Let me preface this by stating that I have been a
Beyonce Fan since
Destiny's Child days singing
"No,No,No" from the fast version to the slow version. With this
4 album its her release from the chains of Papa Knowles and a sense of independence of Mrs. Beyonce Knowles-Carter. I must admit when I first heard the album it took me a while to find some favorites unlike other Beyonce projects where songs stood out to me in the first listen. I'm just being honest. One thing is for sure Bey knows how begin the promo for a new album releasing 3 completely different type of songs consecutively. Her lead single
"Run The World" was controversial from the start because people were already familiar with
"Pon de Floor" by
Major Lazer. Some were just dead set against liking it and others were steady bumping it and praising it as the beginning of Queen Bey's Reign aka Bey Season.
I must say
"1+1" is a beautiful ballad accompanied by sound of strings and piano. I like the fact that there aren’t any signs of heavy drums just the rawness of her voice. You can almost feel Bey’s heart pour out in the lyrics, “
and I don’t know when I’m gone die but I hope that I’m gone die by you, hey, I don’t know much about fighting but I, I know I will fight for you”. You can pretty much expect the same flow for
"I Miss You". It's a universal track which makes it unique. It can relate to a loved one or a lost one which will resonate with most. However the lyrics are really just repetition but it works for the sound achieved. Don’t look for powerful vocals belting on this track. Take it for what it is and let it flow.
We all know Beyonce has never been the type to speak candidly about her personal life or gush about her marriage to rapper
Jay Z but if you listen to
"Rather Die Young", "I Care", and
"Start Over" you'll find out all you need to know. This album may be Beyonce speaking not as a single girl or girlfriend but as a wife. Marriage can be a roller coaster with good times and bad times where you're going to argue and bicker. I believe in
"I Care" she touches on that. It also has that live band sound that I could only imagine how it would sound performed in concert. Using her words Beyonce expresses her love for her husband in
"Rather Die Young" with all the risks it might have been. If there’s any question if Bey is the “ride or die” type let’s just say she would never leave her man hanging out there.
"Start Over" to me feels like the soundtrack of the album. Grown woman Bey is showing growth and happiness. Don't expect any divorce papers being signed she clearly sends the message of not giving up in relationships and opening up the idea of starting over. Relationships have cycles where at times you may not be on the same page but that’s when you decide to make it work and that's exactly what she belts out singing “
let’s start over, We can’t let our good love die, Maybe we can start over, Give love another life”.
There are some songs that kinda left me in limbo. "Love On Top" takes me back to the 80's or early 90's of R&B. Keeping it classy with a live band sound accented with drums and saxophones. "End of Time" sounds a bit like "Run The World" with similar production with the percussion's just its a slower pace. It brings a feel of mixture between 1990's and 2011 with an indescribable genre. The only song on the album that has a feature is "Party"with Kanye West and Andre 300. The song is sampled from Dough E Fresh and Slick Ricks "La Di Da Di". It's a real mellow song although I don't think it would be single even though Andre 300 sounds great on anything.
Now down to my favorites! One thing Beyonce has the ability to do is relate to women all over whether you're the girl searching for love, in love, or over love. I would have to say "Best Thing I Never Had" is the female version of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" in a sense. Singing to an ex "thank God you blew it, I thank God I dodged a bullet, I'm so over you so baby good lookin out" and closing each chorus with "sucks to be you right now" making it the ultimate break up cleansing song. Now "Countdown" would be my favorite track on the entire album. Even though Bey claims she killed Sasha Fierce in 2010 I hear glimpses of her in this song. With her quick Destiny's Child style singing laced with a slight flow that I'm sure was rubbed off by her famous husband makes this a great track and hopefully a single. This also may be one of the few upbeat songs on the track list besides "Run This World". You can hear a more vulnerable side of Beyonce in "I Was Here
As a person who has purchased all 3 of her solo projects and 7 Destiny's Child albums I can say its very different. If I had to compare it to any of her other albums it would possibly be Dangerously In Love but a 2.0 version. I see more growth, vulnerability, and independence. I remember the days when Bey would never curse on a track, now she cussin in songs. It is different than what most Beyonce fans would probably expect from her but it is a more mature grown up Beyonce. I wouldn't call it a dance album, a pop album or even a R&B album. It's more like a gumbo of genres!
