Spring Break
Beyonce's latest album not quite 'Fierce' enough for fans
John Holmes
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Entertainment
11/13/08 - I admit it. Despite the undeniable super-star, A-list status, despite the number one hits, the ubiquitous presence in our pop culture, the marriage to the most important figure in hip-hop music, and despite the killer looks and above-average voice, I have serious trouble taking Beyonce Knowles seriously.
Case in point: I Am…Sasha Fierce, the double album released Tuesday. The album, Beyonce's third solo release, is spread between two discs for no reason, as all 11 of the songs put together come out to about 42 minutes worth of music.
While it almost made sense when Rachael Yamagata did it, all Beyonce's done here is to take a regular hip-hop / R&B album and separate the fast tracks from the slow ones.
Ms. Knowles could argue until she's blue in the face about her artistic reasons for doing so, but the fact is that neither disc contains much in the way of artistic statements.
The first disc, I Am, consists entirely of down-tempo love (or out-of-love) ballads, while the second disc Sasha Fierce is all about clubby dance tracks.
I Am starts off with the single "If I Were a Boy," where Beyonce considers just that premise.
Other highlights from the first disc include "Ave Maria," a clever urban-pop takeoff on the classic Catholic hymn, where Beyonce delivers a great vocal free-from complete with over-singing and superfluous runs. The lyrics are ho-hum, ("you are my heaven, my earth / you are my hunger, my thirst") but this sort of understated emotion is a pleasant surprise from her.
Another standout from the first disc is the closer "Satellites," an ethereal song featuring soft acoustic guitars and strings. Here again, Beyonce chooses to keep it subtle, and the results are gorgeous.
The second disc, Sasha Fierce, is anything but subtle. The album is named for a sort of alter ego that Beyonce has assumed, but the name doesn't come up at all in the album, so it's pretty irrelevant.
The first track is the hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" in which a swagger-filled Beyonce tells her man "if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it." It's not a bad song by any means, but it's funny to consider the fact that Beyonce dated Jay-Z for six years before they ever tied the knot.
Case in point: I Am…Sasha Fierce, the double album released Tuesday. The album, Beyonce's third solo release, is spread between two discs for no reason, as all 11 of the songs put together come out to about 42 minutes worth of music.
While it almost made sense when Rachael Yamagata did it, all Beyonce's done here is to take a regular hip-hop / R&B album and separate the fast tracks from the slow ones.
Ms. Knowles could argue until she's blue in the face about her artistic reasons for doing so, but the fact is that neither disc contains much in the way of artistic statements.
The first disc, I Am, consists entirely of down-tempo love (or out-of-love) ballads, while the second disc Sasha Fierce is all about clubby dance tracks.
I Am starts off with the single "If I Were a Boy," where Beyonce considers just that premise.
Other highlights from the first disc include "Ave Maria," a clever urban-pop takeoff on the classic Catholic hymn, where Beyonce delivers a great vocal free-from complete with over-singing and superfluous runs. The lyrics are ho-hum, ("you are my heaven, my earth / you are my hunger, my thirst") but this sort of understated emotion is a pleasant surprise from her.
Another standout from the first disc is the closer "Satellites," an ethereal song featuring soft acoustic guitars and strings. Here again, Beyonce chooses to keep it subtle, and the results are gorgeous.
The second disc, Sasha Fierce, is anything but subtle. The album is named for a sort of alter ego that Beyonce has assumed, but the name doesn't come up at all in the album, so it's pretty irrelevant.
The first track is the hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" in which a swagger-filled Beyonce tells her man "if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it." It's not a bad song by any means, but it's funny to consider the fact that Beyonce dated Jay-Z for six years before they ever tied the knot.
