Album Review: Alicia Keys "The Element of Freedom"

Today at 12:01am I went to iTunes and purchased the new Alicia Keys album. I have enjoyed her previous three albums but I was unsure about this one because the first two singles have not been what I expected. Lucky for Alicia Keys I gave her another chance and I just finished listening to the album and I completely understand her genius. Every song is carefully crafted and perfectly executed in order to get her point across. To some the album can be heard as a mid-tempo vibe, but I felt it as something deeper, and I loved it. Alicia Keys rarely has special guests on her albums but this one had two very large names: Beyonce and Drake and I was highly skeptical about these songs, but they were both amazing in their own right. Ultimately, this album is not about the glitz and the glamour that some artists exhibit, instead Alicia Keys asks you to ask for patience, look for love, and find hapiness. My favorite tracks on the album is her duet with Drake "Unthinkable" and "Love Is My Disease". Below I made you quick snippets of the deluxe version of the album. Enjoy!

Albums of the Year!

In a year where Lil' Wayne sold over 1 million copies in a week and great artists like Nas, N.E.R.D., Christina Aguilera, Danity Kane, Jesse McCartney, Lloyd, Michelle Williams, Nelly, Ashanti, Nickelback, Pink, James Blunt, Natasha Bedingfield, Pussycat Dolls, J. Holiday, Colby O'Donis, Soulja Boy, One Republic, Maroon 5, Robin Thicke, Panic at the Disco, Ludacris, Brandy, Matchbox Twenty, Jennifer Hudson, Solange and Usher all failed to sell that much in a year is crazy. Billboard Magazine just called the compact disk DEAD! CD sales are down 23% from 2000 and they are expected to go down more every year.

Here is my list of my favorite CD's of the year:

1. Robyn-Robyn

2. John Legend- Evolver

3. Alicia Keys- As I Am

4. Nas- Untitled

5. Raphael Saadiq- The Way I See It

6. Coldplay- Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

7. Janelle Monae- Metropolis Suite I

8. Jason Mraz- We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things

9. Estelle- Shine

10. Miranda Lambert- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

11. Kanye West- 808s and Heartbreak

12. Ne-Yo- The Year of the Gentlemen

13. Kings of Le0n- Only By The Night

14. Beyonce- I Am...Sasha Fierce

15. Al Green- Lay It Down

16. Santogold-Santogold

17. TV on the Radio- Dear Science

18. M.I.A.- Kala

19. MGMT-Oracular Spectacular

20. Erykah Badu- New Amerykah: Part 1 (4th World War)

21. Common- Universal Mind Control/Q-Tip- The Renaissance

22. Calle 13- Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo

23. Zac Brown Band- The Foundation

24. Jazmine Sullivan- Fearless

25. Lil' Wayne- The Carter III/Radiohead In Rainbows

Not so great year:

1. 50 Cent (album pushed back twice!)

2. Solange (snubbed by the Grammy's)

3. N.E.R.D. (208,000 albums sold)

4. Eve (album pushed back 2 times)

5. Robin Thicke (140,00 albums sold)

6. Guns N' Roses (ouch!)

7. Amerie (album pused back 3 times)

8. Mya (album released in Japan)

9. Solo Efforts: Michelle Williams & Will.i.Am (album flops)

10. Danity Kane (2 members gone)

11.Lady Sovereign and Lil' Mama (dropped from her labels)

12. Christina Aguilera (greatest hits has sold 220,000)

13. Diva Letdowns: Janet Jackson & Mariah Carey (backlash?)

14. Pussycat Dolls a.k.a. Nicole Scherzinger (commercial dud)

15. Duffy/Adele/Amy Winehouse/Lily Allen (1 hit wonders)

Best New Artists:

1. Janelle Monae

2. Estelle/MGMT

3. Keri Hilson/Sam Sparrow

4. Leona Lewis/Jennifer Hudson

5. Jazmine Sullivan/Lady Gaga


BIG in '09:

1. Jay-Z

2. Sasha Fierce

3. Rihanna

4. Timbaland

5. Keri Hilson

In My Opinion

Top Fifteen Singles of the Year:
1.John Legend Featuring John Mayer- I Love, You Love
2.Robyn-Eclipse
3.Miranda Lambert- Gunpowder & Lead
4. Alicia Keys- Tell You Something (Nana's Reprise)
5.Raphael Saadiq Featuring Jay-Z- Oh Girl
6.Nas Featuring Keri Hilson- Hero
7.Estelle Featuring Kanye West- American Boy
8.Jason Mraz Featuring Colbie Caillat- Lucky
9. Gnarls Barkely- Who's Gonna Save My Soul
10.Kanye West Featuring Mr. Hudson- Paranoid
11.Janelle Monae- Many Moons
12.Jay-Z- Jockin' Jay Z
13.M.I.A. - Paper Planes
14.Ne-Yo- Closer
15.Justin Nozuka- After Tonight

10 Worst Singles of the Year:
1. Lil' Wayne-Lollipop
2. Briney Spears- [insert any single]
3. Pussycat Dolls- When I Grow Up
4. Mariah Carey- Touch My Body
5. Madonna & Justin Timberlake- 4 Minutes
6. T.I. Featuring Rihanna- Live Your Life
7. David Cook- Light On
8. Usher- Love In The Club
9. Danity Kane Featuring Missy Elliott- Bad Girl
10. Tokio Hotel [insert any single]

Albums of the Year

Alicia Keys- As I Am

TV on the Radio- Dear Science

In a unanimous decision by various critics, magazines and blogs they have named two CD's as the albums of the year. First album of the year is a result of albums sold, singles on the charts and overall popularity goes to Alicia Keys album "As I Am". The other CD that is being praised as the album that broke all boundaries and went where no artist ever dared to go was TV on the Radio "Dear Science". You should definately give these two albums a listen.