The The Element of Freedom [LP]

by Alicia Keys

Overview

Don't mistake the presence of Jay-Z and Beyonce on Alicia Keys' fourth album as evidence that the singer/songwriter is burrowing into modern R&B -- take it instead as evidence of the rarefied company Keys keeps, her status as a superstar so solidified that the only cameos possible are R&B/hip-hop elite. Superstars are often given leeway to do anything they want, and so it is on The Element of Freedom, where Keys dials back the outward expansion of As I Am and turns inward, creating a clean, small-scale collection of ballads and Prince-inspired pop. Always apparent on Alicia's albums, that Prince influence is underscored by how she's swapped the retro-soul instrumentation of her earliest music for electronics, but she's retained the warmth, the throwback sensibility and, especially, a sense of reserve, never getting too heated or gauche. This does mean the Prince elements feel more NPG than Revolution, but Keys trademark always has been an easy elegance. On The Element of Freedom, that elegance is so easy it borders on the sleepy, with Keys' understatement undercutting livelier numbers -- chief among them the bubbly Beyonce duet "Put It in a Love Song" -- so they play as ballads. This isn't a complaint so much as a characteristic: her voice may crack on "Love Is My Disease," but Keys never gets gritty, she remains reserved, never letting her singing or arrangements obscure the melodies or the classy veneer of the entire proceedings. All this determined detachment keeps The Element of Freedom from packing a primal, passionate punch, but there is charm in Alicia's enveloping, quiet cool: she may never break a sweat, but she knows how to sustain a sultry, not necessarily sexy, mood, and she does so here quite fetchingly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2009
Label:	J Records / Rca
UPC:	0886974657118

Tracks

1. The Element of Freedom [Intro]
2. Love Is Blind
3. Doesn't Mean Anything [Main]
4. Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
5. Wait 'Til They See My Smile
6. That's How Strong My Love Is
7. Unthinkable (I'm Ready)
8. Love Is My Disease
9. Like the Sea
10. Put It in a Love Song
11. This Bed
12. Distance and Time
13. How It Feels to Fly
14. Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2: Broken Down

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alicia Keys   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Moog Bass,Wurlitzer,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Moog Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Paul Pesco   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Davide Rossi   Cello,Viola,Violin,Strings
Steve Wolf   Drums
Steve Mostyn   Piano,Moog Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jeff Bhasker   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Ron Haney   Guitar (Electric)
Beyonce   Featured Artist
Carlos Alomar   Guitar (Electric)
Toby Gad   Guitar,Keyboards
Jeff Gitelman   Guitar (Electric)
Noah Shebib   Keyboards
Roger Hambrick   Choir Director
Conrad Robinson   Choir Director
Billy Kraven   Vocals (Background)
Al Shux   Keyboards
John "Jubu" Smith   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Alicia Keys   Concept,Composer,Producer,Executive Producer,Synthesizer Programming
Tony Maserati   Mixing
Sylvia Robinson   Composer
Swizz Beatz   Producer,Drum Programming
Davide Rossi   String Arrangements
Stuart White   Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Steve Mostyn   Composer
Jeff Bhasker   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Kasseem Dean   Composer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Ann Mincieli   Engineer,Coordination
George Fullan   Assistant Engineer
Angela Hunte   Composer
Toby Gad   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Bert Keyes   Composer
Kerry Brothers   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,Executive Producer
Christian Plata   Mixing Assistant
Erik Madrid   Mixing Assistant
Christian Baker   Assistant Engineer
Valente Torrez   Assistant Engineer
Chris Soper   Assistant Engineer
Miki Tsutsumi   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Noah Shebib   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
David Kutch   Mastering
Erwin Gorostiza   Creative Director
Shawn Carter   Composer
Wouri Vice   Stylist
Jeff Robinson   Management,Executive Producer
Janet Sewell-Ulepic   Composer
Conrad Robinson   Management
Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds   Composer,Drum Programming
Peter Edge   Executive Producer
Ashunta Sheriff   Make-Up
Jeanine McLean Griffin   Management
Tippi Shorter   Hair Stylist
Yu Tsai   Photography
Alexander Shuckburgh   Composer
Melini Smith   Composer
Val Brathwaite   Assistant Engineer
George M. Harry   Composer
Al Shux   Producer,Programming