Beyoncé – 4

For those who heard ‘Girls (Run The World)’ and thought the Major Lazer sample was an inspired move that showcased Beyoncé as about the party anthems, this album could not be more of a departure from this perceived image. In fact, ‘Girls’ is the track that stands out at odds with the rest of the material and although certainly a refreshing and uplifting way to end the release, it is not the overarching sound to be expected.

Piano and guitar led opener ‘1+1’ is a smooth love ballad and whilst much of the material on the album may be generic in the sense that it is about relationships, often lyrical genius over topic comes to aid the songs in question: so from the sillier ‘I don’t know much about algebra, but I know 1+1=2’, the same track offers a deeper ‘If I don’t got something, I don’t give a damn, because I got it with you’. Besides, the swooping octave changes accomplished are enough to reflect the true fragility of love and demonstrate the strength of Beyoncé’s vocals. No autotune.

In parts, several of the songs sound akin to material for Leona Lewis (remember previous favourite ‘Halo’ had originally been penned for the X Factor winner): but there is a great deal more to be said than is reflected by the comparison. Whilst ‘I Care’ and ‘I Miss You’ talk of seemingly masochistic relationships in the way we are accustomed to Lewis crooning over, Beyoncé has been careful enough to add slight rock elements so as not to sound quite as drab: cue electric guitar riffs, marching drums and a stock piano to keep the mellow aspect on track. The contrasting vulnerable emotion and courage of conviction has Beyoncé’s performance not only chilling but relevant to all those who have felt seconded by love.

This is never advocated more than in ‘Best Thing I Never Had’, in which Beyoncé is thankful that she got over a love which was bad for her in undisclosed ways. However, the jeering lines ‘I bet it sucks to be you right now’ shows little relent from the empowerment one should feel in a relationship. Once more, the power ballad-esque tune stands out for vocal trills and a simple message of self love.

Elsewhere, ‘Rather Die Young’ and ‘Love On Top’ are notable for their incorporation of several soul influences, which add a much more positive element to the album. Celebration of successful love appears to dominate the second half in general; the crafting suggests that the hurt of earlier life related first has helped Beyoncé to reach this stage where she can appreciate her achievements. Indeed, reggae-rooted ‘Countdown’ has her holler out, ‘This one dedicated to the one that I love’: Beyoncé suggesting that love has set her free.

If there were ever any qualms as to how a party popstress managed to headline a rock-led festival, this album puts a stopper to those claims. The tracks are all soft rock influenced, intertwined with the creative Beyoncé R’n’B base. The album does not talk of any soppy romance, but rather the conditions of a true love and what each person should expect from a relationship. By the close, King B, as she has come to be known, expresses how this is a point in her life when she considers everyone she has touched and affected. Love is not the only point of the album, it’s to have a well-led life (and ‘Girls’ should be read not as a feminist piece, but in this context serves to show the fun to be had whilst alive). In this fashion, 4’s passion for life makes it an album of a rock star in many ways. After all, as she proclaimed to the crowd at Glastonbury, “I’ve always wanted to be a rock star: tonight, we are all rock stars.”

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