By WSJ Staff
The title of Beyonce’s fourth studio album, “4,” doesn’t really tell you anything about its contents. Maybe that’s because the jumble of styles on this release is difficult to represent with any one descriptive title. There are emotional adult-oriented ballads (“1 (Plus) 1″), fatalistic numbers for the “Twilight” set (“Rather Die Young,” “I Was Here”), and a sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves dance party anthem(“Run the World (Girls)”).
- Getty
- Beyonce
So is “4′ an eclectic masterpiece or a hot mess? Is Beyonce still relevant, or should she think about skyping her Destiny’s Child bandmates? The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” beat Beyonce to the punch with the fatalistic thing, Lady Gaga has the market cornered on sexually-liberating dance anthems, and Adele is the current queen of vocalization. And as far as pop music style leaders go, you can’t forget Rihanna. So where does Beyonce fit in? Here’s what the critics have to say.
–”Longtime fans, however, might be mystified by much of 4, online and in stores Tuesday. (Best Thing still is struggling for radio play.) It leaked in full three weeks ago, and opinions have been flying. Too slow. Too odd. Too much I Am … and not enough Sasha Fierce,” Joey Guerra, The Houston Chronicle.
–”Give it time. On first listen, “4’’ plays it safe, but really it plays up her strengths…This album is also one of Beyoncé’s most natural efforts, standing out for the simple fact that it doesn’t try to stand out. Its 12 songs are often rooted in neo-soul, the kind Maxwell and Erykah Badu were recording for baby-making soundtracks back in the ’90s,” James Reed, The Boston Globe.
–”This isn’t by any means a bad album. There’s nothing wrong with a song such as Love on Top, which is well written, has a great vocal and will doubtless help ensure Knowles doesn’t have to manage on a mere $35m in the next 12 months. It’s just that it isn’t the album you might have been led to expect,” Alexis Petridis, The Guardian.
via blogs.wsj.com
No comments:
Post a Comment