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As I Am
by J-Records
| List Price: |
$18.98 |
| Price: |
$11.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$6.99 (36%) |
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Audio CD
Publisher: J-Records
Format: Enhanced
Japanese two CD pressing of the 2007 release from the R&B/Pop diva featuring a bonus CD containing four tracks: 'Waiting For Your Love', 'Hurt So Bad', 'Superwoman' (Live) and 'No One' (Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix). As I Am is Alicia's most innovative album to date, a collection of music with no boundaries. Influenced by everything from Hip Hop to Soul to Rock to Classical music, As I Am is every bit a sense of rebellion and empowerment. Features collaborations with some of the biggest hit makers in music (Linda Perry, Jack Splash, Mark Batson, Swizz Beats and Kerry Brothers) and includes the first single 'No One.'
By the time this long-awaited album saw its release date, most fans had probably read at least a couple of interviews with Alicia Keys in which she explained that first single, "No One"--a firestorm of a song clearly born of a sore heart and steeped in serious soul-searching, was about her decision to retreat from the obligations of stardom when she found out a loved one was in need of her care. The anecdote sticks not just because it explained the song so well--you can actually hear the pain, commitment, and determination in her sultry voice--but because it gets at what makes the woman behind the music so appealing. There's only one way R&B artists grow to become legends, and it's by drenching the words they sing with feeling (think Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack). The skeptical listener might have had her doubts before As I Am, but there's no mistaking it now: Alicia Keys is well on her way to sharing a category with them. This record radiates not just old-soul maturity, the kind Alicia fans say makes her modern rarity, but real soul. Vintage-leaning hooks and horns grab hold on "Where Do We Go from Here" and an assortment of other songs, but Keys can also get by just fine without them, as she proves on more pop-flavored numbers like "Lesson Learned," with John Mayer, and "Superwoman." The genres may be smearing, she seems to say, but bring them on: she won't shrink back. Her commitment is not to a single style but to what's stirring her soul. Because of it, she's moving R&B, or something like it, from the hips back to the heart. --Tammy La Gorce
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| Outstanding Album |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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An amazing artist...may seem like a big stretch to go from Arrica Rose to Alicia Keyes But clearly the commonality between the two is stronger than you may think. Clearly Alicia is such a strong R&B artist with a different style ; hip hop at its best but both of these artists reek with soul in their music. They both sing in their sultry voices with such feeling in their voices and accept no limits when it comes to putting a label on their styles. This album by Alicia is outstanding.
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| Enjoyable Music |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I started not to buy this album, but the price at Amazon.com made it ridiculous not to. I'm glad that I did! I enjoy all of it, especially the song "Superwoman." Alicia Keys has a way with melody that makes you hum the song to yourself hours later. Thanks Amazon!
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| Alicia Keys - AS I AM |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This CD is awesome. It came so fast, brand new in shrink wrap. Thanks so much.
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| Alicia Keys Is Still Amazing |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I'll admit at first listen I wasn't completely impressed. After a second listen I fell in love with the album (just took me a while to get adjusted to the "new" Alicia). Some of my favorites are No One, Superwoman, Lesson Learned, and Teenage Love Affair.
Great album. You get alot of variety and a new side of Alicia.
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| I waited awhile before writing this review |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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When I first heard "No One" I liked it, but I didn't love it, the song ended up becoming one I really liked. The album... Again at first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I didn't exactly write Alicia off, but to be honest it wasn't as appealing to me as her previous 3 - that's including the MTV Unplugged which I really dug. The album starts like all her others, with a nice mellow classic piano solo from Alicia that parlays into a slick classical/urban blend. "Teenage Love Affair" isn't particularly deep, but it's a song many will be able to relate to. "Like You'll Never See Me Again" is a sad & beautiful song. "The Thing About Love" is another nice ballad. "Where Do We Go From Here" is uptempo with a hip-hopp inspired drum pattern. I like this song a lot, very funky.
"Prelude To A Kiss" is perfect, every one of her previous albums has had an "interlude" which always seem to be the best song on the album. They're short but I like them all. This one is mind blowing, she sounds so awesome with only the piano behind her. Hearing her sing this Acapella on her "Alicia In Africa" documentary (about AIDS in Africa) made the song so much more powerful. If you haven't seen the movie GOOGLE IT! Free to watch. I LOVE this song, I wish it was a full song, at less than 2 minutes it's too short, but it is really really good!
"Superwoman" is the final single from the album, and I think the perfect choice. There might have been better songs to choose to get radio or club play. The lyrics are a little bit heavy and not "pop" friendly. But I thik this one was needed, very deep lyrics and a beautiful melody. I'm not a woman but I can only imagine any woman hearing this couldn't help but smile and feel empowered. Alicia kills it here (that's a good thing) her voice is strong and the lyrics inspire. The video's amazing.
In all honesty I don't think this album's as good as her others, but it's not bad. When I first heard it, I liked it but felt a certain indifference about it. Months have passed and it has grown on me. Definitely one of the better R&B albums in a good while. And it doesn't hurt that Alicia is one of the easiest on the eyes female in the entertainment business today :)
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As I Am (Intro)
Go Ahead
Superwoman
No One
Like You'll Never See Me Again
Lesson Learned (featuring John Mayer)
Wreckless Love
The Thing About Love
Teenage Love Affair
I Need You
Where Do We Go From Here
Prelude To A Kiss
Tell You Something (Nana's Reprise)
Sure Looks Good To Me
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