Beyoncé: 4
Delivering her most diverse record yet, Houston native Beyoncé now gives us 4.
Allowing herself to be more vulnerable and lending her talents to a less in-your-face sound, King B has produced an older, wiser—may I say gentler–persona than 2008’s I Am … Sasha Fierce. Demonstrating strong vocals and the effects of “marital bliss,†the Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter showcases love and its many trials and tribulations on such tracks as “1+1,” “Rather Die Young,” “Start Over,” and “End of Time.â€
On 4, the pop star definitely pulls in great writers and producers to give her more edge, as if she needs any. Talented up-and-coming singer-songwriterFrank Ocean penned “I Miss You,†Diplo and Switch (of Major Lazer fame) brought girl-power anthem “Run the World (Girls),†and Babyface and Symbolyc One delivered on the sucks-to-be-you “Best Thing I Never Had.â€
Even so, favorites on the LP are “Love on Top,†an R&B pop tune and “Rather Die Young,†a poetic homage to amour. The only flaw on 4 is the Andre 3000 and Kanye West collabo “Party,†“You a bad girl and your friends bad too/You got the swag sauce you dripping swaggu.†From what I’ve read, Bey presented 60+ songs to execs at Sony; this should not have been one of them. It seems as if it was written and recorded when she was 16.
One Trackback