Alicia Keys - As I Am

I’ve never wanted to be a piano so much, just to have those incredibly talented fingers touch me repeatedly...ok, now I realize this is an odd start and I promise to be much less creepy from now on..

It’s just that it’s so…damn good!! I’m not only referring to how brilliant it is musically, with the funky grooves, epic piano work and soulful ballads, nor am I referring to one of the strongest female vocals possessing mind blowing range and oozing originality and naked honesty. All these elements are fantastic, but what takes it to another level and earns my respect is the honest approach it takes to covering what it is to be in love, a topic that has been covered to death yet rarely escapes the world of cliché. I usually have a problem with albums that lack variety of topic, yet I’m very much willing to make an exception and accept this as a complete and touching ode to love; the first times (Teenage Love Affair), the steamy times (Prelude to a Kiss), the bitter times (Go Ahead), the aftermath (Lesson Learned) and everything in between (The Thing about Love). You cannot produce an album like without having been through it all, and Alicia Keys is one of the few modern artists that can bare it all and burn pure love to a CD ‘as she is’.

Love. It’s a beautiful thing and everyone should experience true love at least once; to find another soul in the blur of confusion and fear in this mad world and just enjoy the beautiful unity. If not...this album is the next best thing.