If you were watching MTV during the week of Nov. 12, you probably caught at least one of the Artist of the Week commercials featuring Alicia Keys' new album, As I Am. MTV set her up behind a piano, on a stoop with neighborhood backup singers and alongside a bunny mascot that resembles the Kanye West teddy bear. I must have seen one of those commercials during every commercial break of The Hills. And it worked; I went out and bought the album.
Which is why I have to say kudos to MTV -- it promoted a pretty great CD.
As I Am is Ms. Keys' fourth album, and since its release Nov. 13 it has climbed to the top of the charts here and abroad. Keys boasts on her Web site that the album is now No. 1 in Switzerland and in the top five in France, Italy and Holland (her highest spots abroad ever).
Keys' signature piano-playing opens this lovely album with an instrumental titled "As I Am" that shows off the artist's ear for classical and contemporary production. She moves between street-wise beats and bluesy piano tracks, creating a sound that is rare among female R&B artists these days. It's clear, however, that Keys is pulling from her peers, especially Mary J. Blige, Lauren Hill and Jill Scott. But Keys' return to sharp and clean production, coupled with her refreshing perspective on love, pulls As I Am together.
And love is the buzzword that floats over all 14 tracks of the album. As I Am moves along as a redefinition of love; Keys begins with the fiercely girl-power-driven "Go Ahead" -- a song about standing up for what she wants and questioning the reality of love: "I thought you gave me love / Was never near enough / Soon enough time reveals."
"Superwoman" follows, a reassuring anthem for single women (and mothers) everywhere. Though the song itself borders on cliché, the album's organization becomes clear. Keys starts As I Am off with a "rejection" of love, a track that restates her independence, then several tracks in she redefines love according to her experience.
You've probably heard the single "No One," a lovely and simple ode to lasting relationships. Keys said of the song in Rolling Stone, "['No One'] is really talking about the way that in relationships, the way that so many things are around you all the time to try to distract you. And even though people may talk and say whatever they may want to say, but then no one can get in the way of this."
"No One" may be promoted as the hit single, but the song that follows is the equally beautiful "Like You'll Never See Me Again," a track about cherishing the present. It's a song that hits every chord a love song should hit and celebrates simplicity in romance today.
It would be impossible to mention every great song on the album, as most songs are worth mentioning. It should suffice to say that with As I Am, Keys has made an album that is good from beginning to end. Be sure to check out "The Thing About Love" and "Prelude to a Kiss," songs that showcase Keys' talent musically and lyrically. "The Thing About Love" is especially wonderful, as it acknowledges the ups and downs of love today: "Everybody laughs / Everybody cries / Sure it could hurt you baby / But give it a little try / See that's the thing about love."
Keys couldn't have released the album at a better time. Not only is it gift-giving season (which probably boosted CD sales), but As I Am is an album so well done that it hurts a little, not a bad feeling to have when visiting loved ones for the holidays. Keys reminds us of the foundation of love today: It's really "everything that we are looking for" (from "Like You'll Never See Me Again"), and sometimes the simplest way to say "I love you" is to just say it.
Deep lyrics and complex production are all well and good, but every once in a while, and for the holidays especially, what we all want to hear from those we love is just "No one / Can get in the way of what I feel for you"
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