She first announced the release date of March 2020 back in January or February. She delayed it 3 or 4 times and she confirmed on her IG it will be released this Friday. I actually tried to just revive the old thread from last year, but after a certain amount of time, threads get locked I guess. I know Show Me Love and Good Job are on it. I like all 6 of her albums so far, but her first 3 are the obvious stand outs. I hope this album is different from the traditional piano thing she does all the time. In Common vibes would be useful

daingermouz2020 said:

Seventh album? I thought she'd have more.

Yeah, she doesn't drop very often, but she's been able to keep herself relevant through business deals and hosting different shows like the Grammys. I think she'll always be at least somehwat relevant because she was so big during the 2000s and dropped a ton of classic hits. She even came into the last decade pretty hot with Girl On Fire, which had a lot of cultural impact even though it barely made it to the top 20. She's one of the few R&B artist who managed such great crossover appeal. Her, Beyonce, and Usher are the last ones to do it to that degree (even though Usher and Beyonce also dabbled in a bit of pop and hip hop once the trends started changing in the last decade).

https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/alicia-keys-alicia-review-2754534

First review I could find on the album is very positive. I look forward to hearing it.

So far........I dig 1 song on the new album.

I'm liking it. It is sonically more diverse than I expected, with very little piano playing. While it is far from edgy, it doesn't feel overly middle of the road like John Legend. So far, not great but an enjoyable listen.l

I'm liking it. It is sonically more diverse than I expected, with very little piano playing. While it is far from edgy, it doesn't feel overly middle of the road like John Legend. So far, not great but an enjoyable listen.l

Surprised that Time Machine and Underdog didn't take off as singles. Is she already too old for pop radio? Good album though, spun it half a dozen times in the last few days.

Cloudbuster said:

Surprised that Time Machine and Underdog didn't take off as singles. Is she already too old for pop radio? Good album though, spun it half a dozen times in the last few days.

Yeah, kind of. The song Show Me Love charted and peaked at 89 I think. None of the singles from her last album Here charted either, which was a first for her. She's still a huge star and a crossover artist for sure, but in terms of sales and streams, unless she finds a way to open the windows of heaven and make a Mariah level comeback, people are mainly streaming her old stuff. ALICIA is predicted to debut at #4 this week with 50-55k album units (40-45k pure albums). Her past first week sales

Alicia's past first week sales:

A Minor (2001): 236k

Diary (2003): 618k

As I Am (2007): 742k

Freedom (2009): 417k

Girl On Fire (2012): 159k

Here (2016): 50k (42k pure albums)

Some people have called it a flop, but it really isn't. I know this looks far from where she was before, but the only way to have high debuts now is through streaming and her fanbase is older so they're not streaming, they're buying. Her, Usher and Beyonce were the top R&B artists of the 2000s, but now their releases aree struggling a little bit cuz they couldn't crossover into the streaming world very well simply because of their age. I'm sure all of them have the potential to make a nice comeback, but for now, yeah this is gonna be normal. But these sales prove how consistent she is. 50k to 55k is a slight bump, but essentially the same number. She's alsways been consistent which is a very good aspect to have.

I also wanna add those numbers she was pulling in the 2000s is EXTREMELY RARE for a female r&b artist. She has had a huge amount of success and impact and 20 years into the game, she has nothing to prove.

I have continued to enjoy this release to the point that I bought it, which I only occasionally do now. I haven't bought an Alicia release in many years, so I have been pleasantly surprised with the album. It is sonically diverse and it is held together by her gentle soulfulness. I also find the generally positive message a much needed perspective right now.