Alicia Keys
As I Am
(Sony BMG)
Alicia Keys' fans get understandably miffed when Britney Spears is mentioned within a few sentences of their favourite soulstress. But the mention is usually more for contrast than comparison: everything good about Spears' recent release began and ended with her producers; everything good about Keys' third album, As I Am, came before she stepped into the studio.
If it's not apparent at first listen it becomes so after reading the liner notes. She points out that she doesn't do as much talking as she has on previous records and says that's because it's all in the lyrics. 'Everything I've learned, everything I've yearned for and needed has been placed in these songs,' she writes, and it comes through in unfettered emotion.
But the fact that it's unfettered is maybe what's wrong. Keys has penned some powerful songs that - like the voice she sings them with - obviously come from somewhere deep within her.