As I Am CD Review

From the moment Alicia Keys dropped onto the music scene in 2001, one thing was clear, this girl was a star. With a few simple words stretched out to blasting piano underscored intensity, “I keep on fallin, in and out of love with you,” Alicia Keys roared onto radio with an album (“Songs in A Minor”) that would garner her both critical praise and a slew of awards. With 2004’s follow up “The Diary of Alicia Keys,” we saw the singer amp up her game enlisting some of the hottest producers to bring her musical vision to life. A prestigious piano player, all the songs acted as a showcase for her raw vocals, and amazing piano skills.

Next week brings the release of her eagerly anticipated album “As I Am,” and it’s both strikingly different than her past two albums and strikingly similar. Those seeking out more of Keys’ piano driven ballads about heartbreak, newfound love, and euphoric romance will be pleased to know that Keys has delivered fourteen songs with her signature killer hooks that seem radio friendly and original at the same time.

"As I Am (Intro)" - It's short, as one would expect from an intro. But it's good. It' her doing what brought her fame; playing elegant piano.

"Go Ahead" - Her voice starts warm, sounds like her counterpart India Arie. Near the end of the song, you might recognize that the beat is reminiscent to 70s icon Queen's "We will Rock You."

"Superwoman" - Bluesy and soulful while being inspirational and beautiful. One of the best tracks on the album

"No One" - Raw and emotional song. while most people either love or hate this song; this song drew me into the album.

"Like You'll Never See Me Again" - If you've seen Alicia in concert, or even watched her perform live on TV, you notice her voice is smoky and sultry. This song sounds exactly like who Alicia has evolved into. This is what she'll sound like when you see her live.

"Lesson Learned" - This is a collaboration between Alicia and John Mayer. Wonderful! Two talented musicians working together. It's not a duet in the truest sense of the word. John only provides back up vocals, and some singing on the hook. But his guitar is present throughout the entirety of the track. It's beautiful to hear both of the musicians ramp up toward the crescendo. This deserves a video more than anything.


"Wreckless Love" - Not the Alicia you remember. Here, she laments on the loss of wreckless love. She sings about going back to the type of love one experiences early in a relationship. Before things become old, staid, and safe.

"The Thing About Love" - one of my favorites! It breaks away from the expected. This composition shares more in common with Radiohead or U2. The piano takes on a personality, that of a lonely soul. There are rich, yet subtle strings to support the grandiose mood. Also, there is some organ cleverly laced within to add some old time spirit. Alicia shines!"I Need You" - In a word, "funky." This is the one expected to hear repeated over and over from cars passing by. It's complex, and at the same time, smooth. Infections! The hook "I Need You" sounds like a familiar but hard to place 80's R&B hit.

"Prelude to a Kiss" - Intense and powerful at only 2 minutes and 9 seconds long. Prelude for real. The last two songs -

"Tell You Something (Nana's Reprise)" and "Sure Looks Good To Me" - defy simple categorization. They certainly breach the parameters of contemporary R&B. Again, there are vocal arrangements and musical compositions more akin to a rock ballad. It's not the kind of song that would get guaranteed play on black radio, but it could be a breakthrough hit on mainstream pop stations. And don't take that as a jab. She steps outside of the prescribed zone for soul singers, without compromising her integrity. She still packs the soulful punch we expect of her.

There is variety and range, though. Some songs you might choose to repeat, others might require the skip. Most of the tracks might not instantly command your attention. But pay attention, because this is a great CD. Well worth your pocket change.

Grade: A-

Holiday Movie Preview: Winter 2007

The next two months are packed with enough holidays and new movies to warm even the Grinch's Heart. Get set for a nonstop banquet of action blockbusters, family-friendly fairy tales, spicy comedies, upscale horror flicks and the kind of deep-dish dramas that make the Oscar's take notice. Sure, there may be turkeys -- but trust me, you'll go home with cinematic gifts galore.

"Grace is Gone," a father (John Cusack) embarks on a road trip with his kids, hoping to find the courage to tell them that their warrior mother has been killed overseas.

"Charlie Wilson's War" takes us back more than 20 years to tell the true -- and somewhat blackly funny -- story of a Texas congressman (Tom Hanks) who armed Afghans in their war against the Soviets -- the very Afghans who became American-hating Taliban.

But Brian De Palma's Redacted takes us deep into the belly of the beast, where rape and murder by American soldiers in Iraq are depicted in a pseudo-documentary. Fundamentalist Muslims figure largely in writer Khaled Hosseini's tragic The Kite Runner, just one of many respected and/or superpopular novels that have been turned into prestige pictures for the holiday season. Oscar should certainly have his eye on Javier Bardem, starring in author Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, directed by the Coen brothers. The Spanish actor also appears in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's much-honored Love in the Time of Cholera, directed by Mike Newell.

Newcomer Saoirse Ronan is simply incandescent in writer Ian McEwan's sharply visualized Atonement which also gives Keira Knightley one of her best roles ever. Director Julian Schnabel's demanding The Diving Bell and the Butterfly adapted from a best-selling memoir, has already won the directing prize at the Cannes Film Festival. And Upton Sinclair's 1927 muckraking novel "Oil!" inspired director Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood a black-gold adventure in Texas that could bring Daniel Day-Lewis a second Academy Award.

Oscar should be making a list and checking it twice, because this holiday season's crowded with extraordinary actors, including Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List, Christopher Plummer, (Man in the Chair), Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening), Philip Seymour Hoffman(The Savages), Michael Caine, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in American Gangster. And there's wild card, acting volumes in a supporting role in Margot at the Wedding. However, regarding "Margot," it must be said: Noah Baumbach's latest foray into scary-funny dysfunctional-family land is fueled by Nicole Kidman, delivering a razor-sharp performance that should, if there's any justice, get a nod from the Academy.


And I can guarantee that, come awards time, no one's going to overlook Cate Blanchett's spooky, seductive incarnation of Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There The superb Laura Linney goes toe-to-toe, acting-wise, with Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Savages, and the sublime Spanish actress Belen Rueda should certainly earn the Academy's attention for her searing performance in The Orphanage. And there's Hilary Swank, playing a grieving widow in P.S. I Love You Can she seduce Oscar for a third time?

Don't fret, dad and mom, there's family fare galore to delight the kids -- and get them out from underfoot during the holidays! Jerry Seinfeld's finally brought Bee Movie into the hive. Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughn can be expected to generate nifty comedy in Fred Claus, a yuletide yarn about Santa Claus and his black-sheep brother.

And veggie- and animal-loving kiddies won't complain, not with The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep looming on the holiday horizon.

Starry-eyed grown-ups will surely groove on Enchanted a musical rom-com about a cartoon princess who finds true love in the real world. But the season showstopper on the fantasy front will certainly be The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials the first entry in what its makers hope will be a franchise every bit as gorgeous and lucrative as The Lord of the Rings.

For those of us who enjoy a blood pudding with our holiday goodies, there's Will Smith's postapocalyptic vampire movie I Am Legend and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Who doesn't love that holiday carol "I'll Be Home for Christmas"? And goodness knows, home for the holidays sounds wonderfully warm and cozy. But given the winter wonderland of film releases coming up, it looks like we might spend a lot of time at the movies this holiday season!

Hollywood Updates

1. Shia LaBeouf Arrested:

The 21-year-old star of Transformers was arrested at around 2:25 a.m. at a Walgreens in Downtown Chicago, Chicago Police spokesman Marcel Bright told the Chicago Tribune. LaBeouf, who is in Chicago shooting a movie, refused to leave the store after several requests by security. As a result, a security guard called the police, Bright said.

The star of the upcoming fourth installment of “Indiana Jones” was cited on a misdemeanor count of trespassing. The complaint was signed by the security guard. Back in June Shia said he avoided the kinds of troubles other young stars have fallen into by dedicating himself to his work. Looks like it worked!

2. The Spice Girls are Officially Back!

They're not in their 20s anymore, but the Spice Girls are intent on staying as sexy as ever. This weekend the Spice Girls Released their new video online for their first single in 10 years called "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)". I'm still unsure about the song but the video is great because it is exciting to see all the ladies back together and looking great! Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, in particular, strips down to just the bare essentials, while Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell shows off her newly toned abs. Also don't forget to catch Mel B. on "Dancing with the Stars" and Victoria on " Ugly Betty" playing who else...herself!

To watch "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" Click Here!

3. Ashley Olson and Lance Armstrong...a couple?!

I can not say I truely believe this rumor...just yet! If it's true this has to be the oddest couple I have seen in years. The 21-year-old actress, who was seen kissing Lance at New York 's Gramercy Park Hotel's Rose bar on last Monday night, enjoyed a romantic dinner with the cycling legend the following evening as well. Ashley was seen chatting intimately with Lance at Graydon Carter's Waverly Inn restaurant and the pair reportedly couldn't keep their hands off each other.

4. Carrie Underwood Is Number One!

First-Week Sales of 527,101 Deliver the Best-Selling Debut Week of Any Female Artist in 2007, Arriving at #1 on Billboard’s Country and Pop Charts! Carnival Ride Nets the Highest Debut-Week Sales of Any Sophomore Country Album in SoundScan History. For Those of you who did not read my previous blog, this sums it up!

5. Katie Holmes Runs New York Marathon

Katie Holmes was among the tens of thousands of runners participating in Sunday's New York City Marathon, finishing the race in 5 hours, 29 minutes and 58 seconds. Husband Tom Cruise and their daughter, Suri, were at the finish line to congratulate the actress. Holmes had registered under an alias so she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself, event officials said, but her time was listed in the official results under her real name.

The 26.2-mile course travels through all five boroughs of the city, starting on Staten Island and finishing in Manhattan's Central Park. This year, 39,085 runners started the race. Holmes has said she has always liked to run, and took it up to help lose baby weight after giving birth to her daughter, who is now a year old.

Honorable Mentions

*Cate Blanchett Pregnant with Third Baby

*Christina Aguilera FINALLY confirms Pregnancy

*American Ganster is the Number One Film with $46.3 Million

The Hills...Real or Fake?

MTV's increasingly popular reality series, The Hills, has engorssed viewers with the colorful drama between Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, and the rest of the ensemble. But with the controversy surrounding its fake plot, many fans are now restless and confused about how much of the show is real or fake. To the many restless fans, Hills executive producer Adam DiVello has something to say that will hopefully shed some light into the issue.

The “fake controversy” popped out when DiVello described a scene from earlier this season to TV Guide, when enemies Conrad and Montag ended up at the same club on the same night which evidently was no accident.

“Lauren and Jason [Wahler] were going there, and Heidi and Spencer [Pratt] wanted to celebrate their anniversary. Ketchup was one of the spots Spencer wanted to go to, so it just sort of worked out. It wasn't planned on our behalf, but it is a little fake,” he said. “I hate to say we schedule their lives, but we definitely schedule out what we want to cover.”

Speculations further fueled when photos taken by Pacific Coast News at LAX, which showed Pratt dropping Montag off at the airport, and then picking her up again, when they embrace as if she's been away, call into question the time element and whether the airport scene was staged for convenience sake. According to sources, “the couple changed their shirts but they're wearing the same pants and shoes in each scene.”

While these photos may suggest that The Hills stretches reality a little more than the show should, a spokesperson from MTV says that the photos are not evidence that the series is fiction.

“It was a pickup shot that in no way affected the storyline,” an MTV spokesperson told the New York Post. “This is no different from any other reality show.”

The spokes person also explains that that Montag's “last-minute trip” actually occurred last month, the weekend of September 28 and the producers “put the trip into context” by having Montag and Pratt recreate the airport scenes last Friday.

Amidst the sham issue, DiVello confirms something that's very authentic for him: the Montag and Pratt's relationship.

“They're very much in love when I see them. They're a real couple and definitely engaged. It's not staged for the sake of our show. If they've got something else going on, we've yet to see it,” he said

Personally I don't care because I have always speculated that the show had some false elements just like any reality show. Reality TV is not real at all! Not helping the speculations are reports from Gavin Beasley, the model who took Lauren on a date, claimed that the show was fake but later retracted his statement claiming he was taken out of context. In the end it is good television whether it is fake or real!