FEATURE:
Second Spin
Beyoncé - 4
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AS I am back in Second Spin territory…
I wanted to focus on an album that did not get the acclaim it deserved the first time around. Beyoncé released her fourth studio album, 4, in 2011, and it was her first album since 2008’s I Am... Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé was on a career hiatus; 4 was the album that album that re-inspired her. If her earliest albums were more contemporary and rooted towards Pop and R&B, 4 took in classic R&B, Funk and Soul. For 4, Beyoncé collaborated with The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Shea Taylor; they helped produce a mellower tone, developing diverse vocal styles. Beyoncé wanted an album that was more intimate and personal than anything she had produced before and, because of that, I think a lot of critics were put off. Beyoncé would score huge reviews by the time her eponymous (fifth) album came out in 2013. I think 4 is a necessary and important evolution that allowed her greater freedom. If she had carried on making the sort of albums she did with Destiny’s Child and the start of her career, I think she would have been in a rut. 4 focuses on female empowerment and monogamy: Beyoncé – who was approaching thirty at this point – wanted an album that was more mature and meaningful. 4 was promoted in 2011 with a string of television and festival appearances. Beyoncé headlined Glastonbury in 2011 with an incredible set and, although 4 debuted at number one in the album chart in the U.S. – and many other countries-, reviews were not all positive.
It is baffling why so many critics were not fully on board with 4 when you consider the singles released. Run the World (Girls), Best Thing I Never Had, Party, Love on Top and Countdown are among the finest tracks of Beyoncé’s career; Love on Top scooped the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. 4 had shifted over 1.5 million copies by the end of 2015. It is clear that Beyoncé was not only dissatisfied, to an extent, with her previous direction but with contemporary radio in general. Rather than walk down the same path as everyone else, 4 is her attempt to get R&B back on the radio – at a time when Pop was dominating (as it still does, I guess). There are mixes of ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s sounds with big horns and cool grooves, live instrumentation and bold songwriting. I know Beyoncé went on to create stronger work, but I feel 4 is a very impressive album that warranted more love when it was released. Because Beyoncé was maturing as a person, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for her to continue to release the sort of music she was years before. Many critics wrote 4 off because of its change of sound and the fact there are more sensitive and tender songs. Maybe it was the balladry of 4’s first half that divided people. With variegated vocal styles and live instrumentation, it was very different to anything Beyoncé had done before. Start Over, with its R&B vocals and modern beats, is a perfect example of what Beyoncé wanted to achieve.
I think 4 is a fantastic album that is a lot more worthy than its singles. It is a complete and fascinating album from an artist who wanted reignition and fresh impetus. Love on Top is funky as hell and sports a terrific video; Best Thing I Never Had is a female call to arms – and it is one of the best songs she had recorded to that point. Run the World (Girls), a huge anthem that would not have sounded out of place on a Destiny’s Child album. Whilst Beyoncé was moving forward and evolving, I think there are pleasing touches of her earlier work; a great balance of the captivatingly free-spirited and the tender-hearted. There are some good reviews for 4, but there are so many that divide the album in two: people who prefer the more spirited songs and are not too convinced with the ballads. AllMusic reviewed 4 and, despite the fact they had encouraging words, only gave the album three stars:
“Beyoncé reportedly delivered over 70 songs to Columbia for her fourth solo studio album. The dozen that made the cut, combined with their sequencing, make it plain that straightforward crossover-dance singles and cohesion were not priorities. Taking it in at once is mystifying, even when little attention is paid to the lyrics. The opening “1+1,” a sparse and placid vocal showcase, fades in with a somber guitar line, throws up occasional and brief spikes in energy, and slowly recedes. It’s the kind of song one would expect to hear during an album’s second half, certainly not as the opener -- not with the (fittingly) slight sonics and heavy lines like “Just when I ball up my fist, I realize I’m laying right next to you, baby.”
Three additional ballads follow. Each one features its own set of collaborators and contrasts both sonically and lyrically. “I Care” rolls in on pensive percussion and low-profile synthesizer drones, surging during a cathartic chorus. “I Miss You,” alluringly bleak and hushed, is a codependent confessional. The only one that’s rote, “Best Thing I Never Had” is a bombastic kiss-off saved by Beyoncé’s ability to plow through it. From there, the album restlessly bounces between tempos and moods: a desperate midtempo chest thumper, a couple cyborg marching-band dancefloor tracks, an ecstatic early-‘90s throwback, yet more ballads. What’s most surprising is that a song titled “Party,” co-produced by Kanye West with a guest verse from André 3000, quickly settles into a low-watt groove and remains there. Wildcard interludes and a Euro-pop party-anthem cash-in would be the only ways to make the album more scattered, but the strength of most of the material, propelled by Beyoncé’s characteristically acrobatic vocal skills, eases the trouble of sifting through the disjointed assortment. No one but one of the most talented and accomplished singers -- one with 16 Grammys, nothing left to prove, and every desired collaborator at her disposal -- could have made this album”.
I will bring in a more positive review but, to highlight some of the attitudes that were flying around in 2011, this is what NME wrote when assessing 4:
“You’d think that when, five similarly paced tracks in, a song entitled ‘Party’ pops up produced by Kanye West and featuring Andre 3000, some respite may have arrived, but no: it’s more mid-paced, synth-heavy cheese, with a phoned-in guest rap. It doesn’t make you want to have a party. In fact, soon, as yet more anonymous, barely distinguishable slowies arrive (‘Rather Die Young’, ‘Start Over’), the will to continue listening departs. Beyonce’s cry of “Bring the beat in!” on the at-least-slightly-uptempo ‘Love On Top’, feels like it should be preceded by a “For fuck’s sake, PLEASE CAN SOMEBODY…” The latter song turns out to be a light but pleasant tribute to mid-’80s pop of the Whitney variety, and introduces a mid-album interlude of actually quite good music.
IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé at Glastonbury in 2011/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Despite sampling Boyz II Men, ‘Countdown’ pedals a nice line in squelchy keyboards, while ‘End Of Time’ exhibits the much talked about influence of Fela Kuti, and – along with the closing ‘Run The World (Girls)’ – is the best thing here by quite some distance. Sadly, between these two songs comes – you guessed it – another ballad, and this time of the power, showstopper, curtain-call variety. It sounds unmistakably like an X-Factor winner’s single, full of unbelievably trite sentiments. It is called ‘I Was Here’, and it goes: “When I leave this world, I leave no regrets, I’ll leave something to remember, so they won’t forget… I was here”.
Beyonce, of course, has already done more than enough to ensure this is the case. She’d done enough with Destiny’s Child, or with the first 30 seconds of ‘Crazy In Love’, to guarantee her entry into the annals of greatness. But there ain’t too much here that’s going to add to her legacy. Rather, there’s the unmistakable sense of someone treading water, with even the OK bits here sounding uninspired. Not what you want from Beyoncé. Not at all. Let’s hope her Glastonbury performance brings better memories”.
Maybe, nearly a decade after 4 was released, it makes sense in terms of where Beyoncé was heading and why she needed to change. As I say, I don’t think she would have created brilliant albums like Beyoncé and Lemonade if she had not expanded and moved directions on 4.
Clearly, she required a change of pace and an album that was truer to her. I think some of the ballads on 4 are incredibly affecting and moving. 4 is such a rich album that has fire and passion, but there is plenty of heartfelt offerings. Pitchfork made some interesting points when they reviewed the album:
“The only recent pop ballad that comes close to its power is Adele's stunning "Someone Like You". But where that song-- and its massively successful corresponding album, 21-- wrung out the aftermath of young heartbreak, Beyoncé is aiming for something a bit more challenging with 4: love the one you're with, and have some fun doing it, too. The album's relative riskiness extends to its music, which side-steps Top 40 radio's current Eurobeat fixation for a refreshingly eclectic mix of early-90s R&B, 80s lite soul, and brass'n'percussion-heavy marching music. All of the album's best elements, thematically and sonically, burst ahead on Jay-Z ode "Countdown", a honking, stutter-step sequel of sorts to "Crazy in Love". The new track makes 10 years of loyalty seem just as thrilling as the first time, with Beyoncé offering her partner copious praise in that famed half-rap cadence: "Still love the way he talks/ Still love the way I sing/ Still love the way he rock them black diamonds in that chain".
Maybe 4 does not crack the top-three in terms of Beyoncé’s greatest albums, yet it is an album that is really solid and has some terrific moments. I have read a lot of the reviews for 4 and, whilst some offering big praise, many are divided and compare it unfavourably with her previous work. I would encourage people to check out 4, as it is a powerful, inventive and rewarding…
ALBUM that stands tall.