Jeff McClusky & Associates

Beyonce’s fourth solo album, aptly titled “4”, has been highly-anticipated by fans, who have waited over two and a half years for new music from one of the strongest singers in the business. That’s not to say that Bey was slacking off in the intervening period. She’s been busy on tour promoting “Sasha Fierce” and recording music for the new album—72 songs, in total—in addition, I’m sure, to the countless other tasks that come with being Beyonce. And she certainly rewarded their patience. From the album name, which she chose after seeing fans tossing around “4” in online discussions before many details of the project had been released, to the 72 tracks she recorded for it, Beyonce went above and beyond the call of duty to provide something special for her fans. And the album itself isn’t too shabby, either. 

There’s no disputing the fact that Beyonce can sing. But while her talent is undeniable, “4” is undeniably scattered. That’s not to say the album isn’t good—it is— simply that it is all over the place, which is surely a product of the number of songs she had to narrow down to make the final cut. Beyond that, however, even when listening to the 12 tracks chosen for “4”, you can’t help but feel that they could’ve been arranged more coherently so the album would have a more natural flow, both stylistically and thematically. As it is, there are a number of jarring transitions—ballads and uptempo tracks are thrown together, and she can never seem to make up her opinion on men. 

That said, all of the tracks on “4” are solid. Naturally, some are better than others. “Run the World” was an unfortunate misstep of a first single that didn’t accurately reflect the album as a whole. Its choice was somewhat understandable given the huge success of “Single Ladies”, however, whereas “Single Ladies” was fun and had some semblance of a melody, “Run the World” comes across as a bit angry and lacks the energy and charm of its predecessor. Also on the weaker side are “I Care”, “I Miss You”, and “Rather Die Young” which are by no means bad, but all simply rather forgettable, and while they do more or less showcase Beyonce’s vocals, they aren’t nearly as strong as either “I Was Here” or “Start Over”. Beyonce’s most impressive vocal performance, through, is “1 + 1” (I strongly recommend watching the YouTube video of her pre-American Idol performance rehearsal filmed by Jay-Z, to whom the song is surely dedicated). Meanwhile, “End of Time” and “Party” are both highly enjoyable, though they couldn’t be more different from one another. The first is in-your-face and backed by strong drum beat, while the second is as laid-back of a song as she has ever recorded. “Countdown” and “Love On Top”, two of the album’s best tracks, harken back to Beyonce’s first single, “Crazy in Love” with their upbeat percussion and brass instrumentation. Either would make an inspired choice for the albums’ third single, though that honor will likely go to “End of Time”. Finally, my absolute favorite from the album is the current single, “Best Thing I Never Had”. Although many have (correctly) labeled it “Irreplaceable” pt. 2, I strongly prefer “Best”, although it took a couple listens for me to fully appreciate it.

In short, “4” is a strong showing from Beyonce and is definitely worth giving a full listen. It sold 310,000 copies in its first week, the third highest total in 2011, and debuted atop the Billboard 200, where it is expected to remain for at least another week. It is Beyonce’s fourth consecutive number one album, making her one of only three artists to place their first four studio efforts in the top position.

Pun fully intended, my favorite ‘4’ tracks are:

Best Thing I Never Had

Love On Top

Countdown

1 + 1