Recording sessions for the album took place at various locations during 2005 to 2007, and production was handled by Keys and other producers, including Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Linda Perry, Marsha Ambrosius, and John Mayer.

The album became Alicia Keys' fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week, the largest amount by a female artist since "Feels like Home" by Norah Jones (2004).

The album spawned four singles that attained Billboard chart success. "As I Am" was ranked the U.S.' best-selling album overall of 2008 by Billboard, while its lead single, "No One", became the most listened song in America that same year. On January 3, 2008, the album was certified triple platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which made it Keys' third multi-platinum album in the United States.