Alicia Keys

As I Am

Long ago in the land of Urban Myth,Paul McCartney and John Lennon were to have supposedly told Mick Jagger and Keith Richards how to write pop songs.The idea was this:Steal a melody,or style from someone else and make it your own.George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' sounding eerily similar to The Chiffons' 'He's So Fine' & Paul perfectly mimicking Little Richard in no way lend credence to this myth.


And with sampling and club mixes,the point of who owns what seems slightly irreverent by today's standards.I only point this out because there have been those who have said that some of Alicia's work on this cd sound somewhat like other people's songs.The hit,'No One' is said to echo The Black Eyed Peas,'Where Is The Love' & her,'Like You'll Never See Me Again' is said to be a Prince's,'Diamonds and Pearls' doppelganger.

To this,I say,Bah,Humbug!I doubt if you will find a bigger hit laden cd this year.The beautiful Alicia Keys sings her heart out on 'As I Am'.It is destined to be a major player all the way through this summer.

The album has a supreme trifecta of perfectly upbeat sounds. "Superwoman',blends nicely into the modern r&b/pop stylings of,'No One',and then-the cd goes straight into the nice love ballad,'Like You'll Never See Me Again'.These songs sound so deliciously sweet together that they are a perfect excuse to keep playing this cd over and over again.

I really like Alicia's piano playing and mostly real music.It just makes you want to see her perform in concert.Her,'As I Am' intro,is live,and adds just the right touch to the beginning of the cd{Let's Get The Party Started}.'Go Ahead';'Wreckless Love' and the very jamming and beautiful ,'Where Do We Go From Here' keep the party going.

This cd can be both a great party album and/or a cd to snuggle up with your loved one on the couch.

The only flaw is a minor one,but I am going to have to take points away for it.Maybe it is just me-if I was a teenager,maybe,I would feel a tad different about it-but the song,'Teenage Love Affair' was just too generic,and somewhat creepy.Alicia is just a little too old to be singing this.Maybe if the song was subtitled,'The ballad of Jossie and Jose'.I don't know.I am more likely than not,putting too much into the song,and for that I am sorry.

Besides that,one hell of a cd.

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