The 2007 chart-topping album "As I Am" is still a fresh concern for Alicia Keys, but the singer says she's already actively mulling her next record."I've been thinking about the next album, since we kind of wrapped up this album," says Keys, who's in the middle of the North American tour promoting "As I Am" that comes to the HP Pavilion on Saturday. The set, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November, still remains in the top 30 of the chart."Part of what I've been thinking about is, 'What are the ways that I want to express myself this time?' " she says "When I was just finishing recording 'As I Am,' I said to myself that I want to do something that's totally stripped-down, stripped-back, totally piano-based, singer-songwriter; a Joni Mitchell-Carole King type of vibe."I might do that, but you never know where life takes you, where the music's going to take you."
Keys says her greatest obstacle to creating new music now is finding a chance to do it amid a worldwide tour schedule that has dates booked into 2009."At this point I'm trying to find the space to continue to record as I'm on tour," explains Keys, who recently canceled some performances because of voice health issues. "That's always a bit of a challenge for me 'cause it takes so much out of me to tour."But there's always that urge to stay creative and write on that more personal side. So the main goal now is to continue to find that quiet space somewhere in the madness." source: mercurynews.com