‘4’ turns 1. Today marks the day that our King B released her 4th studio album. “4” debuted with 310,000 copies in the US and became Bey’s 4th consecutive #1 album in the US tying Britney Spears’ record for most consecutive #1 albums by a femaile artist. “4” also debuted at #1 worldwide and has sold over 2.7 million copies worldwide [10th best selling album ww of 2011]. It’s Beyoncé’s most critically acclaimed album to date, bringing comparisons from the late greats such as Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston. It was one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2011 and made several end of year lists. Just to mention a few:
1. NPR (USA) - #1
2. Guardian UK Alex MacPherson Albums - #1
3. Guardian UK Michael Cragg - #1
4. Guardian UK Sam Wolfson - #1
5. Guardian UK Sean Michaels - #1
6. Idolator - #1
7. Spin Top Pop Albums - #2
8. MSN - #2
9. Amazon - #2
10. Guardian UK Dan Hancox Albums - #2
11. Guardian UK Rebecca Nicholson Albums - #2
12. Digital Spy - #3
13. Associated Press - #3
14. The Guardian (UK) - #4
15. Guardian UK Caspar Llewellyn Smith Albums - #5
16. Dummy Mag - #5
17. BET - #5
18. The BoomBox - #5
19. RapUp - #5
20. Boston Globe - #5
21. Sian Rowe Albums - #6
22. eMusic - #6
23. Chicago Sun Times - #6
24. Nojesguiden-Intl (Sweden) - #6
25. Dagensskiva (Sweden) - #6
26. Contact Music - #7
27. BBC Music (UK) - #7
28. Paste Magazine - #7
29. Insider - #7
30. Guardian UK Ben Beaumont Thomas Albums - #7
31. NY Times - #10
32. Fonograma (Mexico) - #10
33. Exclaim! (Canada) - #11
34. Consequence of Sound - #13
35. City Sound Inertia - #14
36. Blitz (Portugal) - #16
37. Stereogum - #18
38. MTV - #20
39. Rolling Stone - #25
40. Village Voice - #26
41. Pitchfork - #27
42. Rhapsody - #27
43. Screenagers - #32
44. Muso’s Guide - #38
45. Spin - #39
46. OneThirtyBPM - #44
47. Prefix - #48
48. All Music - (Favorite R&B Album)
TRACKS:
PopDust - Top 100 Songs of 2011 :
87. Schoolin' Life
53. End of Time
24. Love On Top
06. Countdown
NME TOP 10 SONGS OF 2011 :
5) Beyonce, 'Schoolin' Life'
SLATE MAGAZINE TOP 20 SONGS OF 2011 :
9. Beyoncé, “Countdown”
Rob Sheffield (from Rolling Stone) Top Songs of 2011:
3. Beyoncé, "Countdown"
Guardian - Top 40 Songs of 2011:
7. Countdown
30. 1+1
Slate Magazine: Top songs
1. Countdown
10. 1+1
GUARDIAN (UK) INDIVIDUAL CRITICS LIST:
Ben Beaumont Thomas - Albums
Tracks
4. Beyonce - I Miss You
Caspar Llewellyn Smith -
Tracks
4. Beyonce - Countdown
Dan Hancox - Albums
4. Beyonce – Best Thing I Never Had
Michael Cragg
Tracks
1. Beyonce - Countdown
Rebecca Nicholson
Tracks
9. Beyonce - I Miss You
Sean Michaels - Tracks
1. Beyoncé - 1+1
Sian Rowe - Albums
5. Beyonce - Countdown
Tom Ewing - Tracks
9. Beyonce - Schoolin' Life
Quote:
Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make: Pop music has found its Alpha and Omega. Please ritualistically burn any remaining offerings from Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and whatever other false idols may be spinning on your iPod. There is only one true warrior-priestess worthy of your pitiful calls of devotion, only one with an album of pure pop excellence that will surely stand above all other female pop records for the remainder of 2011, if not longer, and that album is Beyoncé‘s 4.
Quote:
Who are Beyoncé’s peers? Lady Gaga has a stranglehold on the teenyboppers, the gays and the art-school drop outs. Rihanna, despite her consistent hit-making, seems forever stuck in the second tier. Ke$hais Ke$ha, Katy Perry is Katy Perry, Mary J Blige is long past her prime, and Erykah Badu has evolved into something of a distant hipster icon. That leaves Beyoncé, a pop singer in the most traditional sense, usually safe-for-work and never ambiguous. Her records and songs will never be mistaken as scene-friendly, yet still, the whole world, regardless of distinction, from Glastonbury to Pitchfork, pays attention when she releases a new album. She’s the queen of pop, universal, ranged, and refreshingly non-provocative – with a consistent knack for year-defining tunes. And 4 might be her most impressive collection yet.
Quote:
With its melodic vocals and nostalgic instrumentals, ‘4’ showcases Beyoncé’s raw talent and not only demonstrates the sassy singer's growth in life, but also in love. It’s artistically diverse and arguably her best album to date.
Quote:
Michael Jackson would be proud, and slightly jealous, of the jubilant "Love on Top" and "Rather Die Young," a haunting ode to being young and in love.
Quote:
"1+1" possesses that slightly scary intensity that has been R&B's worst-kept secret weapon since Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing"
Quote:
She’s the closest we now have to Michael Jackson, a transcendent entertainer with the power to both sell out stadiums and have the White House on speed dial (and handcuff Jay while she’s at it). She is the pure embodiment of pop, a woman able to simply overwhelm her more girlish competitors like Rihanna and not nearly as over-the-top as Lady Gaga. But Beyoncé is also a student of history
“4” was also recently named one of Rolling Stone’s best female albums of ALL time.
So today, let’s praise the best album of all time and the trinity of the album, 1+1/Love On Top/Schoolin’ Life. Post some of your favorite tracks/moments/live performances/videos of the 4 era.
...I Miss You is my favorite track
amazing era 
