What Floetry seems to neglect on its debut album, however, is that its forebears shot to stardom on songwriting. Even Keys, who really, really wants her listeners to know she's a trained pianist, stumbled upon flashes of brilliance on her 2001 breakthrough, Songs in A' Minor. Too often, Floetry relies on the requisite backbone of the slow jam, on which it effectively jerks off into a mike. Other times, as on "Say Yes" and "Getting Late," the two lock into an intriguing, slinky groove and then get stuck, dragging the slowness to the edge of boredom.
Ultimately, Floetic sets a sublime mood but proves that some things are better left unimported.