June 8, 201114 yr The album as a whole is ok I don't think it's crap. However it is a weak record compared to her three previous albums. I am not sure if i will be buying. May leave it a few months.
June 8, 201114 yr Rolling Stone Reviews 4 Beyoncé's new album 4 is a change of pace for the R&B queen. While her first three solo albums were full of blockbuster jams, 4 is a more relaxed, personal set that emphasizes ballads over bangers and showcases the singer's nuances; it's very much the sort of album a pop star makes when she doesn't feel like she has anything to prove. (She seems, in other words, to have set aside her alter ego Sasha Fierce for the moment.) 4 won't be in stores until June 24th, but since it leaked this week, here's a track-by-track preview of the album's 12 songs. 1. "1+1" - The album opens with its most tender ballad, a slow-burning number that calls back to both Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" and Prince's "Purple Rain" without sounding like a retread of either tune. The song is already available as a single, but it sounds best in the context of the album, where its slow, steady build to a cathartic guitar break is the perfect introduction to a set of mostly low-key tracks about love and heartbreak. 2. "I Care" - "I know you don't care too much, but I still care," Beyoncé sings over cooing background vocals and dense percussion, delivering the words with a devastating blend of sadness and resentment. It may not be an obvious single, but it's one of the finest tracks on the record. 3. "I Miss You" - This is Beyoncé at her most understated. Her phrasing is cool, calm and collected as she sings over a simple metronomic beat and layers of atmospheric keyboards. 4. "Best Thing I Never Had" - "Irreplaceable Part Two," basically. It's a breakup ballad with a bitter, nasty streak: "When I think of the time that I almost loved you / you showed your ass and I saw the real you / thank God you blew it / I thank God I dodged a bullet." Beyoncé's vocal performance brings depth to a straightforward song about dumping a terrible suitor, conveying a compelling mix of wounded pride and genuine heartbreak. 5. "Party" featuring André 3000 - The first non-ballad on 4 is also the only song on the record to include a guest appearance by another star. André 3000 is sharp and effortlessly charismatic on his rapped verse, but the real attraction here is the track itself, which was co-produced by Kanye West and delivers a mellow Eighties-style smooth funk groove. 6. "Rather Die Young" - There's a great melodramatic kick to this song, which comes across like a quiet storm slow jam spiced up with modern drum programming. "I’d rather not live at all than live my life without you" is an unusually self-pitying lyric for Beyoncé, but she sells it well regardless. 7. "Start Over" - While the other songs on 4 all have a distinct flavor and give Beyoncé an opportunity to try something new in some way or another, "Start Over" just kind of sits there at the middle of the disc not doing much of anything. It's an inoffensive ballad that doesn't do much for the record aside from break its momentum at the halfway point. 8. "Love On Top" - This song is a shameless throwback to perky, squeaky clean mid-Eighties R&B, and it's a blast. Beyoncé sounds confident and joyful as she sings about a lover who can do no wrong. If you've been craving a modern take on old-school Whitney Houston, this is the song for you. 9. "Countdown" - 4's much-needed mid-album stretch of upbeat tunes continues with "Countdown," a playful, inventive jam that revisits the sassy spirit of B'Day's "Get Me Bodied," but swaps out that song's jumpy rhythm for a heavy brass riff and steel drum fills. 10. "End of Time" - This Fela Kuti-influenced track is one of the most adventurous cuts on 4, with Beyoncé singing lovey-dovey lyrics over an ecstatic, beat-heavy arrangement. 11. "I Was Here" - A Dianne Warren-penned showstopper that disrupts the flow of up-tempo songs on the second half of the record, but it works well as a bittersweet emotional climax for the album. "I Was Here" is exactly the sort of blustery ballad you'd expect from a Warren/Beyoncé team-up, but it seems a bit flat and generic in comparison to other more emotionally nuanced tracks on 4. 12. "Run the World (Girls)" - Much like album opener "1+1," this intense club track based on Major Lazer's indie dance hit "Pon de Floor" was a bit underwhelming when it came out as 4's lead single but is exciting as the record's celebratory conclusion. After all those songs about romantic angst, "Run the World" feels totally joyous and liberating.http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bey...akdown-20110608
June 9, 201114 yr I Miss You is my favourite track on there, Frank Ocean is a genius. I can't believe how much RTW sounds like a bonus track on the album, it sticks out like a sore thumb, and its not even representive of the album itself. I think this is her best album to date, her vocals are off the chain and you can tell she likes recording this kind of music. This will criminally be her lowest selling album, though. But atleast she has made 'THAT' album which a lot of people were wanting.
June 9, 201114 yr Deluxe Edition cover: http://cdn.cd-wow.com/tn/270/STM/11495000/11492193.jpg I will try and find a bigger version.
June 9, 201114 yr Amazing artwork for the deluxe :wub: I was getting it anyway, but that cover's convinced me further!
June 9, 201114 yr Rumours are swirling that the album has been pushed to September... Confirmed as false. The article that started it (below) was obviously fake. :lol: "Well it’s official, Columbia Records started making strides to push Beyonce’s fourth Studio album titled “4? back to September. The record label made the decision late Wednesday evening in an emergency meeting. Record executives at Columbia Records felt that a leak of the 3 weeks was too serve rand would hurt record sales. Columbia records have cancelled all printing orders for the album until further notice. Solid sources tell us that Jay Z who is reportedly head of Beyonce’s new management team is agreeing with the record label but Beyonce is not. Beyonce reportedly called her own emergency meeting in London. Word around Beyonce’s Camp is that Beyonce is now contemplating making an emergency trip back to the states to personally plead her case to Columbia Records . Sources say that Jay Z wants to pick an entire new set of songs (minus the singles that have already been released). However, Columbia wants Beyonce to redo the entire album over because they feel the other songs Beyonce turned in are too concept edgy and extreme and fear they want play well in America and Beyonce, sources say is worried about making the Grammy’s September deadline." This story is still developing but check back with Black Media Jungle for more updates. We have a feeling more is to come. Remember where you heard it first from.
June 9, 201114 yr Album Review: 4, Beyoncé (Release Date: 6/28/2011) Now, I've never had the pleasure of sex with Beyoncé (I'm not Jay-Z, unfortunately), but I can picture it well enough: I imagine Ms. Knowles in a full on leather catsuit, thrashing and gyrating while screaming sentiments such as "WHO RUN THIS MOTHA?!" and a bunch of other sassy and demanding one-liners that run rampant all over the songstress and worldwide sensation's fourth studio-album, the quite intricately named 4. It's an album so-far defined by its ferociously hostile lead single "Run the World (Girls)", a song that's been met with mixed reactions and subpar sales, but no one would dare raise a hand to call it boring: over the now infamous Major Lazer "Pon De Floor" sample, Knowles growls and roars that rash new emancipation proclamation ("Who Run the World? Girls!"). That's, um, arguable, but the verses are far more tolerable: over a rousing syncopation of stuttering beats and twitching blips, Beyoncé is happy to boast her own Houston, TX swagger, with witty clauses for days: "I think I need a barber! None of these n*ggas can fade me! I'm so gooood with this- I remind you, I'm so hooood with this!" Haircut jokes aside, perhaps "Run the World (Girls)" sits as the last track on the album for a reason- ostensibly on purpose, it doesn't mix well with anything else on 4. The rest of the album is intent upon stringing along a big band sound, with Motown-influenced jazz sitting next to somber mid-tempos and grandiose, trumpeting anthems, all exploding with brassy sass. It's a wonder how 4 comes off as cohesive as it does, with Kanye West, The-Dream, and Ryan Tedder all with production credits, but it stands quite easily as Knowles' most vibrant album; not saying it's her best (B'Day still holds that title), but it begs to be performed live in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans unlike anything else she's released yet. Put bluntly, Bey just doesn't calm the hell down. She never really has, but 4 really thrives on its emotional attention deficit: There's the power ballad to end all power ballads, the vocal standout "1+1", where Knowles allows you to make love to her, followed by the big and brassy fight that will eventually come after in the form of "I Care", a heart-thumping accusation that you don't give a damn about her, then the soft and somber make-up record "I Miss You", and at last, the feisty kiss-off "Best Thing I Never Had". But all of these emotions are as emotionally wired as they can get- "MAKE LOVE TO ME!" "I KNOW YOU DON'T CARE! I CARE!" "I MISS YOU EVERYDAY!" "SUCKS TO BE YOU RIGHT NOW!" The last one is the best of that group, a fusion of "If I Were a Boy" and "Irreplaceable" mashed with more powerful intstruments- but all throughout these, it's as if she's barely refraining from punching you in the face. Though it's all loud, not all of 4 is so aggressive: Kanye's production on the funky "Party" is a groovy throwback with a Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick to match, and it's nice to hear a rare André 3000 in stereo. It could be paired with the Motown bounce of "Love on Top", and "Countdown" is another bubbly, fizzy track that's appropriately fun. The huge, monumental Ryan Tedder ballad "I Was Here" sounds like a I Am… effort, but succeeds for what it is. There's a few tracks ("Rather Die Young", "Start Over") that succeed in fitting in but don't make any real lasting effect on the album as a whole, yet it's "End of Time" that may just rank on top of 4, as the definitive track that best exemplifies all the record's best elements: brass, sass, wit, and of course, huge vocals. Over larger-than-life trumpets and drums, Beyoncé is as complimentary to her man as she'll get, but it still comes off as a command: "SAY YOU'LL NEVER LET ME GO!" she orders. And then she probably slaps you. 4 a whole offsets the failed duality of I Am… Sasha Fierce, and takes the best parts of them and fuses one cohesive sound. There's certainly no "Single Ladies" this go-round, but with the power and gusto still displayed in Beyoncé's music, I'd bet it's only a matter of time. SumOlogy: Knowles refuses to ease her aggression through powerful vocals and witty one-liners on a funky, brassy, sassy collection of tracks that beg to be performed live. Grade: 8/10 Best Tracks: "End of Time", "Countdown", "Best Thing I Never Had", "1+1", "Run the World (Girls)"http://www.ology.com/music/album-review-4-beyonc%C3%A9
June 9, 201114 yr 'End of Time' best on the album? HELL NO. I think it's my least favourite (perhaps joint with 'Rather Die Young'). I'm ridiculously addicted to 'I Was Here' and 'I Miss You' at the moment and the others are growing with each listen (especially 'Love on Top'). I love 'Countdown' but the countdown part really ruins it for me.
June 9, 201114 yr 'End of Time' best on the album? HELL NO. I think it's my least favourite (perhaps joint with 'Rather Die Young'). I'm ridiculously addicted to 'I Was Here' and 'I Miss You' at the moment and the others are growing with each listen (especially 'Love on Top'). I love 'Countdown' but the countdown part really ruins it for me. I agree about "End of Time", but I find "I Miss You" to be the weakest on the album, I don't mind listening to it, but if I had to skip one song on the album, that'd be it. "Love on Top" has also grown on me, but massively, I can't stop listening to it, probably due to the key changes at the end of the song. Her voice sounds incredible. The countdown bit on "Countdown" is actually one of my favourite bits, I sing along to it when it's on. I'm loving this album so much and the view of it on other forums (such as UKMix) is also changing to liking the album too. Hopefully it'll defy my expectations and be really successful.
June 10, 201114 yr Beyoncé will appearing on the French X Factor final on June 28th. XFactorFrance X Factor Beyoncé sera l'invitée exceptionnelle de la finale X Factor, mardi 28 juin à 20:45 sur M6!!XFactorFrance X Factor La grande Beyoncé le 28 juin sur le plateau de la finale de X Factor... Serez-vous au rendez-vous? What she'll be performing isn't known at the moment.
June 11, 201114 yr Lady Gaga is political, Britney Spears loves to party, and Beyoncé — well, she knows all about matters of the heart. Her latest album, 4, which drops June 28, is a girl-power-filled ode to the power of love: its highs, lows and all the sublime moments in between. If you didn't listen to the full album when it leaked on Tuesday and have only heard singles "Run the World (Girls)," "1+1" and "Best Thing I Never Had," you're only getting part of the picture. There are some really surprising moments on the album that her singles only touch on. 4 is all about throwback jams, in the vein of R&B power girls like Mary J. Blige and SWV, with a little Mariah Carey thrown in for good measure. With fewer dance-floor fillers and more swirling ballads, Beyoncé's voice is the true star of the album, as evidenced on "I Care," a power ballad that recalls slow jams like the ones Phil Collins used to spill his heart on. B's voice is huge and owns the song as the instrumentals swirl and crescendo around her. "Party," which features Andre 3000, is a, well, party jam at its very core. For anyone who attended a house party in the mid-'90s, this would have been the song to get the bash started. As Beyoncé sings, "So in love/ I'll give it all away/ Just don't tell nobody tomorrow," you'll be transported to a time when pop princesses cared more about the heart than the synth. She kicks it even more old-school on "Rather Die Young," harking back to '70s soul. The song is about how you can't fight what the heart wants, even if it isn't right. Likening her lover to James Dean, it's all about the sexiness of bad boys and the good girls who love them, but instead of going hard, she keeps the music soft. Perhaps the most surprising song on the album is "Countdown." Full of video-game bleeps and B doing her best Sasha Fierce (we thought she retired her!), the singer gets sassy and futuristic on the track. While it's not like the other songs on the album, it does have a "Check on It" vibe. Beyoncé gives fans a musical kick to the head during "End of Time," a bombastic track, complete with in-your-face bass line and a marching band. B keeps things melodic, sharing lines like, "Take you away from here/ There's nothing between us but space and time."http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665479/b...ce-4-leak.jhtml
June 13, 201114 yr I Care :wub: 'End of Time' best on the album? HELL NO. I think it's my least favourite (perhaps joint with 'Rather Die Young'). I'm ridiculously addicted to 'I Was Here' and 'I Miss You' at the moment and the others are growing with each listen (especially 'Love on Top'). I love 'Countdown' but the countdown part really ruins it for me. Completely agree with I Was Here, probably my favourite after Run The World (which has finally clicked with me and is now my new jam), I Care which was just instant and Party which is made by Andre's rap.
June 13, 201114 yr 02 1+1 07 I Care 02 I Miss You 09 Best Thing I Never Had 03 Party 05 Rather Die Young 07 Start Over 02 Love On Top 09 Countdown 09 End Of Time 11 I Was Here 10 Run The World (Girls) It has its ups and downs, but the final four tracks are by FAR the best. Looking forward to hearing the Deluxe Edition tracks, hopefully a couple of them will be uptempo. I miss Sasha Fierce. :(
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