If you’re looking for Sasha Fierce, don’t bother: She’s gone.
Well, not entirely–she’s still there twerking her hips above the militant beat of “Run The World (Girls)” and the frenzied horn-filled club bounce of “Countdown,” but for the most part, the divalicious alter ego of one of the world’s greatest divas has stepped a stiletto to the side for the majority of her fourth studio album, 4–allowing the record to remain a decidedly Beyoncé experience- it is both sexy, gritty and a powerhouse of intense B vocals.
Trouble came quickly for Beyoncé this year when a demo of the lead single from 4, “Run The World (Girls),” sprung an early leak to a not so widely accepted critique. However I found Run the World as catchy and ass-shaking as any other Beyonce track. So the launch of Bs fourth album (accurately and simply titled '4') was quickly downloaded and ready to play-- and let me tell you it has been played everyday for the last 2 weeks.
This is fact. As the listener, escaping the emotional punch of this album is futile. You can get trapped, unable to breathe and simply in awe of her range. Her vocals can give you goosebumps and send shivers down your spine, all at the same time, especially on tracks like “1 (Plus) 1″ the opening song. The lyrics are pretty simple (1+1 = 2) but Beyonces beautiful voice really opens this album and sets the rest of the album flying with a whirlwind of vocals to make even Mariah Carey jealous.
Her second number "I care" picks the tempo straight back up with a foot tapping Beyonce beat and a chorus where you simply have to join in with the 'la-la-la-la-la-la-las". As the album progresses into tracks “I Miss You” and “Best Thing I Never Had,” we find Queen B struggling to come terms with a lover. “I miss you, I wanna be with you…” she coos. However, on the following track, “what goes around comes back around” is her anthem cry. I am in love with this song- I don't know if its the catchy "what goes around comes back around..hey my baby" or if its the flawless performance in Glastonbury that this song helps provoke my reminiscing- but this song is without a doubt my favourite of the album.
Just when you think B won’t dabble in the club-ready beats, you get smacked in the face with a “Party.” While this track is slower and the phrasing seems a little odd aswell as old, it still stands as great album filler, and with the right remix, it could be banging. "Rather Die Young” is one of the several highlights on the track listing with some tender, throwback vocals. For some reason, I feel like I’m reliving the heyday of R&B with this song. That is never a bad thing. Instead the inspiration of ’90s R&B plays as an underlying them, if anything, in this album.
"Start over" is worth a listen or two but you can easily skip this track to get to "Love on Top,” with a nice 1990′s Janet Jackson vibe, only Beyonce does Janet better than Janet herself, with this easily being one of my top songs on the entire collection. The album continues to escalate from there, giving a sweet nectar to buzzing ears. The instrumentation throughout each song is wholly unique to what proceeded it, for example, to contrast between “Love on Top,” and “Countdown” that follows with its leathery techno feel. It’s sharp, and the phrasing is quite remarkable- its not all my taste but packs a punch to its hip-hop feel.
The song "end of time" is my second favourite song- B has managed to combine her most outrageous vocals with an insane drum beat. This song has you dancing like B around your bedroom (only when your alone) and the section with fast lyrics transending into the slower vocals leaves you with hairbrush in hand acting like your Sasha Fierce. Again "I was here" is worth a listen but quickly you get bored and the finale of "run the world" is all the more enticing.
Apart from being overloaded with a steady stream of slower tunes–B offers up other tracks with a pacing for dance-ready feet – 4 is a sexy, solid album experience that pays proper tribute to a slice of R&B history without artificially stealing an artist’s signature sound.
While the album is nearly guaranteed to go down as the first major misfire in Beyoncé’s otherwise unshakable track record (as other reviews I've read don't seem to see beyond a thumping beat and a music video where B is shaking junk) it is as much of a guarantee that future listeners will re-visit this record in time to discover that it is, in fact, a gem.
-ZB
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