Beyoncé’s released her latest album, “4”

On June 28th, Beyoncé will release her highly anticipated fourth album, ’4′, which has been lead with the single “Run The World (Girls)”. Although the song hasn’t been performing as well has her previous singles, the song spawned, what has been said to be the biggest performance of her career at the Billboard Music Awards this May. A second single, “Best Thing I Never Had”, has been recently released, and has been getting frequent spins on radio. Last year in an interview, Beyoncé stated that her new album wouldn’t sound like typical pop and would be her “own little gumbo of music”. She named Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, and Fela Kuti as inspirations for the album, which are all very diverse artists. So did Beyoncé’s ’4′ live up to her words? I think it did that and way way more. This is by far Beyoncé’s best album to date, and is probably one of the best albums this decade will see. Check out a detailed track-by-track review below:1+1 – Beyonce channels prince in this emotional ballad. The powerful lyrics mixed with Beyonce’s powerful vocals make for a perfect ballad. The tempo is perfect, and Beyonce does just enough with her voice to not make it sound overbearing. (10/10) I Care – The song starts off with a very mellow, soft intstrumental. Then Beyonce hits us with the emotional first line “I told you that you hurt me baby, but you don’t care”, which stabs right through the heart, and continues to during each line of the verses. There is a magical moment in this song, where Beyoncé mimics the guitar melody after the bridge, that is probably one of Beyoncé’s best vocal moments of all time. The only negative about this song is that the chorus lacks a bit in lyrical content. (9/10) I Miss You – This Frank Ocean written record is the biggest risk Beyoncé has taken musically. To work with an amateur songwriter/producer who isn’t known worldwide, and record this haunting song with simple vocals is a risk that paid off extremely. For one of the first times ever, Beyoncé has conveyed strong emotion without putting to much power in her voice. Although she isn’t belting out strong notes, the emotion shines through, even more than when she does belt out those huge notes. This is what I’ve been waiting for from Beyoncé for a long time and it’s finally here. This song is what R&B artists will be inspired by ten years from now. (10/10) Best Thing I Never Had – Beyoncé’s most commercial song to date. It’s definetly the safest song on the album, and probably the easiest for Beyoncé to write and record. This song will probably have similar success to “Irreplaceable”, or better yet, it might even pull a Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”. This is definitely a nice breather for the simple folk who find the musical risks in the other songs hard to swallow. (7.5/10) Party (f. Andre 3000/Kanye West) – Beyoncé takes us on a trip back to the 90’s with this summer anthem. The song samples the Doug E. Fresh hip-hop anthem “La Di Da Di”, which, in my opinion, was a genius idea. Beyoncé knows who the majority of her fanbase consists of, and she has taken those fans on a trip back to their childhoods. Everything about this song is perfect, from Beyoncé’s swag, to Andre 3000’s smooth verse. This song is for the Beyoncé fans who are tired of these new self-proclaimed “R&B Artists”, who have forgotten what true R&B/Hip-Hop is. (10/10) Rather Die Young – The first thing I thought of while listening to this song was ‘The Carpenters’. I would have never expected Beyoncé to channel the great Karen Carpenter on track and do such a great job. If Karen was still here today, this is what a song by her would sound like. The song does a great job at sounding current and like a 70’ classic ballad at the same time. (10/10) Start Over – Although it isn’t anything remarkable production-wise, Beyoncé made a smart move putting this song on the album. Not only doe is showcase her vocal control, but it has commercial appeal and is reminiscent to the best of Beyoncé’s older songs. This song is classic Beyoncé in every sense of the word. (8/10) Love On Top – Although this song is amazing and Beyoncé sounds great, I can’t say I love as much as others seem to. The song is similar to a Jackson 5 number, which is something I’ve always wanted to hear from Beyoncé. The problem is that is sounds a bit TOO MUCH like a Jackson 5 number. It isn’t as effective as ‘Rather Die Young’ which sounds like a 70’s song, but still sounds current. I love 70’s music, so it’s not that I don’t like the song, it’s just that it’s missing something that gives it a current feeling. (7/10) Countdown – The biggest, most exciting song on the album. Will probably be the next ‘Upgrade U’ in terms of it’s urban appeal. The song could have been a basic R&B record, but the live instruments and Beyoncé’s swagga-fied vocals bring it up many levels. This song is perfect proof that Beyoncé can sing the alphabet and make it sound like a masterpiece. This is what Rihanna, Keri Hilson, and others alike wish they could do. I can’t wait to see a video for this. (9/10) End of Time – I don’t like to use the word ‘epic’ too much, but it’s the perfect word for this record. When I first heard the song I was speechless at how amazing the song is. There are so many elements this song that make it so great. From the guitar riff that is reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It”, to the horns, to the drums, to Beyoncé’s voice. It’s going to take some time for people to soak up this musical masterpiece, but when they do, I’m scared of what’s going to happen. It’s like Beyoncé took the best songs and put them all in one. It’s like Fela Kuti and Michael Jacksons spirits entered Beyoncé’s body at the same time and took over. Whoever cannot appreciate this song doesn’t deserve to even be listening to it. (10/10) I Was Here – It’s hard to put my feelings for this song into words. When I listen to it, I just get swept into it and after it’s over I try not to remember it because the emotions I feel while listening to it are a bit too overpowering. The song is about Beyonce hoping that she left a mark in the world once she’s gone. The fact that we all know she has clearly already made a mark in the world makes this song so much more beautiful. Ryan Tedder and Diane Warren did an amazing job with this song. (10/10) Run The World (Girls) – When the song first leaked onto the net, I felt that it wasn’t on the level I wanted Beyoncé to be for this album. After a few listens the song grew on me, and although it’s not a song I can really relate to since I’m not a girl, I learned to appreciate it for what it is – an empowering club-banger for females. I still didn’t understand the reason for it being the first single though, especially after hearing ‘End of Time’. It wasn’t until after I heard the entire album that a big lightbulb went off on top of my head. In the song before this one on the album, Beyoncé states, “The hearts I have touched will be the proof that I leave, that I made a difference and this world will see that I was here”. She sings that she hopes she meant something in someone’s life and left her mark. This is when I realized the reason for her releasing ‘Run The World’. The most obvious thing that will be remembered about Beyoncé in the future is her female empowerment and how she has opened the doors for many female artists who have come after her. This makes ‘Run The World’ a perfect song for Beyoncé, and kind of makes it the theme song to her career. For those who don’t like the song, take a moment to look back at Beyoncé’s career, and think about why this song was so important for Beyoncé to record. (9/10)