Beyoncé dropped this album at midnight via iTunes with NO publicity. No press. No album screenings. Just BOOM 14 songs...along with 17 videos (1 video being a credits video, 2 bonus vids, the remaining 14 videos correspond with the 14 songs on her album). She is calling this her visual album. Again revolutionary. But why you may ask? Lots of artists do videos to their songs. Ah that's where this album differs. Normally an artist records a full album, then over the course of a year releases 4-5 singles with their videos, all the while there's a promotional tour or campaign blitz. What Beyoncé did was she toured, recorded the album, and made the videos ALL IN SAME YEAR! Then when she was done released everything together. Her label did ZERO promotion or advertising. And already she's on track to have sold 1 million copies the first week of release. Um hello Gaga, N'Sync, and the like do the same thing with a blitz creek of press.
Being a huge Beyoncé fan with all Destiny's Child AND her solo albums this is big. If I'm being honest I don't think she has lived up to her Destiny's Child albums until this album. Every album Bey has she has some slow and some dance tracks. More slow than dance because she wants those Grammys (yup I said it). This album is a mixture with more dance and I LOVE that. She also got VERY sexual. It was surprising at first because she's a new mom, but her song "Flawless" says flat out how it's ok for men to be sexual and get NO BACKLASH yet women are seen as sluts if they do the same thing. I got it. And I felt this is her most personal album she's ever done.
In my head "4" to Bey was what "The Velvet Rope" was to Janet. It was her first album after she fired her dad Matthew as manager so she was finding herself as she managed her own career and assembled her producers. It had gems don't get me wrong, but it wasn't "Beyoncé" the album.
My favorite two songs are "Blow" (co-produced by my two faves Pharrell Williams and Timbaland) and "Mine" featuring Drake (produced by Noah Shehib). "Blow" the beat and message is very sexual about female oral sex LOL I know why would a gay man wanna listen to a song like that? I'm a feminist at heart, and the lyrics are so parred down and the beat is infectious it could be about drug dealing and I'd love it. But the song "Mine" is BEY; she discusses how after she had Blue it almost broke she and Jay-Z up because it changed her and their relationship but thankfully it brought them back together. And Drake can drink a milkshake in a public restroom while recording a song and I'll love on it. He's magic. Other highlights on the album were the appropriately haunting song "Haunted," "Drunk in Love" with Jay-Z, and then there's "Flawless." Now this song is about her feelings towards former Destiny's Child members and how they should come together instead of being enemies and how society pits women against each other as competitors in the wrong way.
My biggest gripe is "Grown Woman" is not a single on the album but has a video to it. "GW" gave me LIFE this year when I found it on YouTube (she performs it on the Mrs. Carter world tour). So upset and wish I could get it on my iPod :(
I will say overall the 5 stars out of 5 easily. This is the album you've been waiting for Bey to release SINCE she has left DC. It also is the album that nullified claims from artists whom cry foul when a record label doesn't promote their album. There is now no excuse for anyone to not have a hit album IF the songs match the definition of their star power. This IS a signature Beyoncé album. No one else could've done these songs. So my advice to other artists whom want to follow Bey's footsteps: release an album that is signature YOU! Promotion or not from label it will sell like gangbusters.