9781422271865

songwriting, overall the album received positive reviews. Critical acclaim combined with worldwide sales of five million copies led to three more Grammy Awards. Outside North America, on November 10, 2008, As I Am was reissued in super edition with three added selections which included her collaboration with Jack White for the soundtrack of Quantum of Solace . The super edition also includes a second disc of five performances recorded at The Coronet in London. The Element of Freedom became Keys’s first number-one album in the UK. It debuted at number two in the U.S. with first-week sales of 417,000. Within its first month of release, it earned platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album produced five chart singles plus positive reviews. Critics complimented its low-key style and the cohesive nature of the release. Initially, Canadian rapper Drake was to write one song with Keys for the album, but the two jelled so well together that after writing “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready),” they simply kept going. Drake ended up contributing in some way to the entirety of the songs on the album. The Element of Freedom sold more than four million copies by August 2012, becoming the 148th bestselling release of the 2010s. T HE E LEMENT OF F REEDOM (Released December 11, 2009)

Scan here to watch the music video for Alicia Keys’s “Superwoman.”

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HIP-HOP & R&B