June 16, 201114 yr I guess I can understand that, it really has just been thrown on the end of the album. I'm hoping some of the deluxe tracks will be similar to it in style to give it a bit more context on the album as a whole. I definitely think they will be. "Schoolin' Life", "Dance for You" and "Lay Up Under Me" scream uptempo to me, but hopefully they'll be better than "Run the World (Girls)" is.
June 16, 201114 yr I'm not sure how they 'scream uptempo' to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say the former and latter would be midtempo jams and Dance For You might be the uptempo but then nobody thought a song called Party featuring André 3000 would have such a (relatively) slow tempo so...
June 16, 201114 yr I'm not sure how they 'scream uptempo' to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say the former and latter would be midtempo jams and Dance For You might be the uptempo but then nobody thought a song called Party featuring André 3000 would have such a (relatively) slow tempo so... "Lay Up Under Me" could be midtempo, but I definitely think the other two are uptempos.
June 17, 201114 yr http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/16/00/00/14/86/28/99/1486289910._V176529053_.jpg
June 17, 201114 yr 3 remixes of Run the World (Girls)? Yeah, cos thats REALLY what the majority of fans want? :lol:
June 17, 201114 yr 3 remixes of Run the World (Girls)? Yeah, cos thats REALLY what the majority of fans want? :lol: Tell me about it. :lol:
June 17, 201114 yr Beyoncé's New Album 4 Set For Release Worldwide on June 28; Deluxe Edition with Bonus Music and Video Exclusively Available at Target Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) today announced it is partnering with multi-Grammy® Award-winning artist Beyoncé for the exclusive deluxe edition of her fourth solo album, 4. The deluxe edition of 4 is now available for pre-order at Target.com/Beyonce and will be offered at Target stores nationwide and online beginning June 28. A digital version of the deluxe edition is available at Target.com. "My fans will be so excited about my new album because I put my heart and soul into creating something that's personal and honest", said Beyoncé. Inspired by a variety of music genres she loves, Beyoncé refers to the songs on 4 as her "musical gumbo". The new collection of ballads, mid and up-tempos incorporates live instrumentation, classic songwriting and Beyoncé's undeniable vocal ability. The Target deluxe album includes three additional new songs from Beyoncé as well as three remixes and bonus video footage. The new tracks exclusive to Target are: "Lay Up Under Me", "Schoolin' Life" and "Dance for You." "Beyoncé's fans are clamoring for her new album and Target is the only retailer giving them extra songs and video from their favorite artist," said John Butcher, vice president of Entertainment, Target. "Beyoncé played an active role in the production of the Target deluxe edition, making sure the content would give fans an even greater glimpse into the personal journey that inspired her latest music." In addition to the new tracks, the Target deluxe album edition has more than 17 minutes of extra club remixes of "Run the World (Girls)", the album's lead single released in April of this year. DJ and producer Kaskade and legendary remix producers Redtop and Jochen Simms all contributed to the bonus music. Also found only on the Target deluxe album is an exclusive version of the "Run the World (Girls)" music video. Target also produced a TV spot for the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's new album. The spot begins airing June 24 and features one of Beyoncé's new songs, "Countdown". It reveals the artistic process behind the album, as well as some of the important moments in Beyoncé's life that inspired the songs on 4. Beyoncé has sold more than 75 million records and is one of the most notable artists in the world, having earned a total of 16 Grammy Awards – 13 as a solo artist and three as a member of Destiny's Child. Beyoncé's fame blossomed in the '90s as lead singer of the group, which became one of the best-selling music ensembles of all time. Later Beyoncé released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love, which produced the No. 1 hits: "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", making it one of the most successful albums of 2003. Beyoncé's sophomore album and subsequent third studio release produced the household hits "Irreplaceable", "Beautiful Liar" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". It also earned her a top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2008, I Am... Sasha Fierce earned six Grammy Awards – the most Grammys ever won by a female artist in one night. Beyoncé was honored this May at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards with the Millennium Award.http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2011...-Worldwide-June
June 17, 201114 yr Honestly, if she or her team don't release End of time next, somebody gettin' fireeeed!
June 17, 201114 yr http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmwvphZQz81qzduazo1_500.jpg http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmww0jNNjc1qzduazo1_500.png http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmwvqiL0Oq1qzduazo1_500.jpg
June 17, 201114 yr The go-to recording engineer for Beyoncé is Toronto native Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young. He's sitting in a spacious studio at New York's new $3.5 million Jungle City Studios, talking about his unlikely road to working on one of the most anticipated albums of 2011, Beyoncé's 4 (due June 28). "I was cleaning toilets, ordering food, doing maintenance around the studio when I first started," Young says, recalling his internship days. "But it never felt like a day of work. That's when I knew I'd found my calling." An ambitious kid who once DJ'd all-ages clubs, Young moved to New York two days after graduating from Full Sail's sound engineering program in 2005. Soon, Island Def Jam recording artist Fabolous recruited him to engineer his recording sessions. Young dishes on 120-hour work weeks, technology and recording studios. He notes with enthusiasm that it's an honor to record "the greatest singer of our generation." When did you find out you were going to work with Beyoncé? Young: A friend of mine, [bET 106 & Park associate producer] Omar Grant, who was working at Epic Records at the time, worked with Destiny's Child years ago. And I guess Beyoncé needed a fill-in engineer for the day. This was April 2010. She'd finished her last album and . . . was ready to get back in. Beyoncé wanted to cut a new song . . . I came in and she told me, at the end of the day, that I did a great job. A few months later, I got a callback to do more sessions. We pretty much worked every day nonstop. B's a machine. We recorded more than 70 songs. It was by far the greatest experience I've had in the studio. I spent more time with Beyoncé in the last year than I have with my own family in six years [laughs]. Some of 4 was recorded overseas, wasn't it? We rented a mansion in Australia. In one room Kanye West and Jay-Z were doing their Watch the Throne, and we were in another room [recording 4]. It was incredible. Jay and Kanye recorded in a living room . . . so we shipped all the gear in, rented what we needed to and built two studios. Beyoncé and I recorded in the theater room. But the first studio we went to overseas was in [England] . . . a place called Bath. Peter Gabriel has a studio in a village that looks like The Lord of the Rings called Real World Studios. Beyoncé and I were in Gabriel's private room . . . It has every musical instrument that he ever collected hanging on the walls. It looks like a madhouse for music . . . a really creative space. Is Beyoncé a studio tyrant? [Laughs] She is, but not in an authoritative way. She's a sweetheart to work with . . . when you are on your $h!t. I pride myself on being really fast and able to execute all the ideas that she wants. Because she's on her $h!t, if you're not, then she's going to find somebody that is. One of the songs that leaked, "Party" [produced by Kanye West and featuring André 3000], has a very early-'90s R&B sound. How did you achieve that? That was the first record I ever cut with her, before we even started the album. Kanye sent it to her . . . that early-'90s inspiration was already there. Beyoncé was experimenting . . . with everything. "Party" . . . sounds like you're at a summer cookout. She got that point across in the vocals. One of the pressures of being Beyoncé is that she has to set the trends . . . everyone looks to her to create what's next. There's nothing on the radio that sounds like [first single] "Run the World." My favorite song is actually going to be on the deluxe [Target] edition of 4. It's a song called "Schoolin' Life." It has a Prince vibe. The-Dream wrote and produced it, and it's basically a song about life and growing up. We recorded that toward the end of the project. As soon as I heard it I told B, "That's the one . . . I love that song." I actually got the chance to mix that record. It was incredible that she allowed me to do that. It seems like recording engineers have become an endangered species, given that anyone can purchase Pro Tools. It's easy for people to do their own setup at home . . . and get a decent sound. But the problem is, a lot of people don't know how to record. You may have the greatest mic and all the greatest gear, but then your vocals are distorted. One of the problems is, kids are trained to just hear MP3s . . . very loud. They don't care about the sonic qualities of the song. But you can't fight technology [laughs]. Do you think to yourself, "I'm 26 years old and working with a global superstar. Can it get any better than this"? Yeah [laughs]. It's been such a ride. But the important thing is, I never stopped. I've never taken a vacation. When you're not around you miss opportunities. That's why I have no problem being in a studio 120 hours in a week. That work ethic is what helped me get to where I am so quickly-I'm now mixing Beyoncé records. No other 26-year-old can say that.http://www.billboard.com/news/beyonce-expe...005240182.story
June 17, 201114 yr Some of the pics from this era are truely amazing :wub: Gonna make the CD design competition a bit easier :lol:
June 17, 201114 yr I heard 'End Of Time' on Kiss last night, sounds really good, hope it's a single! ^_^
June 19, 201114 yr An album three years in the making, Beyoncé's 4 is a polished persona of Knowles’ progression as an artist. Retreating from her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé drew from her musical inspirations to create twelve songs that fit together quite nicely. "1+1", is a vigorous ballad where Beyoncé sings from the depths of her soul tapping into Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston qualities. While the song seems to drag, the lyrics are emotionally demanding, compellingly poignant and Beyoncé capitalizes on her timbre to ensure that its point is made. The sweetness of "I Miss You" is where Knowles embraces refreshing artistic freedom. 4's second single, "Best Thing I Never Had," is amazingly sung giving a sexy, yet dominating feeling. "Party", a summertime jam is 4's gem. Its production unlocks an exotic island rhythm worked on by Kanye West and Consequence amidst samples of Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick flying within it and a rap verse by André 3000. Beyoncé retraces a relationship on "Start Over", a rocky ballad that is ferociously memorable, while "Countdown" feels Destiny's Child-ish with its hard hitting collage of instrumentation and Beyoncé switching back and forth between singing and speaking the lyrics. The Diane Warren penned "I Was Here" is a time capsule cut where a piano accompanies Beyoncé as she reveals how she wants to be remembered when the clock strikes. The album closes with "Run the World (Girls)", a power anthem driven by Arabian and Egyptian sounding infection. It is definitively pro-female and devoted solely to striking empowerment chants in women everywhere. 4 is easily Beyoncé’s best work since B'Day. The project is an enjoyable paradise of Beyoncé's sassy vocals blistering through a theme of sophisticated independence. Throughout its musical performance, it presents the impression that everything we've seen from Beyoncé thus far has been a preview and the main attraction is yet to come. 4 receives a PARLÉ Rating: P…Horrible PA…Tolerable PAR…Good PARL…Kinda Great PARLÉ… Classic Picks: "Party", "Countdown" and "Best Thing I Never Had"http://www.parlemagazine.com/music-/1086-4...bum-review.html At a certain point, artists have to concern themselves with longevity and how they are going to transition into a sustainable career. Can't be a teen sensation or a half-naked gyrator forever, right? With her latest album, 4 Beyoncé is her attempt at crafting an album that a married superstar staring 30 in the face can drop and be taken seriously. The album is flooded with themes of love and chooses power ballads rather than booty songs and the chicken head anthems she's made into an art form to push the superstar into the realm of serious music. A spare guitar is joined by a gripping bass and an emotive organ for a spare background for Beyoncé to speak on the power of love on "1+1". The slow smolder of the track brings echoes of Prince in construction and allows her vocals to command the track rather than the rhythm. That Minnesota slow synth groove is present on the into to "I Care". The chorus and other parts morph to a different paced construction with cymbal clashes and soothing background vocals as Beyoncé waxes on a failing relationship where shes' giving too much. "I Miss You" features a whispery Beyoncé over a an electro funk undercurrent. Bey emits a certain vocal iciness on the lead vocals while adopting a higher pitch on the layered vocals a la Jack White on "2 against 1". The dual layering adds flavor and is more evidence of her vocal talent. The obligatory better-off-without-your-ass anthem comes with the piano and guitar-fueled "Best Thing I Never Had". The difference is how personal the song feels rather than the audience pandering of an "Irreplaceable". There's nothing catchy for people in similarly **** up relationships to sing in the club with drink in hand. When looked on with a curious ear, certain lyrics can be construed as aimed at daddy Knowles. This string of powerful material is undercut by the underwhelming "Party". Despite track work by Kanye and mic work by the elusive André 3000, the track fails to lift itself about meh. Luckily the quality returns with the slick "Rather Die Young", a sophisticated composition that slants Beyoncé's vocal delivery and weaves it around curious basslines and dynamic instrumentation. It's a mature song that flaunts Beyoncé's growth wonderfully. Earth Wind and Fire-like horn arrangements put the sizzling butter on that movie popcorn. "Start Over" is throwback contemporary with Art of Noise-like elements and the hi-hat section of Stevie's "Send One Your Love" buried under high-powered keyboard and drum patterns. The song concerns itself with a perpetuating relationship that is well past its course. The rhythm of "Love On Top" is decidedly old-school with rhythmic echoes of George Benson. Mrs. Knowles-Carter is aggressive and the backing vocals are lively and playful, dancing with the horn section. The synth and snare drums of "Countdown" detract from the feel good, adult feel of the album, functioning as the obilgatory call and response anthem. Big brass marching band aesthetic forms the base of "End of Time", with military drums and big brass doing the heavy lifting with repetitive choral construction replacing the lyricism elsewhere on the album. The bassline is similar to "Crazy in Love" and the big beat detracts from her vocals. "I Was Here" is Beyoncé's Sinatran declaration with a desire to leave her mark in history her way. Layers of strings and a soft electric guitar are elevated by a digital drum, bringing the song to crescendo. 4 closes with "Run the World (Girls)". That's unfortunate because "Run the World (Girls)" is typical Beyoncé spectacle and repeats the formula of "Diva" in taking an already proven beat and crafting a disposable song over it. 4 showcases Beyoncé's real talent. Most of this album features sophistication and musicality she rarely exhibits. Other parts, which were probably for her fans, are the same old Bey. The album is a declaration of independence for an artist whose career often SEEMS like it's in the hands of others. This time she did it her way. 4/5 starshttp://planetill.com/2011/06/album-review-beyonce-4/
June 19, 201114 yr Are you going to post any of the less-than-stellar reviews by any chance? :D I post all the reviews that I find. Critics seem to be loving the album.
June 20, 201114 yr There's a specific narrative we expect from our stars. When they're young and single, they're allowed to engage in as much bold, triumphant self-assertion as they want; we like the swagger of it. But once they assert themselves successfully, become the reigning figures in their fields, and maybe even succeed in love and find themselves joyfully paired with some eligible spouse … well, at this point they are expected to relax. They're meant to fade into some dignified pose of glowy introspection. Continuing to assert their awesomeness would look like insecurity, frivolity, or just plain rubbing it in. Consider Beyoncé Knowles, the long-running ruler of mainstream R&B. She released her last album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, in 2008, the same year she got married—to Jay-Z, a guy so good at regal maturity that his rap career now involves book panels at the New York Public Library. Knowles, meanwhile, shows up for Oprah's last broadcast and joins Michelle Obama in the fight against childhood obesity. Not to confuse a musician's personal life with her art, but how surprised would you be to learn that her new album, 4 (out June 28), sounds more like I Am Sasha Happily Married and Thinking Seriously About the Joys and Tribulations of Making Long-Term Commitments in Life. There's not much here for the dance floor; it's the audio equivalent of finding a nice place in the suburbs. Even the clattering, assertive single "Run the World (Girls)" is dedicated to telling other people how great they can be; as for Beyoncé, she's doing fine, and the only boasts she'll make are playful ones. There's nothing dull or tame about this newly settled mood; there are actually a great number of things to love about it. Ballads have not always been Beyoncé's strong suit, but the string here is charming: There are giddy, girlish tunes about being with the one you love; mopey, spaced-out songs about not being with the one you love; resigned heartbreakers about realizing exactly how much power the ones you love can turn out to hold over you. And there's a streak of nostalgia running through the sound, whether it's the kind of traditionalist R&B that sells Adele albums or the cheery funk of a track like "Love on Top", which feels as cozy as seventies Stevie Wonder or eighties Michael Jackson. It's hard not to connect these songs with a habit people have: imagining picturesque adult love soundtracked by the music they heard when they were young and their parents, perhaps, seemed happy. Much of Beyoncé's appeal has lain in her over-the-top levels of poise and confidence—her almost machinelike command of the art of being an R&B star. (She makes you experience emotions in about the same way a surgeon makes you not have an appendix anymore, and backed with similarly cutting-edge technology.) But the way she sings about love here—which is to say, love as a grave and weighty life choice that demands hushed music, spotlights, and occasional anguish—means singing about things that can sound more like weakness and dependency. She does a wonderfully convincing job of making this seem like a form of bravery. As if, having asserted herself time and again as independent, single, and tough, it's now more powerful to choose vulnerability—kind of how humans, having conquered most of this planet, might tackle the vulnerabilities of piloting rockets into space. The album's climax, in fact, comes in a Diane Warren–Ryan Tedder ballad called "I Was Here", and it's explicitly about leaving some kind of legacy—or, in balladspeak, "a footprint on the sands of time". Talk about the long term! I suppose this is what we always consider "mature"—moving from fighting for independence to fighting for interdependence, and then maybe winding up a revered grandparent at a family reunion—but leave it to Beyoncé to make it all seem joyous and complicated. If you happen to be the kind of parent who's always pressuring your offspring to settle down and reproduce, you might think about mailing them a copy of 4.http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/reviews/bey...-review-2011-6/
June 20, 201114 yr piersmorgan: Just got news of a VERY exciting booking for @PiersTonight - one of the biggest stars in the world. piersmorgan: She's agreed to sit with me for the hour and talk about everything. Airing June 27.piersmorgan: She's beautiful, phenomenally talented, and at the top of her game... piersmorgan: And even better, we're doing it in my hometown of London. Name to follow...piersmorgan: She has a one-word name, a voice from the gods....and the single greatest 'booty' in showbiz history.Twitter.com/piersmorgan
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