Artist: Alicia Keys
Album: The Element of Freedom
Release Date: 12.15.09

There’s something to be said about being in love and Alicia Keys’ The Element of Freedom attempts to say it, though it’s not the impressive addition to her catalog many of us had hoped for. Not to say that it’s a bad project, there just aren’t as many memorable records here as I’d hoped for. No pun intended, but there really is an element of freedom to be experienced with this album – the sound has a bit of variation from some of her previous work and Keys gets stronger and more feminine with her messages. On a lyrical level, the album discusses the freedom to love, and the freedom to experience the strengths and vulnerabilities that accompany. I’m just not feeling the cohesiveness of the album, and I don’t think enough of the songs are strong enough to make this a classic project.

The lead single Doesn’t Mean Anything has a very familiar feel to it, simple production and the signature piano-led melody, a prevalent characteristic of Ms. Keys’ work. By contrast, the getting-over-you follow-up Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart is a little heavier on the production side but is an even more impressive song, allowing Keys’ strong vocals to mesh with the backing track. Showing off a bit of his own versatility, Drake delivers some background vocals alongside Keys on Unthinkable (I’m Ready) one of this project’s undeniable standout hits that illustrates the contemplation of falling in love (“I was wondering maybe could I make you my baby… If you ask me, I’m ready…”). Love Is My Disease is all about vulnerability, delivered with strong raw vocals atop a groovy percussive beat and an embattled electric guitar. Other notables on the album include the love ballad Distance and Time, and the inspirational How It Feels To Fly, with an uplifting sound accompanied by a backing chorus. The album closes with a re-worked version of her latest Billboard smash, Empire State of Mind Part II.

While I applaud her willingness to try new sounds with this album, some things just didn’t work. Most notably the duet with Beyonce seems quite out of place and doesn’t really work for Alicia’s style or quality. It sounds more like a Sasha Fierce B-Side than anything worthy of placement on an Alicia Keys album – blame the ‘wow’ factor for this addition. Other tracks like Wait Til They See My Smile and That’s How Strong My Love Is are easily forgettable and don’t show the amount of growth we’ve come to expect from Keys.

Though it has some strong points, The Element of Freedom is not as solid as expected and will take some time to grow on even the longtime Keys fans. And let’s face it, at this point in her career, Alicia has enough talent to make classic albums. I’d still recommend it though, as the amount of good tracks here definitely outweigh the bad but don’t expect a classic offering. The vocals are raw yet controlled, the album is strong but not overpowering and love dominates most of the subject matter. Most importantly, it’s evident that she’s exploring her freedom to defy industry trends and explore her artistry more which is commendable, even if it doesn’t turn out as great as we’d hope…

Sound-Savvy rates The Element of Freedom with 3 out of 5 platinum headphones. Do you agree?

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