Beyoncé - I Am...Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Edition)
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Free Music Notes for I Am...Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Edition)
Free Music Review: Beyonce's Masterpiece Of Maturity
Hit: 5 Stars
As long as I've known about her Beyonce has always struck me as someone with a complete duel nature. On the one end reflective and creative and,on the other mildly shallow and attention craving. Well now she is physically mature and knows that all too well. This is a double album,at a time when NO MAJOR R&B star is making them anymore and as such it reflects her apparent split personality. She had a promising career with Destiny's Child and her solo career got off to an excellent start. To be honest though,upon further listenings I found the majority of B'day lacking for the sheer quality of song:not atypical of the pop music scene in general circa 2005-2006. Now she's definately going all out on this one not to seek attention,but rather credibility. After a long period of being told she has much potential it seems that here she is beginning to fulfill it. Now this is not some kind of Stevie Wonder 70's masterpiece or anything. Nor is it.....Aaliyah;the contemporary R&B/pop scene just doesn't allow that variety or thrill in innovation. One thing that's positive about this album is that all of it heavily plays down Beyonce's past clishe's of oversinging as well as laying on those gimmicky,electronic microtonal Arabic-styled arrangments so heavily. The first disk of the albums consists of midtempo and slow jams that actually do innovate in one respect:they take some of the modern drum machine oriented R&B and blend them with these kind of alternative folk-rock flavor. "Smash Into You" and "Satellites" are two of the best examples of this kind of brooding acoustically textured R&B (not acoustic soul as it has a lot more of an edge) and finds Beyonce's writing and singing at a premium. Whatever you might think of her overexposure these are terrific tunes. "If I Were A Boy" puts her in the possition many male soulsters did in the past:seeing the battle of the sexes from,in this case a mans point of view-stating that she'd "understand how to be a girl". Considering how things are now she's probably not entirely correct but is definately onto something there. "Halo" and "Broken Hearted Girl" are great likeminded songs,beautifully chorded although in the end some rhythmic variation would've baught them as close to perfection as any human could ask. Still they are very good. Her take on "Ave Maria" is really nice with this mix of R&B and opera that......could've been very pretentious but Beyonce's belief in the concept doesn't put it too far over the top. That alone would've been an excellent album. The second CD is all uptempo and,while it projects a similar variety in many ways it doesn't variate from Beyonce's previous sound as the first disk does. Some of that might have to do with the fact that "Diva" is by far the most unpleasant song on the whole album with her seriously stating "a diva's a female version of a hustler". The almost meglomaniacal ego tripping would've easily deducted two or more stars for me if it was'nt for another song,the great horn packed soul/funk of "Ego" where she literally sings of having a really big ego and,while also stating to be able to back it up she has at least part of her tongue planted in her cheek. "Video Phone" isn't a bad song but her "this is not R&B" kind of attitude does remind me of the troubling musical self denial I've always seen in Beyonce but there's also irony. In the meantime "Hello" and "Radio" are good keyed up dance tracks that too present some strong rhythmic,if very digitized rhythmic variations and some incredible songwriting in places. "Scared And Lonley" is a great closer that mixes it all up:the midtempo,the electronic rhythms and even that folk-rock touch. On this album Beyonce puts all her musical and lyrical assets and wharts on display and even expressess some understanding of her need to get over some of the latter. If her future means that she will take this concept to heart and concentrate on her musical vision over attention seeking she will be in a pretty good place. That remains to be seen but,for an album I was sure I'd totally dislike this is very potent in many areas and worth the time for those looking for redeption in contemporary R&B.Free Music Review: My girl is BACK!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow! I'm so impressed with this cd! I've been a Beyonce fan since the days of the first Destiny's Child cd, but along the way she has really come to let me down. I was very happy with her first solo effort and loved the mellow adult groove of that cd. But with the release of B'day I was really left questioning her judgment, her management, and most importantly, her discretion. I really felt like she had to have know that cd was garbage, and that she was simply pandering to a certain youth market audience that she felt was her main "fan base". Well, I think she has since learned that as many 25+ people had been loving her all along, as well as her teen fans, and now my girl has REALLY come with it! I actually was put off from buying this cd earlier after reading several lukewarm reviews on here and not being overly impressed with the song clips. I said to myself, "self, do you really want to put out [...] bucks and be disappointed again?" However, I threw caution to the wind and prayed that perhaps this time she could deliver again. I sure am glad that I did!
Yes, this is Beyonce branching into a new, more "alternative" direction, which many feel is contrived. To me it sounds so pure and clean that if this is contrived, than bring on the fake B! I had really grown extremely critical of her voice, which if anyone who has been lucky enough to see her in concert, knows is nothing short of magical. But after the Dreamgirls fiasco, she began this shrieking/yodeling period, that really made me want to cut my ears off. I even hated Resentment, the song which so many thought was the mature shinning star of her last album. Shrieking garbage if you ask me! I guess Beyonce has been kicking it heavy with her vocal coach though, because I'm happy to report that the voice is back! I'm over the moon! I mean honestly, her voice simply soars on most of the Disc 1 tracks. Namely Broken-Hearted Girl and Smash Into You ( I literally get chills on certain parts of these songs), but honestly there isn't a bad track on the first disc! Really! I never thought I'd live to see the day. In fact, it is so good that it makes you wonder how she came to choose If I Were a Boy to be her first single, because it's probably the worst song on the first Disc, and even it's pretty good!
Second disc, well after being so thoroughly satisfied with the first, I was ok with her having her little club-time/ teeny-bopper album. I was all prepared to not like it, and I was fine with that, because for me she had fulfilled my more "sophisticated" musical needs already. But amazingly, I LIKE IT TOO! WOWsa! I was shocked. Now I'm not going to say that Disc 2 is a complete success, as Disc 1 is, but Diva, Sweet Dreams, Ego (love this one, very cute song) and Scared of Lonely (best on this side) are great. The others are even decent. She sounds a bit insane on the Hello chorus, but after I got over that, I came to like this song too! I don't know if it was low expectations, but I'm just so happy that Beyonce has finally grown and matured her music appropriately. I think releasing the non-deluxe disc was a bad idea (really don't understand that), but the un-abashed Beyonce hate really must end people. I mean come on! This cd is amazing. Anyway, I'm sure I'll swing over to the Keyshia Cole page and see 5 star reviews all over the place for her dud of a 2nd cd...some people just really hate Miss B and all she has come to represent. And that's ok, you don't have to like the girl. Heck, I don't know her, and neither do you guys! But credit must be given were credit is due, and this cd is simply a gem. Job well done Mrs. Carter!
Free Music Review: OMG I love this CD!!!!! HOME RUN BEYONCE!
Hit: 5 Stars
I absolutely love B's new CD, despite what haters are saying...trust me when I say haters. I'm a loyal fan who has ALL of beyonce's CDs, so I feel that I can offer a qualified opinion of the work on this album. I believe some of the reviews you'll see posted on here are from people who may have purchased Beyonce's very last CD and was hoping that this CD would be same...and when it wasn't you can tell that that's the reason they are dissapointed.
I love the fact that this CD doesn't sound like the others...that's what Artists are supposed to do...that's why they are ARTISTS, their job is to CREATE music, not just play along with the status quo. So, make no mistake about it, this CD is great because it's a breathe of fresh air which is different than the stale overplayed music that's sitting on the air waves right now. So, if you're looking for this album to just be a continuation of her last CD, you'll definitely be dissapointed and I wouldn't recommend you purchase this particular album.
If you're a loyal fan of Beyonce, you'll notice that she is a artist that continues to evolve, both artistically and fashion wise. She hardly ever does the same thing twice and she's definitely a trailblazer.
This album reminds of the full package of Beyonce PLUS more. If you're a loyal fan you'll notice that when Beyonce first came on the scene, way back when with Destiny's child, their songs were fierce with R&B beats flying off the walls of any club. You'll notice that there are a few "gangsta qaulity" songs on here as well, such as Video Phone.
The song "Diva" was so clever...I know the guys have their anthem song called Amili by Wayne but this is the female version. GO BEY! What other female artist is putting out music that celebrates "who we are" and "how hard we work" to attain our status...NONE. So, again, GO BEY!
For a few of the fans who loved B's last album "B Day", there are a few songs on here for you too such as "If I were a boy", and "Broken hearted" Basically this song has a different beat to it, reminds me of an artist who's trying to "cross over", but DANG it sounds so great and it's something that every woman can relate to being that we mature a lot faster than our counterparts.
There are some songs on here I label as "cross-over" because the beat sounds a bit country: That's why you're beautiful and If I were a boy. These two tracks are beautiful songs, but I do know and can tell you that you find songs like this on any of her last albums. She's mixing a little bit of R&B and Country music and that's what I like and appreciate: An artist who can expand my mind and take me new places, sort of like reading a book.
On this CD package she's definitely done something different that other artists haven't done. In my opinion, instead of the CD could have been seperated into three because there's (1) Hood Songs (2) Slow down to earth sultry ballads (3) Female anthems along with (4) A few bonus Country songs.
In my opinion, as a loyal fan, and an avid follower, I think this CD is awesome because it gives you the wide range of that most artists won't dare to venture into. No matter how you're feeling one day, Bey definitely has a track on here to celebrate your mood, whether heart broken, a song to celebrate womanhood, or a song to hype you up before you go club hopping!
I love it! My favorite tracks on the bonus tracks release are: "Hello" and "Ego" which is when she opens up her heart about her relationship with Jay-z.
Free Music Review: Beyonce at her Finest!
Hit: 5 Stars
Beyonce is something of a mystery to me. I was always a fan of Destiny's Child's singles, but with the exception of "Survivor," I could never get into their whole albums, despite owning them all. The same thing goes for Beyonce. I have "Dangerously in Love" and "B'Day," and though those albums garner some phenomenal hits, I just couldn't fall in love with the albums the way many others did. (In fact, "B'Day" has some of my favorite songs from Beyonce, yet also contains a good half dozen tracks that I find dreadful.)
I went into "I Am...Sasha Fierce" not with hesitation, but not with any expectations of falling in love with it. "If I Were A Boy" is a great single, but so are most of her singles. "Single Ladies" is FANTASTIC, yet clearly up-tempo jams like "Get Me Bodied" didn't save my opinion about "B'Day" either, so I wasn't sure how I would take to this album. I am so happy that I have "Sasha Fierce" a chance -- this album is pitch-perfect; Beyonce really upped her game.
Yes, it was a marketing gimmick, and 16 songs is NOT enough for a double disc, but since I digitally purchased the album, that part didn't bother me.
I actually love that the slow songs and up tempos are split up. The "Sasha Fierce" half doesn't flow as well (even though it has great songs individually), but the "I Am" section moves so well from beginning to end. "Halo" is sure to be a hit; I'll eat my words if it isn't. "Disappear," and "Broken Hearted Girl" are beautiful, and "Disappear" especially sounds like the first big departure for Beyonce. "Ave Maria" is pretty, though a tad pretentious, and generally the only track I skip constantly. Fortunately, next we have "Smash Into You," which is most certainly the most beautiful song she ever has and ever will record. Perfect. I can't wait to hear her sing it live. The end of the album works well too, "Satellites" is really haunting, "That's Why You're Beautiful" utilizes some grunge chords that are really exciting and new for B, and I love it. "Save the Hero" is also a great bonus track, if only a tad on the cheesy side.
Now we have "Sasha Fierce," which is also a really fun listen. "Single Ladies" is "Get Me Bodied" Part II, but in my opinion, better. (And what a fierce video, right?) "Radio" sounds like it should have been off of Rihanna's latest project, and Beyonce's "over-ghettofication" of her words is slightly irksome, but the song is so fun that most is forgiven. "Diva" is one of the biggest "what's the point?" songs on the album, but because she sounds so great and the beat is so exciting, all is again forgiven. "Sweet Dreams" is fun, and "Video Phone" is sexy and interesting. Still, Sasha Fierce saves her best material for her more R&B jams. "Hello" and "Ego" are perfect songs, this is down-low sexy Sasha, and I love every moment of it. Also, interestingly enough, Sasha at her fiercest is when she is still being vulnerable; "Scared of Lonely" is a brilliant uptempo track. Oh, and "Why Don't You Love Me?" is another great bonus track from the digital download.
If Beyonce continues to grow and develop as an artist, I will be a life long fan. I can only hope for future albums to be as remarkable as this.
Oh, and this album, in my opinion, is more of a 4 or 4.5 star rating, but due to the ridiculously high negative ratings (for really silly reasons), I thought the album deserved a 5.
Free Music Review: Rating without knowing anything about the project . . .
Hit: 5 Stars
I rarely write a review for a CD, but I just have to comment on some of the people rating this album. Correct me if I wrong, but many of the people commenting on this project are just commenting on past experience with Beyonce albums and they do not understand what she was trying to do with this third CD. They are saying things like this sounds nothing like Beyonce. Of course it does not sound like typical Beyonce because that was her goal behind this project. She wanted to sing different music this time around. I think the keyword was something DIFFERENT. If she wanted to repeat Dangerously in Love, she would have made Dangerously in Love Part 2. If she wanted to repeat B'Day, she would have made B'Day Part 2. She made 70 songs for this album, but only put songs on the album that meant something to her. These songs have meaning for the artist and she is hoping that you can see why she placed these songs on the album. Something that may seem like crap to you at first. . . press pause . . . then try to figure out why that song would have meaning for Beyonce. Not necessarily for a mad fan who wishes she had a whole album of Crazy in Loves and Deja Vus.
I even read another commented that stated, "I thought this was supposed to be Sasha Fierce, so what's up with all the slow songs?" This person must have missed the point that the first album is Beyonce being vulnerable something we rarely see from her songs. Which type of songs usually shows vulnerability? Ballads show vulnerability very well; thus, that is why the first album has mainly ballads. Sasha is not only fast music, but songs that show Beyonce's sexuality, emotional and her crazy side. If she wants to talk about her man's EGO she can unleash that through Sasha. If she wants to be ghettofab on tracks like DIVA (which is produced by the same guy who produced Lil' Wayne's "Milli," thus, it is on purpose people!!!) and VIDEO PHONE she can unleash that through Sasha as well.
Best songs on Disc 1:
1. If I Were A Boy - first single from "I am", which shows Beyonce's ability to emote through her singing.
2. Halo - amazing beat and Beyonce explaining how her man is her saving grace and how he is everything she needs and more.
3. Broken-Hearted Girl - Beyonce explaining how she feels about an x-boyfriend.
4. Ave Maria - showcases her range, very beautiful
5. Satellites - This song is really deep, about a couple being so far apart emotionally that they only look like flashing lights in the dark.
Best songs of Disc 2:
1. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - enough said
2. Radio - Beyonce, reflecting on her childhood days when she was not allowed to have boys up in her room, but she could always jam to her Radio. I remember the days when I used to jam to my radio.
3. Sweet Dreams - the leaked Beautiful Nightmare, which is very pop yet so Beyonce.
4. Hello - you had me at Hello
5. Ego - second single off of "Sasha Fierce," I like this song, and this shows Beyonce talking about her man's EGO ("its too big, its too wide" . . . yikes!!!) and has a beautiful section with her singing only with the piano.
6. Scared of Lonely - explains that she needs your strength when she thinks no one is around . . . scared the only heartbeat beating is her own. I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!