[DG1]

New York Magazine - Beyoncé "4" Album Review:
Beyoncé Settles Down

Her latest album, 4, is the aural equivalent of a charming white picket fence in the suburbs.

By Nitsuh Abebe Published Jun 19, 2011 ShareThis

There’s a specific narrative we expect from our stars. When they’re young and single, they’re allowed to engage in as much bold, triumphant self-assertion as they want; we like the swagger of it. But once they assert themselves successfully, become the reigning figures in their fields, and maybe even succeed in love and find themselves joyfully paired with some eligible spouse … well, at this point they are expected to relax. They’re meant to fade into some dignified pose of glowy introspection. Continuing to assert their awesomeness would look like insecurity, frivolity, or just plain rubbing it in.

Consider Beyoncé Knowles, the long-running ruler of mainstream R&B. She released her last album, I Am … Sasha Fierce, in 2008, the same year she got married—to Jay-Z, a guy so good at regal maturity that his rap career now involves book panels at the New York Public *Library. Knowles, meanwhile, shows up for Oprah’s last broadcast and joins *Michelle Obama in the fight against childhood obesity. Not to confuse a musician’s personal life with her art, but how surprised would you be to learn that her new album, 4 (out June 28), sounds more like I Am Sasha Happily Married and Thinking Seriously About the Joys and Tribulations of Making Long-Term Commitments in Life? There’s not much here for the dance floor; it’s the audio equivalent of finding a nice place in the suburbs. Even the clattering, assertive single “Run the World (Girls)” is dedicated to telling other people how great they can be; as for Beyoncé, she’s doing fine, and the only boasts she’ll make are playful ones.

There’s nothing dull or tame about this newly settled mood; there are actually a great number of things to love about it. Ballads have not always been Beyoncé’s strong suit, but the string here is charming: There are giddy, girlish tunes about being with the one you love; mopey, spaced-out songs about not being with the one you love; resigned heartbreakers about realizing exactly how much power the ones you love can turn out to hold over you. And there’s a streak of nostalgia running through the sound, whether it’s the kind of traditionalist R&B that sells Adele albums or the cheery funk of a track like “Love on Top,” which feels as cozy as seventies Stevie Wonder or eighties *Michael Jackson. It’s hard not to connect these songs with a habit people have: imagining picturesque adult love soundtracked by the music they heard when they were young and their parents, perhaps, seemed happy.

Much of Beyoncé’s appeal has lain in her over-the-top levels of poise and *confidence—her almost machinelike command of the art of being an R&B star. (She makes you experience emotions in about the same way a surgeon makes you not have an appendix anymore, and backed with similarly cutting-edge technology.) But the way she sings about love here—which is to say, love as a grave and weighty life choice that demands hushed music, spotlights, and occasional anguish—means singing about things that can sound more like weakness and dependency. She does a wonderfully convincing job of making this seem like a form of bravery. As if, having asserted herself time and again as independent, single, and tough, it’s now more powerful to choose vulnerability—kind of how humans, having conquered most of this planet, might tackle the vulnerabilities of piloting rockets into space.

The album’s climax, in fact, comes in a Diane Warren–Ryan Tedder ballad called “I Was Here,” and it’s explicitly about leaving some kind of legacy—or, in balladspeak, “a footprint on the sands of time.” Talk about the long term! I suppose this is what we always consider “mature”—moving from fighting for independence to fighting for interdependence, and then maybe winding up a revered grandparent at a family reunion—but leave it to *Beyoncé to make it all seem joyous and complicated. If you happen to be the kind of parent who’s always pressuring your offspring to settle down and reproduce, you might think about mailing them a copy of 4.

http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/revie...review-2011-6/

[BnPac]

But what is the score though?
Or is it still not a definitive review?

Oops nevermind, it's not the actual review.

[DG1]

Originally posted by BnPac

But what is the score though?
Or is it still not a definitive review?

Oops nevermind, it's not the actual review.

It's not? NY Magazine don't usually give scores...

[Kisuke]

MTV review...
Quote:
1+1
This is the perfect opener to Beyoncé 's fourth studio album, displaying Queen B at her best. Produced by Knowles and The-Dream, the guitar heavy ballad exposes a more vulnerable side to Bey as she pleads "make love to me". A classic stripped-back slow jam from the diva.

I Care
With it's throbbing beats, this Beyoncé and Jeff Bhasker produced tune proves why Bey is still the best in the business. Her vocals are flawless as she belts out notes we didn't even realise were possible.

I Miss You
Knowles has teamed up with Frank Ocean to pen this heartfelt ballad - produced by the Single Ladies star herself along with Shea Taylor. Her vocals are once again on point, as she delivers the track with raw emotion.

Best I Never Had
We love this tune over at MTV and were more than happy when Queen B picked this track as her next single. Guaranteed to be a hit, this song reveals a more ferocious side to Beyoncé, with it's faster pace and aggressive piano backing. It's powerful, emotional and most of all, we can't get it out of our heads!

Party feat. Andre 3000
Produced by Kanye West, Knowles and Consequence, Beyoncé picks up the pace on this dance-floor filler, which is reminiscent of the music she was making with Destiny's Child back in the nineties...but of course, with that Sasha Fierce edge. Featuring the recognisable rapping of OutKast star, Andre 3000, this track is bound to be a monster hit. Oh, and Kanye even lends his vocals for a quick verse. A stand out tune on the album.

Rather Die Young
Beyoncé gets all mysterious on us with this dark, yet enchanting ballad. Produced by Queen B and Luke Steele, Knowles sings about dying young and leaving a legacy, even name dropping tragic actor James Dean at the start. Its eerie yet mesmerising, as Bey once again shows off her stunning vocals.

Start Over
This stonking and dramatic track has a rather futuristic feel, as it opens with electric and enticing beats. Produced once again by Beyoncé and Taylor, Knowles shows off that big voice of hers, leaving us wanting more from the lady herself. We are hoping this is a single.

Love On Top
As soon as we heard this track, it screamed 'classic disco', making us want to chuck on our dancing shoes & hit the floor. Produced once again by Queen B and Taylor, it's catchy, more uptempo and differs from the rest of the album, showing Beyoncé's versatility. Very Jackson 5. We like!

Countdown
This track samples the Boyz II Men song, Uhh Ahh, and sees Beyoncé teaming up with the likes of The-Dream, Taylor and Wayna Morris to write the song. It's faced-past, original and bound to be a massive tune in clubs across the globe. A refreshing break from the slower part of the LP.

End Of Time
Beyoncé yet again hooks-up with The-Dream for this track, as well as UK based DJ Switch, who is best known for his work with M.I.A and Santigold. The beat builds throughout the song, giving it a memorable sound and it's insanely catchy. Guaranteed to fill a dance floor near you soon.

I Was Here
Penned by Diane Warren and produced by One Republic's Ryan Tedder, Bey gets all reflective on us with this track, as it's about leaving a legacy. With it's simple backing music, the song really shows off Knowles' flawless and beautiful voice, singing lyrics like "I was here and will never be forgotten". A standout song on the album, we wont be forgetting Queen B in a hurry.

Run The World (Girls)
The first single to be taken from 4, Beyoncé explores a mixture of musical genres on this experimental track. Using a sample from Major Lazer's Pon de Floor, with the likes of The-Dream, Switch and Diplo playing a part in it's production. It's explosive beats and chanting chorus are bound to go down well at Glasto, although after listening to the whole album, we feel Queen B has so much more to offer.

[DG1]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Beyoncé '4' Album Review

Beyoncé
4
Columbia Records

There's more to Beyoncé's fourth studio album, "4," than her polarizing lead single "Run the World (Girls)." An ode to female awesomeness, the song's quirky beats and militarylike war cry made for an awkward anthem that some fans found off-putting.

The album "4" isn't for the girls of the world; it's a slower, more mature collection of passionate love songs better suited for fans of Diane Warren power ballads (such as "I Was Here" on "4") and retro '80s and early '90s R&B.

Summoning the spirit of former R&B groups such as Xscape and SWV on "Party," Beyoncé recreates the stylized background vocals and harmonies popular with those '90s girl groups. This old-school, funky track, featuring Andre 3000, will make you fall in love with ripped jeans and rayon shirts all over again.

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.

The queen of the club anthem and mega radio hit, Beyoncé has a beautiful yet subtle eloquence on slow and mid-tempo tracks like the goose bump-inducing "I Miss You" and the heartfelt battle cry of "I Care."

- Geraud Blanks, Special to the Journal Sentinel

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainmen...124217094.html

[DG1]

MUSIC WEEK - Beyoncé '4' Album Review

Sony Music yesterday gave UK journalists the first official preview of 4, the new album from Beyoncé, which is released by RCA this Monday. Here Music Week gives its impressions of what Sony is hoping will be one of the biggest pop releases of the year.

4, Beyoncé’s fourth studio album, was apparently inspired by the nine months she spent away from her job, a period of time she spent travelling and soaking up musical influences.

Indeed, she’s lined up an impressive array of collaborators on this album, from Odd Future rising star Frank Ocean to UK house producer Switch, to old favourites like Diane Warren and Ryan Tedder.

The first impression most listeners got of the album was the early single Run the World (Girls), a decidedly odd effort, which sampled Major Lazer’s underground hit Pon De Floor and succeeded in annoying hipsters and alienating much of her audience in one go. It was not a major hit and remains the sound of a great idea in search of a song when it closes the album here.

Its global follow up is Best Thing I Never Had, which sees Beyoncé back on more familiar territory with a Babyface production and a Bruce Hornsby-esque piano. Critical reaction again has been rather muted, with some fearing that the pendulum has swung too far back into solid predictability after the commercial failure of Run The World.

The signs for 4, then, are not especially auspicious and the album leaking online at the start of the month can’t have helped.

But Beyoncé is, as a sizeable Glastonbury audience will discover this Sunday, a pro and recording bad albums doesn’t come into her career plan. 4 is, then, considerably better than the two singles would have you believe.

The songs on the album fall largely into three categories: the ballads; the soul / R&B numbers and the just plain weird, where you feel those nine months exploring the world really have come to the fore.

The ballads are the easiest to deal with: they are, to a number, highly professional, epic and with some very strong songwriting. They will break no barriers but will undoubtedly serve Beyoncé well.

The R&B numbers include some of the strongest songs on the album, from the percussive funk of I Care – an album highlight – to disco-esque number Love On Top, although there is an oddly melancholic streak running through them.

The third category is more difficult to define but probably provides the most fun, with one song, Coundown, featuring what genuinely sounds like gabber mixed with Latin pop, while End Of Time lets Switch get his stuttering vocal trickery and disco filters out.

Below is a track-by-track run through of 4:

1+1

Written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart and Beyoncé Knowles. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and C. "Tricky" Stewart.

The album kicks off confidently with a stirring ballad that starts off like a classic soul production but ends with a guitar solo so twiddly it could be early Guns N Roses.

I Care

Written by Jeff Bhasker, Chad Hugo and Beyoncé Knowles. Produced by Jeff Bhasker. Co-produced by Beyoncé Knowles.

An early highlight: Chad Hugo, one half of The Neptunes, is on writing duties, which might explain the track’s undoubted similarity to some of the production duo’s classy early tracks. Despite the massive drums and – again – screeching guitar solo, the song feels touched with sadness, largely thanks to a fantastic chorus.

I Miss You

Written by Frank Ocean, Shea Taylor and Beyoncé Knowles. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Shea Taylor.

It may be the influence of Frank Ocean but I Miss You is the first track on the album to have a modern feel. It is constructed from a stripped down beat and washes of synth, making a very simple track but one that benefits from its simplicity.

Best Thing I Never Had

Written by Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio Dixon, Beyoncé Knowles, Patrick "j.Que" Smith, Shea Taylor, Larry Griffin, Jr. and Caleb McCampbell. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio Dixon, Shea Taylor and S1 & Caleb.

The second singles and very Eighties sounding. Not a highlight.

Party (Featuring André 3000)

Written by K. West, Jeff Bhasker, Beyoncé Knowles, Dexter R. mills, Douglas Davis and Ricky Walters. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Kanye West. Co-produced by Jeff Bhasker.

Party is a light, summery pop song with another production job that sounds indebted to the Eighties. That said, you might have expected more from the talent involved and it is unlikely to go down as among the best work of Kanye West, Beyoncé or Andre 3000.

Rather Die Young

Written by Jeff Bhasker, Luke Steele and Beyoncé Knowles. Produced by Jeff Bhasker. Co-produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Luke Steele.

Rather Die Young, another drum-heavy ballad, features the songwriting talent of The Sleepy Jackson / Empire Of The Sun’s Luke Steele. It’s another gloomy number – Beyoncé sings “I would rather die young than live my life without you” – but has a lovely melody, albeit it one that screams out to end an album, rather than sit in the middle.

Start Over

Written by Shea Taylor, Beyoncé Knowles and E. Dean. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Shea Taylor.

The first indication that Beyoncé might have picked some leftfield influences during those nine months off: the song starts with what sounds like - but most probably isn’t - distorted pan pipes before kicking into a massive R&B number.

Love on Top

Written by Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash and Shea Taylor. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Shea Taylor.

This song has a late Seventies disco soul sound to it that is summery and laidback, rather than massively immediate. However, it proves a grower as it ratchets up the key changes on the final third. Beyoncé’s voice sounds particularly impressive here.

Countdown

Written by Terius Nash, Shea Taylor, Beyoncé Knowles, E.Dean, Cainon Lamb, Julie Frost, Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Shea Taylor.

The oddest thing on the album and almost certainly in Beyoncé’s whole career. She’s never exactly shied away from experimenting before but a song that starts off Latin before tearing into 180 BPM rave kickdrums is a new page in anyone’s book and, quite frankly, good to hear. Glastonbury, you feel, will appreciate it.

End of Time

Written by Beyoncé Knowles , Terius Nash, Shea Taylor and David Taylor. Produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. Additional production by Switch.

The song starts off like a classic Switch production, with filters, sub bass and military drumming. It then sags a bit in the rather tune-free verses before a great chorus snatches victory.

I Was Here

Written by Diane Warren. Produced by Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle. Vocal produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Kuk Harrell.

This is a classic Diane Warren ballad with a haunting ethereal guitar resonating in the background before the obligatory massive drums kick in. A great song, well sung.

Run the World (Girls)

Written by Terius Nash, Beyoncé Knowles, Wesley Pentz, David Taylor, Adidja Palmer and Nick van de Wall. Produced by Switch and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. Co-produced by Beyoncé Knowles and Shea Taylor.

Consumers may have largely shunned it and, while you want to applaud Beyoncé’s willingness to experiment, you can understand why, as it comes up rather short on melody.

http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?s...de=1045633&c=1

[skyler]

good reviews

[DG1]

BBC MUSIC - Beyoncé "4" Album Review

Queen B’s powerhouse balladry remains untouchable when she really opens up.

Matthew Horton 2011-06-22

The number 4 means something to Beyoncé: it's the date of her birth, the date of her wedding; there are even four key changes in the final, teetering chorus of Love on Top to ram the point home. That the title was apparently crowd sourced from fans attuned to Beyoncé’s yen for numerology smacks of post-justification, but one fact pokes through – 4 is definitely her fourth album.

Following schizo double I Am... Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé took a year off but has come back brighter. Dozens of songs emerged from the original 4 sessions and the promo circuit’s been leapt on with a vengeance, culminating – at least over here – in the intriguing Glastonbury headline slot (yet to wow us as we go to press). With 4’s best bold tunes, Beyoncé has spruced up an already handsome catalogue. She's got the armoury to trump husband Jay-Z’s perception-altering Pilton turn.

Run the World (Girls) we know, twice over, in Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor and in its recent official and unofficial leaks. Strangely, it's tacked on like a bonus after the natural big finish of the Diane Warren-penned I Was Here, when it would've nestled comfortably alongside the opulent M.I.A.-style cacophony of Countdown or End of Time's startling vision of Animal Collective covering Lionel Richie's All Night Long. No matter – the rest of 4 tips towards the powerhouse balladry that caressed her previous album.

And these are exemplars of the form, I Care in particular emoting the house down over a sustained Purple Rain chord. Its near-equals 1+1 and I Miss You tug heartstrings too, the former over magnificent guitar bombast; the latter – a contribution from Odd Future's misfit soulman Frank Ocean – over the kind of subtle tension achieved by Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart. 1+1 offers a pointer to Best Thing I Never Had where Beyoncé really gets her soft rock on, matching Bon Iver's Beth/Rest in summoning up Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Now there's an odd future.

Less successful are Kanye West and Andre 3000's interruptions ("You got the swag sauce / You drip the swagu," leers Kanye – oh dear) on Party's slick 80s soul, while the overdone glitz of Rather Die Young drags. The rest of 4, though, sparks. Beyoncé slips from flirty to fragile to fabulous, and is in terrific voice throughout, reminding us that when she opens up there's no-one else in the game.

RATING: 8/10

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/zw4z

[DG1]

So far the reviews that count towards Metacritic are positive...

Slant Magazine - Positive
NY Magazine - Positive
BBC Music - Positive

[Jeze]

Great reviews i need to see scores.

[Sammi]

Originally posted by DG1

So far the reviews that count towards Metacritic are positive...

Slant Magazine - Positive
NY Magazine - Positive
BBC Music - Positive

Loves it

[DG1]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY - Beyoncé "4" Album Review


Reviewed by Adam Markovitz | Jun 22, 2011

If show business were high school (and isn't it, really?), Beyoncé would be a front-runner for valedictorian. She's a class act on and off the charts, a can-do girl who shares her gifts with everyone while 
keeping her beyond-fabulous life — the Obamas on speed dial, Jay-Z at the dinner table — largely to herself. Over the course of her three previous records, she's matured from Destiny's Child-hood into a formidable solo hitmaker with two of pop music's most transcendent chart-toppers, ''Crazy in Love'' and ''Single Ladies,'' tucked in the pocket of her Deréon jeans.

So why does it feel like Beyoncé is struggling so hard to prove herself on 4? The album is an every-song-for-itself welter of conflicting ambitions: It wants to be 
 cutting-edge but familiar, accessible but artistic, hot-blooded but strictly impersonal. Those tensions hurt most in its lumbering first half, a defiant bird flipped at anyone 
expecting out-of-the-box radio killers. Instead, we get a sleepy recital of ballads, kicked off by the arid Prince-ipality of ''1+1'' and ''I Miss You,'' in which Bey pants and sweats and grunts (except, you know, sexy-like), her voice climbing ever higher in search of an octave big enough to hold it. ''I don't know much about guns/But I, I've been shot by you,'' she yelps on ''1+1,'' as if the love bullet were actually breaking skin. Vocally, she’s never sounded better — throaty and precise — but the songs here just aren't her equal.

While those efforts at least aim high, 
a few of 4's lesser tracks feel like they were unsuccessfully bred in studio 
captivity for mass consumption. The 
familiar lite-FM bombast of ''Best Thing I Never Had'' proves her 2006 hit ''Irreplaceable'' is just that. ''I Was Here,'' 
 co-written by Diane Warren, reaches Lifetime-movie levels of schmaltz, while the promisingly named ''Party,'' featuring Kanye and Andre 3000, turns out to be a slow-jam invitation to an after-work mixer with light refreshments. And when the 29-year-old mimics Luther Vandross and Diana Ross on the charmingly goofy one-two of ''Love on Top'' and ''Rather Die Young,'' she gets lost in her idols' polyester-swathed shadows. Unsurprisingly, Beyoncé is at her best when she sounds like no one but herself. She takes her trusty freakum dress out of mothballs for the marching-band funk of ''Countdown,'' which includes such joy-inducing non-lyrics as ''Me and my boof, and my boof boof riding.'' On ''Run the World (Girls),'' the first single off the disc, she turns cheesy postfeminism into a martial foot-stomper that crackles like a burst of pirate-radio agitpop. (It bombed accordingly on the mainstream charts.) And the terrific ''End of Time'' seethes with off-balance harmonies, MJ-style Off the Wall horns, and a bionic Bo Diddley beat, all while Bey howls her eternal love to everyone and no one in particular. It's exactly the kind of genre-busting risk that few other current pop stars would even attempt, let alone pull off flawlessly with 
 a no-big-thing shrug. With more moments like that, 4 might have been an album fully worthy of her talent. As it is, though, even star students get the occasional B.

GRADE: B

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20504524,00.html

[DG1]

Metacritic Reviews

Slant Magazine - Positive - 70/100
Entertainment Weekly - Positive - 75/100
NY Magazine - Positive
BBC Music - Positive

[Nicole]

Originally posted by Haus_of_Nicole

It's not that it's bad. It's that Beyonce deserves better.

but the songs here just aren't her equal.

an album fully worthy of her talent.

You can always count on EW to spill the truth.

[Shame♥]

Originally posted by Haus_of_Nicole

You can always count on EW to spill the truth.

They said nice things about RTW and you hate that song.

[Ace Reject]

I'm telling you guys - 4 will break The Fame Monster's record as highest-score pop album at Pitchfork.

So many people are comparing this to Bionic, My December. But unlike those two albums, this will actually be acclaimed.

[DG1]

Originally posted by TinkerBell

Great reviews i need to see scores.

METACRITIC SCORES:
BBC Music - Positive - 80/100
Entertainment Weekly - Positive - 75/100
Slant Magazine - Positive - 70/100
NY Magazine - Positive - ?

[satellites.™]

Originally posted by Ace Reject

I'm telling you guys - 4 will break The Fame Monster's record as highest-score pop album at Pitchfork.

So many people are comparing this to Bionic, My December. But unlike those two albums, this will actually be acclaimed.

I am ****ing floored at people on EW actually taking up for Beyonce and saying the album deserved an A.

[Knix]

Originally posted by DG1

METACRITIC SCORES:
BBC Music - Positive - 80/100
Entertainment Weekly - Positive - 75/100
Slant Magazine - Positive - 70/100
NY Magazine - Positive - ?

And real music will always prevail.

[BnPac]

I can't believe EW acted like IASF was a classic and give this album that cold review. At least it is still a B.