tjhassecrets's Full Review: I Am... Sasha Fierce [Deluxe Edition] by Beyonc?
= I'm a I'm a di-diva I'm a I'm a di-diva =
I remember when promotion for Beyonce's third solo project I Am...Sasha Fierce began to show up on YouTube and around the fan forums of other pop divas. My initial reaction to the material was glee, and when I heard what was to be a major single, I laughed my butt off-- this is only because I was really hoping this album would kill Ms. Knowles's career once and for all. After listening to and reviewing the other two albums is her discography, I have come to the conclusion that she will never be an interesting singer with anything more than a sometimes-okay vocal skill. The absolutely ridiculous premise of Beyonce "Destiny's only damned Child" Knowles doing a concept album in a similar manner as David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust? I mean, come on! That's comedic gold! Unfortunately, despite initial lukewarm reception from certain areas of her fanbase, the album became a huge success and further pushed Beyonce into just about everyone's faces-- it was a quiet time when I forgot she actually existed. I should have known better. This woman has a tight grip on the music industry today, and while she does have vocal talent, it's her voice and shoddy material and irks me about her sound, nonetheless the fact that, in her music, she seems to be overly full of herself.
The first track from the album that I heard, and I think anybody heard, was the successful and repetitive (and obnoxious) Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), which find Beyonce doing her typical screeching and hollering that makes her sound like her voice is exploding. Aside from the fact that she ruined a perfectly good Bob Fosse routine for the music video, this song has got to be one of the worst pop songs I've heard during the new millennium-- it's down there with Sisqo's The Thong Song. Its utterly ridiculous chourses and chants lack any real harmonization and seem to just be an over-layed screaming match between Beyonce and...some more Beyonce. It was official-- this chick was crazy. Then I sought out If I Were a Boy, which is quite possibly one of the worst odes to the sexism in this country...or, no, wait, maybe its a song that actually just helps to further perpetuate gender roles; yup, it does. Her balladry is terrible, and her uptempo songs don't far all that well either. They way she tries to through her voice around on songs like Halo is just unnecessary, and it kind of gives me a headache-- she warbles, yells, and claws at the notes without ever actually hitting a damn one. What kind of a singer is she? And she considers herself to be soulful? Please.
Okay, so, we know are all clear that Beyonce still is not a great vocal performer. She tries, but she's just annoying rather than enjoyable-- but there's something more important here: is the material good? Regardless of vocals (which can definitely ruin a good track), do these songs have any good pop hooks? Now, a song can be catchy but still awful, case and point Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry; but does this album have any good moments on it at all? Well, the record is divided into two segments, one representing Beyonce and the other representing "Sasha Fierce"-- essentially, this album just represents how highly Beyonce regards herself. On the more introspective side of the album ("I Am"), Disappear is not a bad ballad. The melody has a haunting quality to it, and her voice stays somewhat low enough for it to sound a buttery as she thinks she sounds constantly. The sound of the first CD is slightly more interesting than her other two records alone for its lack of typical soul samples and jazz influence. These stark songs are driven by a sad piano and classical strings that are way cooler than anything on B'Day. Broken-Hearted Girl is enjoyable enough and while it's not a great song, it's certainly something that I could stand to hear again-- and wow! Do I hear guitars? On Ave Maria, which is not a cover of the song you're thinking of (but instead something based around it), her instrumentation is slightly more Janet Jackson-esque than anything I'd expect from Beyonce; unfortunately, it's a little boring.
Okay, so, holy crap. Am I enjoying a Beyonce album? Yes. I must admit that I am, at least a lot more than any other album she's ever put out. Am I going to pop it on my Zune and listen to it constantly? No. It's merely just an improvement; at least Side A certainly is. Then we get to Side B, dubbed "Sasha Fierce," which is like the needle being scratched off the record. When you hear the non-stop screeching and awkward production of songs like Radio, which features something between Eurotrash-pop and generic RnB, you'll be sorry you bothered turning the record over. Diva is like a bad b-side that I would expect Kelis to take a big fat dump on. It sounds like her single Bossy except slight WORSE. This is some of the most generic hip hop of the past few years, and it doesn't exactly match her voice in the least. As decent as some of the music is on the first half of this record, the crap on the flip side is absolutely dreadful and downright embarrassing. The record ends on a distorted hip-dance song called Video Phone, which sounds exactly like track twelve of your friend's favorite mixtape. Lyrically, it's a disaster. Musically, it's a Souljaboy song that had horrendously terrible sex with Diva. So much for an improvement, huh?
VERDICT If the schizophrenic parts to this album were sold separately as EPs, "I Am" would not be a terrible buy; "Sasha Fierce," on the other hand, is just money well wasted.
01. If I Were a Boy [0 Stars] 02. Halo [2 Stars] 03. Disappear [4 Stars] 04. Broken-Hearted Girl [3 Stars] 05. Ave Maria [3 Stars] 06. Satellites [2.5 Stars] 07. Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) [0 Stars] 08. Radio [0 Stars] 09. Diva [-1 Stars] 10. Sweet Dreams [0 Stars] 11. Video Phone [0 Stars]
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