As I Am
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As I Am is the third studio album by American R&B/soul singer Alicia Keys, and was released on November 13, 2007.[1] It features appearances by John Mayer, Marsha Ambrosius, Linda Perry, and others.[2]
Background
Production
Keys had been working on the album since late 2005, but focused on it to a greater extent in 2006. She first mentioned the album's name to the E! News reporter Giuliana Rancic on June 26, 2007 at the BET Awards red carpet pre-show. During the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards she confirmed that her album was finished. Earlier Keys said to MTV: "It's coming together incredibly. I am in love with this album. It's very fresh and new".[3]
Promotion and release
The album was heavily promoted, and special advertising was arranged in collaboration with MTV before and during the week of release. The entire album was streamed on MTV's website, beginning on November 6 2007, a week before the album's North American release date.[4] Additionally, Keys was MTV Artist of the Week for the week beginning November 12, 2007. MTV commissioned Evan Silver to direct series of nine, humorous ads of Keys being harassed by someone in a bunny costume.[5] In the final spot, the bunny is revealed to be John Mayer.[6]
Reception
Critical response to the album was mainly positive. Giving the album three out of five stars, Rolling Stone found the album's prevailing mood "reflectively soulful and the prevailing tempo mid."[7] The New York Times said that "As I Am radiates not just confidence but also experience," and added, "On the whole it's her strongest effort yet."[8] People magazine said that while not "veering too much from the Keys playbook," Keys "continues to scale artistic heights on As I Am" and gave the album three and a half stars.[9]
Chart success
The album also debuted at #1 in the USA, selling 742,000 copies in its first week, according to Billboard. This was the biggest sales week for a female artist since Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home" sold 1 million copies in its first week in early 2004. It is also the biggest first week sales by a female artist in 2007 so far beating Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride". It also marks the biggest sales week in Alicia Key's career, surpassing the first week sales of The Diary of Alicia Keys by nearly 128,000 copies. This album became Alicia Keys's fourth consecutive number one album on the Billboard 200 and gives her the distinguished achievement of being the only artist besides Britney Spears and DMX to have their first four albums to debut at number one. The second week, the album was down 53% sales at 349,000 units and fell to number 2, behind Josh Groban's Noel with 405,000 units.
Track listing
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- "As I Am (Intro)" (Alicia Keys) – 1:52
- "Go Ahead" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Mark Batson, Marsha Ambrosius) – 4:35
- "Superwoman" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry, S. Moysten) – 4:34
- "No One" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, George Harry) – 4:13
- "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers) – 5:15
- "Lesson Learned" (featuring John Mayer) (Alicia Keys, John Mayer) – 4:13
- "Wreckless Love" (Alicia Keys, Harold Lily, Jack Splash) – 3:52
- "The Thing About Love" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry) – 3:49
- "Teenage Love Affair" (Alicia Keys, Harold Lily, Jack Splash, Josephine Bridges, Carl Mitchell Hampton, Tom Nixon) – 3:10
- "I Need You" (Alicia Keys, Mark Batson, Harold Lily, Paul Green) – 5:09
- "Where Do We Go from Here" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Harold Lily, Johnnie Frierson, Mary Lou Cross) – 4:10
- "Prelude to a Kiss" (Alicia Keys) – 2:07
- "Tell You Something (Nana's Reprise)" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Paul Green, Novel, S. Moysten) – 4:28
- "Sure Looks Good to Me" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry) – 4:31
Bonus Tracks
- "Waiting for Your Love" (iTunes Bonus Track) – 3:45 [10]
- "Hurt So Bad" (iTunes Pre-Order Bonus Track) – 2:59[11]
Limited Bonus DVD
- "Live at the Hollywood Bowl"
- "Karma"
- "Wake Up"
- "Tent Talk"
- "Behind the Scenes"
- As I Am Photoshoot
- "No One" Music Video
DVD version available in the US at Target only. Widely available worldwide.
Limited Edition Double LP
A limited number of vinyl records were pressed on double red vinyl at Nashville's historic United Record Pressing.
LP One Track listing Template:Sound sample box align rightTemplate:Sample box end
- "As I Am (Intro)" (Alicia Keys) – 1:52
- "Go Ahead" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Mark Batson, Marsha Ambrosius) – 4:35
- "Superwoman" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry, S. Moysten) – 4:34
- "No One" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, George Harry) – 4:13
- "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers) – 5:15
- "Lesson Learned" (featuring John Mayer) (Alicia Keys, John Mayer) – 4:13
- "Wreckless Love" (Alicia Keys, Harold Lily, Jack Splash) – 3:52
LP Two Track listing
- "The Thing About Love" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry) – 3:49
- "Teenage Love Affair" (Alicia Keys, Harold Lily, Jack Splash, Josephine Bridges, Carl Mitchell Hampton, Tom Nixon) – 3:10
- "I Need You" (Alicia Keys, Mark Batson, Harold Lily, Paul Green) – 5:09
- "Where Do We Go from Here" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Harold Lily, Johnnie Frierson, Mary Lou Cross) – 4:10
- "Prelude to a Kiss" (Alicia Keys) – 2:07
- "Tell You Something (Nana's Reprise)" (Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Paul Green, Novel, S. Moysten) – 4:28
- "Sure Looks Good to Me" (Alicia Keys, Linda Perry) – 4:31
Personnel
The following musicians and technicians worked on As I Am:[12]
Musicians
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Crew
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Charts
Chart | Provider(s) | Peak position |
Certification | Sales/shipments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina Album Chart[13] | CAPIF | 9 | ||
Australia Albums Chart[14] | ARIA | 12 | Gold | 35,000[15] |
Australia Urban Album Chart | 3 | |||
Austria Album Chart[14] | Media Control Europe | 9 | ||
Belgium Album Chart (Wallonia)[16] | IFPI/Ultratop | 47 | ||
Belgium Album Chart (Flanders)[17] | ||||
Canada Album Chart[18] | CRIA | 2 | ||
Denmark Album Chart[19] | IFPI/Nielsen Music Control | 22 | ||
Estonia Album Chart[20] | Pedrobeat | 96 | ||
European Top 100 Albums[21] | IFPI | 3 | ||
Finland Album Chart[14] | IFPI | 24 | ||
France Album Chart[22] | IFPI | 5 | ||
German Albums Chart[14] | Media Control | 6 | ||
Irish Albums Chart[14] | IRMA | 15 | ||
Italy Album Chart[14] | FIMI | 3 | ||
Netherlands Album Chart[14] | Megacharts/NVPI | 2 | ||
New Zealand Album Chart[14] | RIANZ | 5 | ||
Norway Album Chart[14] | IFPI | 20 | ||
Poland Albums Chart[23] | OLiS | 7 | ||
Portugal Albums Chart[14] | AFP/Nielsen | 7 | ||
Spain Album Chart[24] | PROMUSICAE | 12 | ||
Sweden Album Chart[14] | GLF | 15 | ||
Switzerland Albums Chart[14] | Media Control | 1 | Gold | 15,000 |
UK Albums Chart[14] | BPI/OCC | 14 | 28.645 | |
U.S. Billboard 200[14] | Billboard | 1 | Platinum | 1,091,000[25] |
U.S. Billboard Top Comprehensive Albums[21] | 1 | |||
U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums[21] | 1 | |||
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[21] | 1 | |||
U.S. Billboard Tastemakers[21] | 1 | |||
U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums[21] | 3 | |||
United World Chart[14] | Media Traffic | 1 | 1,386,645 |
References
- ^ "Stars get creative". New York Daily News. April 15 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
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(help) - ^ "Alicia Keys Links With Linda Perry & John Mayer For New CD, Eyes October Release". SOHH Soulful. July 11 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
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(help) - ^ "Alicia Keys Kills — Literally — In Film Debut, 'Smokin' Aces'". MTV Movie News. January 2 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
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(help) - ^ MTV The Leak MTV.com Retrieved 2007-11-15
- ^ Silver, Evan (October 10, 2007). "Alicia Keys video shoot in Harlem" Evan Silver's blog. Retrieved 2007-11-15
- ^ "The Big Reveal" MTV.com Retrieved 2007-11-15
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2007-11-15), "As I Am". Rolling Stone. (1039):192. Retrieved November 14, 2007
- ^ Chinen, Nate (2007-11-12) "Vintage Sounds, Yet Little Nostalgia". New York Times. 157 (54126):B1-B7
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (2007-11-19), "As I Am". People. 68 (21):53
- ^ apple.com iTunes Bonus Track. Retrieved 1 November, 2007.
- ^ apple.com iTunes Bonus Track. Retrieved 1 November, 2007.
- ^ As I Am CDUniverse.com Retrieved 2001-11-15
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Alicia Keys - As I Am worldwide chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved November 20 2007.
- ^ [2]
- ^ Belgium Wallonia Album Chart
- ^ Belgium Flanders Album Chart
- ^ Canada Album Chart
- ^ Denmark Album Chart
- ^ Estonian Album Chart
- ^ a b c d e f [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ OLiS - Offical Retail Sales Chart. olis.onyx.pl. Retrieved November 19 2007.
- ^ [5]. promusicae.org. Retrieved November 20 2007.
- ^ [6]
External links
- As I Am, listen to the entire album at "The Leak" MTV.com