Destiny`s favourite child Beyonce`s 4th solo album has been out for six weeks and it has already been certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), meaning it has shifted one million copies in the States.
It’s not doing badly in the overseas markets too, as ‘4’ debuted at no.1 in most countries outside of the States and is on the top 5 on South Africa`s album charts.
The album is clearly doing well even though its first single Run the World (Girls) did not blow away fans and critics. Maybe its the song`s video where ‘Bey’ puts on some impressive pantsula moves under the guidance of Mozambican dance duo Tofo Tofo, which won the hearts of her fans.
On the album track list, ‘Run The World’ is pushed to the bottom and the album opens with the ballade ‘1 Plus 1’.
Overall ‘4’ does what previous Beyonce` albums have done; they make you dance, sing along, provide a song for every emotion experienced in a relationship. But this album is more of a love fest than her other albums and there`s a sense of maturity in her lyrics-the woman is going to be 30 soon, and it comes across on ‘4’.
‘4’ begins with ballads where Beyonce displays her vocal range the first few songs.
The pace picks up from the ladies anthem ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ and just has feel-good; up-tempo such as ‘Love on Top’ and the energetic ‘Countdown’ and ‘End of Time’ which change the tone of the album to full-on trumpets and drums.
‘4’ is a must-have for die-hard Beyonce` fans, and is refreshing in a time when every second song on radio has some Euro-pop beat or Euro-dance DJ on it. Beyonce` makes a good attempt at refreshing ‘old-school R&B ‘, which has over the years lost itself.
Just some background on the album title,:4 is Beyonce`s favourite number, as she explains on her ‘Year of 4’ documentary(available on Youtube.com). 4 is hers, hubby Jay-Z and mom Tina`s birth dates. ‘4’ is also the date and month she and Jay-Z got married in 2008.
Vuvu Rating : 7/10
