Let's not kid ourselves, Sats. The "I Am... Sasha Fierce" era was very, very bland visually.
Beyoncé was "darker" and "edgier" during "B'Day" and "4" than during "I Am... Sasha Fierce."
Her first #1 album and her biggest opening week? Yes.
Her albums and singles have tremendous longevity. C&GI was labeled a flop based on its first week performance and ended up outselling TW and HA, both of which were released before C&GI.