Geraldine Lim
She’s one who wows the audience with her powerhouse vocals. She’s known for her dexterity skills with her piano keys. Her fame never dies down as she’s got a strong foothold in the music industry. She’s a 9-time Grammy award winner. She’s known for her signature hit “Fallin‘”. This diva is none other than Alicia Keys.
Crowned as the queen of R&B with her greatest hits like “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Karma” from her stellar album The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003, and chart topping first single “No One” in 2007, the end of 2009 marks the return of her much-awaited fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom.
Alicia’s capable of outdoing her own success and once again, she proved that she’s powerless by pushing the boundaries with her sky rocketing hit “Empire State of Mind”, a collaboration with hip-hop legend Jay-Z for his 11th studio album The Blueprint 3. The result of the dynamic duo’s partnership? Their ‘empire’ currently holds the highest rank on the Billboard Hot 100. Keys did her own version, a piano-driven sequel to the original song with “Empire State of Mind (Part II)” in her newest album.
The Element of Freedom is a good mix of the soft and vulnerable side of Alicia Keys matched with her powerful vocals. UrbanWire highlights the hits and misses of Keys’ new album that’s fresh out of the oven.
The Hits
The most notable hit of this album, “Empire State of Mind (Part II)” brings out the best of Alicia Keys’ talent and incredible vocal range, which is her powerful voice and her way with her piano keys. Ode to Keys’ hometown, New York, this inspirational track is a soulful and ‘heavenly’ version compared to the original ‘rough’ version done with Jay-Z. After listening to this track, the effect is that New York came across as the right place to be at.
Everyone loves a little more collaboration and Canadian rapper Drake joins Alicia Keys in this sensual song “Unthinkable”, which is about lovers wondering if they should do the unthinkable, and get together. Nicely balanced out, this track brings out the sexy and sultry side of Alicia Keys with Drake’s vocals providing a more masculine side to the song.
Another love-inspired tune, “Distance and Time”, is one track that tugs at your heartstrings, especially if you’re in a situation where you’re separated by, as the title suggests, distance and time to be with the one you love.
The Misses
When 2 big names (or even the most talented woman) in the R&B scene take on a song, you’d expect some killer tunes or something extraordinary that’ll make the headline. However, “Put It in a Love Song” featuring Beyoncé Knowles left me feeling utterly disappointed. The tune of the song was almost monotonous-like and it had a repetitive beat that was a little too characterless – and definitely not a signature tune. The song seemed pretty rushed and to put it bluntly, it was boring, and did no justice to the divas of R&B. In comparison to the hit by Keys’ collaboration with Knowles’ significant other, “Put It in a Love Song” falls below the benchmark.
That being said, if you’re looking for a heart racing song, the persistent drumming base line of this song sets the perfect upbeat feel.
Although her fourth album does no justice to honour her reputation in the R&B scene, it has a few noteworthy tracks that are out of this world. The Element of Freedom captures heavy emotions of love, pride, inspiration and strength, and is well balanced out just as how Alicia Keys puts it, “The music is really strong, and the drums are really aggressive, but my voice is vulnerable and delicate.”
Album: The Element of Freedom
Artist: Alicia Keys
Record Label: J Records
Language: English
Release Date: Dec 15
Rating: 3/5
Track list:
1. Element of Freedom (Intro)
2. Love Is Blind
3. Doesn’t Mean Anything
4. Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
5. Wait Til You See My Smile
6. That’s How Strong My Love Is
7. Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)
8. Love Is My Disease
9. Like the Sea
10. Put It in a Love Song (featuring Beyoncé)
11. This Bed
12. Distance and Time
13. How It Feels to Fly
14. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down