Beyoncé
4

Abdicating the extravagant collaborations with Lady Gaga and killing off the bionic alter ego Sasha Fierce, the splendid Beyoncé returns to her roots by releasing her fourth studio album, aptly named "4". Far from rehashing the overly shifting rainbow of its predecessor (dialectically divided into romantic - sugary and frivolous - party atmospheres) or the total Urban - R&B compositions of her debut, Miss Knowles shapes an authentic milkshake of "multicolor" tracks with a common denominator of the intimate and passionate funky - slowjam sensation of bygone times.

What makes the album decidedly less poppish/mainstream is an authentic multisided marriage of voice - orchestra - instrumentation scattered throughout the remarkable array of genres offered - classic R&B/Urban, lyrical ballads, hints of swing, rock, funky, soul - disco, afro-tribal, and ambient - largely bearing witness to a tasty retro - evergreen concept (primarily '70s and '80s) that almost dominates the album. To our ears, then, a curriculum of simple and immediate slow - midtempo tracks, light-years away from the artful club trends of today and their attendant redundancies.

The tracklist debuts with the promotional single 1+1, a theatrical rock - unplugged ballad with alternating vocal climaxes and light electric strumming, an excellent opener to an album that prattles more romanticisms with the second single Best Thing I Never Had, a warm and slow R&B track in a typical Beyoncé style, and in the hyper-sentimental soul - R&B intercalation of I Care. Sticking to the ballads segment, the podium is shared by I Miss You and I Was Here: while the former loses itself in an R&B lullaby sweetened by a gentle ambient - trance backdrop, the latter represents the undisputed pinnacle of Beyoncé's romantic concept and at the same time the triumphant finale of the saccharinities contained herein, blended with decisive percussion, rich strings, and significant vocal peaks.

Leaping to the cluster of more dynamic tracks, one immediately perceives the funky - retro mood damnably inspired by the legendary seventies - eighties, now an essential resource in a music biz somewhat lacking in innovation.
Positive mentions of merit, therefore, for the folkloristic - tribal - ethnic march of End Of Time, the "Tibetan" mood of Start Over, the traditional Hip Hop/Urban recipe in Countdown, the super funky Party (featuring Kanye West and Andre 3000) at the crossroads of Hip Hop and Soul revival, and Love On Top, a piece strongly influenced by '70s - '80s disco - soul. It all concludes with the dance triumph of Run The World (Girls), a perfect and stylized metaphor of the hip-shaking, emancipated, sassy, alluding, and ascetically sensual lioness.

I end the review to let your drooling tongues dangle in peace. And I emphasize that any appreciation of Mrs. Knowles's succulent appearance is pre-approved by yours truly. The cover is just the tantalizing appetizer.

Beyoncé, "4"

1+1 - I Care - I Miss You - Best Thing I Never Had - Party - Rather Die Young - Start Over - Love On Top - Countdown - End Of Time - I Was Here - Run The World (Girls)