Girl on Fire
by Alicia Keys
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Nov 27, 2012
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Mojo
    Dec 17, 2012
    60
    A girl on fire? Now and then--and inbetween times, she smoulders as well as ever. [Jan 2013, p.95]
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  2. Q Magazine
    Dec 11, 2012
    60
    No flame then, but her light shows no sign of going out. [Jan 2013, p.112]
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  3. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Dec 3, 2012
    60
    Alicia Keys is a singer-songwriter in the purest sense, and Girl On Fire is at its best when Keys (and her collaborators) remember that.
  5. Slant Magazine
    Nov 26, 2012
    60
    Girl on Fire is less a portrait of Keys's womanhood at a crossroads as it is another extension of a career spent predominantly navigating straight down the middle of the road.
  6. The Guardian
    Nov 26, 2012
    60
    As a reinvention, the album doesn't go far enough, and there are some underwhelming tunes, but the best song here--Girl on Fire--wonderfully blends Keys old and new.
  7. The Independent (UK)
    Nov 26, 2012
    60
    ["When It's All Over"] itself is one of the worst here, mercifully outnumbered by the merely adequate and the few standout songs.
  8. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Nov 26, 2012
    60
    Her fifth studio album is dominated by navel-gazing auto-therapy sessions.
  9. Chicago Tribune
    Nov 26, 2012
    50
    Despite being hyped as her most "personal" album, Girl on Fire is really just more of the same.
  10. The New York Times
    Nov 26, 2012
    50
    It's a measure of how powerful parenthood really is that it generates so many clichés. The new songs that push that subtext out front quickly grow trite, in words and music.... It's the tracks in which Ms. Keys seems to pay attention to a quieter story rather than building new pedestals for herself--that echo and smudge and smear sounds, that lead toward paradox--that suggest something new for her.
  11. NOW Magazine
    Dec 6, 2012
    40
    Despite Keys's proficiency (she co-wrote Where's The Fun In Forever, one of the best songs on Miguel's new album), she's always seemed a little boring. On that front, she delivers.
  12. The Observer (UK)
    Nov 26, 2012
    40
    Ultimately, though, it still cleaves too close to the polite piano soul with which Keys has filled 10 years.

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed Album of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 100 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 100
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 100
  3. Negative: 11 out of 100
  1. jw1293
    Nov 27, 2012
    9
    Something's gone awry when the singles are the weakest tracks on the album. As weak as the singles are lyrically ("looks like a girl, butSomething's gone awry when the singles are the weakest tracks on the album. As weak as the singles are lyrically ("looks like a girl, but she's a flame" from the title track), they fit well in the musical landscape that Keys has painted. Easily the most consistent and cohesive set of songs we've heard from Keys, "Girl on Fire" moves effortlessly from piano ballads ("Brand New Me") to Jamie XX ("When It's All Over"), to synth-heavy groove "Listen to Your Heart". Some have lamented Keys' refusal to truly open up in the past, and they will likely find plenty wrong with another album where she keeps the listeners at arms length, mostly. But look harder at the thematic elements of a few tracks and you'll see that she's subtly addressing the things that have been said about her. For example, "101" is a thinly veiled dig at the naysayers regarding her relationship with the notoriously unfaithful Swizz Beatz. Not to mention that it sounds fantastic. "Not Even The King", while certainly not currently personal for Keys, finds her at her most intimate on a recording, stopping to sit down, breathe, and push the pedal down before beginning the future nominee for Song of The Year at the Grammy Awards. I'm a longtime Alicia Keys fan, disappointed with the last album of mostly filler music, and am really thrilled to see Keys back at the top of her game and turning out an album even better than "As I Am". Great music!… Full Review »
  2. Mocacinno
    Nov 27, 2012
    9
    Such a lovely album and breathe of fresh air , the singles are by far the weakest tracks on the album ,stand out tracks are "One Thing" ,Such a lovely album and breathe of fresh air , the singles are by far the weakest tracks on the album ,stand out tracks are "One Thing" , "When Its all Over" , "Fire We Make" and "Brand New Me"… Full Review »
  3. luksgote
    Dec 13, 2012
    10
    Alicia once again, prove why is one of the most and greatest artists of new generation... This album is amazing. Every track... every lyric...Alicia once again, prove why is one of the most and greatest artists of new generation... This album is amazing. Every track... every lyric... it's crazy!! We felling the emotion of his voice. She's so wonderful... I love her.

    My favorite song? ALL, for sure.    … Full Review »
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