Alicia Keys
Thu Nov 15 2007
Time Out Ratings
<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5You can tell that Alicia Keys considers herself a soul-music great, because on her third studio album she isn’t in any hurry to prove how talented she is. I’ll make as many records as Aretha, she appears to be saying, so why shouldn’t I take my time? As I Am is long on atmospheric slow jams that go a good four or five minutes before working up to anything resembling radio-readiness. Keys hasn’t forsaken hooks here; the melody in lead single “No One” is just as catchy now as it was when the Black Eyed Peas used it in “Where Is the Love?” But nor has she given in to the demand for instant gratification that defines our ADD-afflicted age. On the first pass, many of these tunes resemble the well-intentioned mush that Effie sang in the second half of Dreamgirls. Stick with it, though, and As I Am reveals its earthy merit.
—Mikael Wood
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