Alicia Keys
The Element Of Freedom

THE REVIEW

There is something magical about Alicia Keys, something that few others have today: talent. Yet in this "The Element Of Freedom," it's not used much. To be clear, it's a good product, but from an artist who has managed to produce albums of the caliber of "Songs of A Minor" and "The Diary of Alicia Keys," one would expect more. "As I Am," the previous work, had already shown signs of personality decline, signs that have become even more evident in this "Element of Freedom."

Many tracks are filled with electronics that do not suit Keys well. Electronics that sacrifice the soul talent of this artist. In fact, the most striking pieces are the more "stripped down" ones. The best, in my opinion, is "Empire State Of Mind 2," where Alicia brings out her talent, and her voice is accompanied only by the piano (except towards the end) and is quite moving. In contrast, songs like "Try To Sleeping With A Broken Heart" take a back seat, where it seems that a synthesizer created the song instead of Keys: not very striking and especially not very personal. Not to mention the duet with Beyoncé: pleasant yes, but it would have been better in an album by the former Destiny's Child member, because it sounds much more like a Beyoncé track than an Alicia one.... In short, an album that at times engages and moves, and at times leaves you dry-mouthed and disappointed. I am a bit puzzled, I hope Alicia returns to the levels of the first two albums. And if the two singles released are doing poorly, it means I'm not the only one hoping so...