Probably noticing the drowsy reaction, she politely asked the crowd to do her a favor and stand up for her last song, a solo version of her hit duet with Chris Brown, “No Air.” “I really don’t have to sing this one–I can leave now” she joked with the crowd.
#AS I AM ALICIA KEYS AMAZON FULL#
The 1st Mariner Arena probably wasn’t even half full when the season six American Idol winner took the stage but those that were there seemed like they couldn’t care less to see the gorgeous 18-year-old amazon belt her little heart out. Sparks, who was battling vocal problems early in the tour, was in fine voice, running through her short but entertaining set that included her first hit “Tattoo” and new single “One Step at a Time.” You wouldn’t know that by the crowd response. Soon after, the show got started with Jordin Sparks. Keys’ pal, talented newcomer Erika Rose, and one of Alicia’s long time background singers, the ridiculously talented Jermaine Paul got the crowd warmed up with a very quick set. So, I made an extra effort to watch the show objectively and not get lost in my “standom.” I am also an avid Ne-Yo lover, having seen him live on tours I believe he’s too good for (sharing co-headliner billing with Chris Brown on the Up Close and Personal Tour and performing with a crop of flavor of the month stars at Screamfest). I’ve made no secret that this tour was one of my dreams I’ve been a huge Alicia Keys fan since falling in love with her first single, “Fallin’,” in 2001. As this is one Keys’ first big arena tours, the mixed reviews were to be expected, but I was excited to get to judge it all for myself. Some praised Keys for stretching her wings with a show a little more in line with her R&B/Pop competitors, others stopped short of bashing her for not coming out at the piano and staying there the whole night. I had been reading the reviews since the tour kicked off in April. These songs, like a fair portion of the album's remainder, are not lacking in energy or conviction, but they're raw as in crude.Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” tour stopped in Baltimore, MD Sunday night with tour openers Jordin Sparks and Ne-Yo. Pharrell Williams is on the couple's perseverance anthem "Work on It," a wobbly ballad, while Illangelo was involved with "Holy War," where some dulled drums interrupt a mostly acoustic number about backward societal views of war and sex.
The outside productions don't add a whole lot. Anyone who faults Keys' lack of technical mastery should be able to feel the depth of the pain the singer expresses in that highlight. The biographical "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)," featuring A$AP Rocky, hits all the right supportive notes despite borrowing from Edie Brickell's "What I Am." Most affecting of all is the gospel-blues dirge "Illusion of Bliss," a modern-day version of James Brown's "King Heroin" presented from the addict's point of view. "She Don't Really Care_1 Luv" is prime hip-hop soul with an appearance from legendary vibraphonist Roy Ayers. For all the haste, the album does contain a batch of career standouts. Lines that provoke furrowed brows arrive as early as the intro. The expressions are sometimes heard as Keys feels out a rhythm, like she's warming up, while in "The Gospel" they sound like temporary placeholders for lyrics. There are more yeahs, ohs, and unghs (and fucks) here than on any previous Keys album. At points, Keys' invigorated energy level and need to simply expel ideas, rather than refine them, lends the album a hollow quality. Pared down compared to Girl on Fire in every respect, Keys' first album since 2012 was created primarily with husband Swizz Beats and Mark Batson - a trio dubbed in the liner notes as the Il'luminaries. That anti-processing mentality and heightened social consciousness carried into the making of Here. At some point, she stopped wearing makeup, fed up with the standard of perfection to which women are held. Between the release dates of her fifth and sixth albums, Alicia Keys was as visible as ever, acting on Empire, coaching on The Voice, performing on Saturday Night Live and at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
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