BEYONCE : I Am…

We thought we might take a leaf out of fellow blogger ‘Fabtastic’s’ books here and review Beyonce’s new offering ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ as two separate albums, given the goodies released upon it are on two separate discs. We’ve got the standard edition in our hot little hands, so disc one is bursting with six whole songs (okay, so it’s an EP). Beyonce seeks to explain the differences between the sexes on first single ‘If I Were A Boy’, going further by suggesting how the opposite sex should be treating her (it’s highlighted to great effect in the video clip for the single). On track two ‘Halo’, she sings about seeing a boy’s halo, believing him to be the one for her, “hit me like a ray of sun burning through my darkest night”, all over a slow burning beat, resplendent with hand-claps. ‘Disappear’ is intimate, warm and friendly, allowing Beyonce to utilise her lower register, while singing about a partner who’s ready when she’s clearly not. By the end of the third track’s 4:29 runtime, you realise you’re half way through. ‘Broken-Hearted Girl’ is pianos and cellos at five paces, as the singer pours out her heart, sprouting her hate for a guy who’s clearly been mistreating her – it’s raw, emotional and easily the strongest of out the final five tracks. ‘Ave Maria’ shares a number of similarities with Madonna’s ‘Promise To Try’, and B’s top notes are surprisingly sweet, while the EP’s closer ‘Satellites’ is inoffensive guitar-lite pOp on which Beyonce sings about the need to communicate within a relationship. At six tracks, it’s less like an album and more like an hors d’oeuvre – it gives you a little taste, but it’s not enough to satisfy.

C

(‘…Sasha Fierce’ review here within hours.)

Beyonce’s ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ is in-stores now in both standard and deluxe versions.

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