ALICIA KEYS' MAssive ATTACK!

"Aretha Franklin meets Janis Joplin" is the way nine-time Grammy-winner Alicia Keys describes the galvanizing majesty of her third studio album, As I Am (in stores November 13 on J Records) – her first in four years since her 2003 The Diary of Alicia Keys sophomore effort. Working with collaborators that swing from Sean Garrett and Swizz Beatz to John Mayer, the result is like a massive attack upon the senses. Far too fierce and multi-faceted to be constricted by broadcast "formats" and categorical boxes, As I Am is an artistic statement that's sphere of influence will know no bounds.

It seems most things Alicia touches nowadays are on heightened levels of intensity such as her eye-popping turn as hit woman "Georgia Sykes" in the underground action smash Smokin' Aces. But As I Am deals with the real life woman Alicia and the soul of anyone on Earth who feels that now, more than ever, we need to not just embrace life but squeeze the ever-lovin' juice out of every moment for tomorrow sure as hell ain't promised.

Highlights of the music begin with the first single, "No One," which caught fans and industry followers off guard as Alicia boldly stepped out with an all out declaration of love and devotion booming drums, ringing voice and a wistful piano line. The Justin Francis/Saline Project-directed video revealed an Alicia more gorgeous than ever before while a brand new remix featuring label mate Cassidy and a vintage Eric B beat make the song even more anthem-esque. Cassidy compares Keys' beauty to M&Ms, vanilla and cinnamon as his love comes down hard for her like candy rain. Imagine lovers coming together to this on New Years Eve in Times Square during a downpour.

Keys' "Superwoman" (all original and neither a cover of the Stevie Wonder or Karyn White classics) finds our heroine waking up to one of the days where it's as if the weight of the world is crushing her slender shoulders. But with powerful organ, piano and vocals among her powers, Keys overcomes her blues in a summation of faith, hope and strength. This vibe returns on the life-affirming "Sure Looks Good to Me" on which Alicia stresses to take life by the horns and ride it into a glorious sunset.

The Janis Joplin side of Alicia's musical equation is definitely felt on the rocker "Go Ahead," an atomic rocker with body walloping sub woofer bass that just might be the ultimate kiss-off of 2007. Keys co-wrote this one with Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry fame, Mark Batson and Kerry "Crucial" Brothers.

But ultimately, there's a lot of love in the air on Alicia's latest. "Like You'll Never See Me Again," which she wrote and produced herself, weds Dianne Warren-like all or nothing romantic sentiments to a "gospeldelic" melody that owes much to Prince's eternal "Purple Rain." Meanwhile, "Teenage Love Affair" (created in conjunction with Jack Splash and Harold Lilly) is a fun update of the Slick Rick rap classic on which – like a typical teen – Alicia reflects back on her first crush – what she proudly and shamelessly describes as "a matter of extreme importance." The great thing about this track is that while Kanye concocted a classic soul feel for Alicia by sampling a rare Main Ingredient loop for the lead-off single of her previous CD "You Don't Know My Name," Keys created an original melody for this nostalgia-kissed gem.

Best of all the new songs and hopefully a single down the line is "The Thing About Love," a powerful nugget of rise and fall dynamics, dual tempos and time signatures that really drives home the feeing of being caught up in love. Alicia collaborated on this one with Linda Perry (whose recent credits include Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Gwen Stefani and Gina Gershon).

Since her 2001 debut Songs in A Minor, New York native Alicia Keys has built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments with over 20 million albums sold worldwide. Songs in A Minor, which spawned her signature hit "Fallin," sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and garnered five Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. Alicia's follow-up disc, 2004's The Diary of Alicia Keys, which is currently 7 times platinum, captured four Grammy Awards and featured the hits "If I Ain't Got You," "You Don't Know My Name," and "Karma." With the 2005 release of Unplugged, which has sold 2 million copies, Keys became the first female R&B artist to have three consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard 200 album chart in as many releases.

Then, Keys took to the road with an exclusive series of concerts that were an all-out salute to the days of the Cotton Club. Complete with orchestra, wardrobe, sets and choreography, it was one of the first class R&B-based concert productions of 2005.

Adding even more fuel to her artistic fire, Alicia Keys has been burning up the big screen and the little screen with scene stealing performances in director/screenwriter Joe Carnahan's dialogue rich Smokin' Aces, the satirical comedy The Nanny Diaries (opposite Scarlett Johansson as the soulful sista friend with the sage advice) and on television prime time network novella, Cane (starring Jimmy Smits). There has also been talk of a UPN-TV series based on Alicia's young life growing up in New York biracial.

Still ahead for Ms. Keys is a long-planned biopic on '40s-era Black classical pianist Philippa Schuyler titled Compositions in Black and White that is being produced by Halle Berry. Noting the work of her kindred singers-turned-actresses Beyoncé Knowles and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls, Keys concludes, "They're both very talented young women. This is a very exciting time. From the beginning, many of the greatest artists were triple threats. They did it all and that's what being an artist truly means. I think we're going back in that direction now. To encompass so many styles and with so much class is fantastic!"

Music-wise, some seriously rockin' soul is the order of the day as Alicia Keys comes out of her corner swingin' with a massive attack on As I Am (in stores November 13 on J Records). Stay tuned for another outstanding series of live concert appearances that will bring this electrifying new music to life.