Alicia Keys – Here

Love the album but my copy is noisy with pops and crackles. Additionally it is warped. My needle jumps like Destiny's Child in 1999! Very disappointing. I hope there will be a rerelease on 2 LPs with a good mastering and pressing.

I was only able to get through the first side of this LP and ... damn . This is one solid work. Even incomplete; "Here" is completely worthy of revisitation.
On "Here" Alicia is able to remix a Nas & ATCQ classic better than most rappers, all while spitting over from production handled by hip-hop luminers like the RZA and Swizz Beatz. And I do mean spit, as this album was intentionally built for tne hip-hop culture as referenced in "The Beginning". Given the time this came out, and looking at Alicia's track record of hip-hop moments - I dont believe the songstress took to kindly with the state of the culture, and here she uses her platform to let that be known while taking time to critique Afro-centric culture and the world as a whole (hear the message in "Kill Your Mama") all while being vulnerable enough to rep where she's from and express who she is with no shame - which could explain her lack of clothes on the album cover.
"Here" is Alicia flying pass the competition, more elevated than the interlude of a similar name. Despite all the R&B releases that came out that year with black & white covers (The Knowles sisters , John Legend , etc.) Alicia's "Here" stands on it's own on top of any artist who ever claimed they could mumble a melody and throw in some ad-libs and call that "Hip-Hop". "Here" is Alicia taking those kids to school. A concious audio field trip worth it's weight in a parental signature.

Dreadful noisy pressing with loads of non-fill and the records are really dirty-loads of black bits in the inner sleeve, which had scratched the records on the 3 copies I bought and returned before I gave up and sent them all back. Avoid.

Any review on the sound quality of this? Unfortunately EU version sounds poor :(

Extremely poor pressing. A lot of hissing and vinyl is warped. Took the fist one back and the second one is even worse.