Thanks to those estrogen-fueled anthems, a soaring soprano and that around-the-way attractiveness and accessibility, Alicia Keys has firmly entrenched herself as a force to be reckoned with as far as longevity and artistic flair. For three consecutive releases, the native New Yorker resisted the temptation to sex it up and dumb it down, churning out wrenching ballads and saucy cuts that dared listeners to pump their fists, rock their necks or drop-kick losers in their circle to step lively into the next phase.

But cracks began to appear within Alicia’s impeccable image both personally and professionally when her fourth chart-topping CD, The Element of Freedom, found its momentum stalled by her gossip blog magnet of a courtship with the producer of her “Put It In A Love Song” track, the then-married Kaseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean (and the public chastising by his relectant soon-to-be ex, Mashonda)……http://www.soultracks.com/review-alicia-keys-fire