|
 |
Beyonce
I am … Sasha Fierce
Review By Joe Walker
Beyonce continues to secure sales chart positions by making trend-setting music. She did it repeatedly with Destiny's Child and with her solo debut Dangerously In Love. But I'm not sure she's doing anything more than repeating herself here. Her previous album B Day was a serious step backwards, and it took a special edition release to correct the creative and arrangement missteps plaguing the album’s flow. Sasha Fierce (the name of Beyonce's live performance alter ego) is a clone of B Day from its production style to its problems.
Now, there are listenable songs found here. Like on Beyonce's previous studio effort, these songs aren't necessarily good but they're just so darn catchy you can’t help humming certain tunes. Beyonce used her voice as an instrument on her solo debut; songs were arranged in her favor, making proper and creative use of her ability to write and croon words worthy of top-notch production. She carefully carried her tunes. Here, Beyonce just picks up a beat and sings (and mostly over-sings). She ad-libs all over the place. Fierce starts slow with "If I Were A Boy," one of the album’s better numbers. Had such a pace continued, this could have easily been one of "those" albums; an album so good you hate to stop listening because you'll only think about it, making yourself want to listen even more. Instead, like B Day, it gets railroaded by one bumpy, trendy dance track after another.
|
