contain her emotions while she sings about recapturing an old relationship. It builds to a crescendo where she can’t contain it anymore and you can feel the emotion burst. This is one of those songs where everything just works. The production is top notch and vocally she’s at her best.

Alicia Keys - Wreckless Love

This album just begs to be sung live and I’m sure when she goes on tour, ticket sales will reflect that. With the lyrical content, great production and Keys at her best, saying this album is anything but a classic would be doing it an injustice. Each time you listen, you hear something new. Definitely her best yet, and in a year with some pretty bad albums and the music industry in decline, this album is a refreshing reminder that there still are true artist out there.

$12.97 Alicia Keys - As I Am Amazon
$9.99 Alicia Keys - As I Am