“Segregation, determination, demonstration, intergration, aggravation,humilation, obligation to our nation.” The Temptations’ 1970’s hit, “Ball of Confusion,” although released in the 70s, aptly describes of the world today. The contentious election cycle aside, issues like police brutality, racial profiling, and foreign/domestic terrorism keep people buzzing about what should happen next, and that’s Alicia Keys brings forth in her uneven, yet ambitious sixth studio release, Here.

Months ago, Alicia Keys public decided to free herself from many of the superficial restrains that she believed were wearing on her life and her art. “For awhile, I got caught behind this dailyveil of feeling like I had to be perfect,” she said in the September edition of Ebony magazine. “I had to be perfect when I spoke to people in interviews…..I had to watch exactly how political I got…..Then suddenly, I felt like I was a mute. …..I had put myself in a box, and that box wasn’t healthy. I think now I’m just ready to be free.” And that’s what listeners will experience throughout Here—– a woman grappling with the state of the world and her place within it.

Let’s make it clear from the jump: like her make-up free features these days, Alicia’s newest collection of songs (produced by the likes of Keys, Pharrell Williams, Mark Batson and of course, Siwzz Beats, to name a few) is unvarnished. Raw. There are no fluffy “together forever” ballads or danceable party jams…..Mrs. Kaseem Dean is all about getting her revolution on. She equates the worth of freedom….(please click here for the full-length review at soultracks.com)