DC's new release cover Seriously, this time, it's not a rumor! Beyonce` posted on her Facebook fan-page earlier today: "I am so proud to announce the first original Destiny's Child music in eight years!" One of the biggest-selling girl groups of all time returns with "Love Songs," a collection of previously released romantic tracks with a NEW song, “Nuclear," produced by Pharrell. I AM SO FREAKIN' EXCITED! No, it's not a new full-length album, but after almost 10 years, I'll take anything fresh! I'm so elated to know that the girls got back in the studio together. Anyone who knows me or follows this portion of the site knows that I adore and have great respect Destiny's Child and what they represented. I hope that this is only the beginning of reunion work. Who knows, maybe we'll see Kelly Rowland & Michelle Williams appear on stage with the Queen Bey at the Superbowl! "Love Songs" will be available on January 29th; you can pre-order it now here: http://smarturl.it/dc_lovesongs_amzn
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In short, Beyonce’s lyrics are simplistic and arguably immature compared to Carey’s emotive, reflective pieces, clever puns and expansive vocabulary and the fact that Beyonce` primarily targets women seems excluding in comparison to Carey’s wider appeal (the keyword being ‘seems’). This discussion highlighted what I feel to be an important central issue in Beyonce’s work: her projects aren’t always a testament to her ability and talent. As bees, we’ve paid close attention to every performance and song and are keenly aware of her abilities. We know she can SANG; we know she’s a skilled technician with a wide range. We know she can write great songs; she penned the beautiful and romantic song, “Dangerously in Love” as a teen. We know she’s a great performer; most doubters become believers after seeing a live performance (see “10 Live Signs Beyonce` is Everything” here). We know she’s studied from all the right musical bibles, claiming to be heavily inspired by Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Prince, Josephine Baker, Broadway musicals & the aforementioned Ms. Carey. The problem is that we know this as BEES and dedicated fans. From the outside looking in, Beyonce` can and has been deemed as just another beautiful, fairly entertaining pop singer with nothing to offer but catchy songs. By breaking down her discography with constructive criticism, I hope to be able to give insight on why some people aren’t all the way sold on our queen diva. The Destiny’s Child Era First, I would like to say that it grinds my gears when people disrespect or disregard the members of Destiny’s Child or this portion of Beyonce’s career. One’s past is just as important as one’s present. To fully understand an artist’s growth, all must be taken into account. The ‘DC’ era was a pivotal time in Beyonce’s career. Part of the reason why her solo debut was so successful was because audiences were already acquainted with her and she, along with her group-mates, had established herself as a positive role model for youth and an advocate for female empowerment. We’re talking about one of the biggest-selling girl groups of ALL TIME here. Vocally, Destiny’s Child’s harmonies were flawlessly gorgeous and shined even more during acapella performances. Considering their age at the time of first album (17), their vocal cohesion was particularly impressive. Destiny’s Child (the self-titled debut, 1998) This was a great, classic, 90’s R&B album. By classic, I mean timeless. I can listen to this album now in 2012 and it sounds just as great; not dated. What’s fascinating, hilarious and somewhat uncomfortable is the see-saw between mature and age-appropriate content; for example, the sultry “Second Nature” (which uses an Isley Brothers sample) versus the youthful “No, No, No Pt. 2.” The production sounded a little cheap, by the harmonies were great and the writing was there. Fantastic debut. Grade: A, Favorites: Second Nature, Bridges, My Time Has Come The original DC at age 18. The Writing’s on the Wall (1999) The highest-selling DC album in America, “The Writing’s on the Wall” is clearly everyone’s favorite. With successful hit-singles like “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name,” WOTW put DC on the map, but that’s where the issue with the record lies for me. Featuring every hot R&B producer on the block then, it was obvious WOTW was designed for commercial success. There’s nothing wrong with seeking such out, but it’s a problem when that’s the primary goal and artistry is second. The album was so over-produced; beat heavy and noisy with too many effects. Lyrically, the ladies had more creative input, but struggled to keep the balance the first album presented between mature and youthful. It was like they wanted to sound grown up (ex. The scandalous, soap-opera storylines in “Confessions” & “If You Leave”), but just couldn’t help but be 18 (whining about your boyfriend ‘taking too long to call you’ on “Hey Ladies”). With the album centered around “dating commandments,” the quartet quickly got (unfairly) pegged as ‘male-bashers.’ The vocals were still on point; the arrangements were slightly more intricate. Grade: C+, Favorites: So Good, BugABoo, Where’d You Go, Sweet 16 Survivor (2001) Post being burned at the stake for allegedly being misandrous and legal troubles with 2 original members who left the group (Letoya Luckett & Latavia Roberson), DC had their engines revved up. Beyonce` had the opportunity to write and produce on all the tracks. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams only had writing credit on one song, which didn’t help diffuse the perception that Beyonce` was a diva favored by her manager/father. “Survivor” added fuel to the group’s commercial fire, being a core-pop crossover album. Again, commercial curiosity kind of killed the cat. The production was still beat-heavy with cartoonish, theatrical effects. The writing was great in that it was full of positive messages about self-esteem, identity, independence, cherishing life and healthy relationships, but the approach to these messages only gave room for young people to identify with them. Grade: B-, Favorites: Bootylicious, Independent Women I/II, Emotion, Happy Face, Dangerously in Love Destiny Fulfilled (2004) You know, it’s quite sad that “Destiny Fulfilled” was Destiny’s Child’s last album, because the group was just starting to get good artistically. With a clear platform (female empowerment), a trademark sound and personal growth (all 3 ladies had done 1 solo project, 2 were in serious relationships at the time), DC delivered their best album yet. A musical illustration of a woman who emerged whole after losing her identity in a crumbling relationship, “Destiny Fulfilled” was an enhanced version of their debut. Smooth vocals and dramatic, sexy production was matched with sophisticated, adult and expressive lyrics. Listening to this record, I really wonder how they would’ve progressed afterward. Sometimes I think they disbanded too early. Grade: A, Favorites: Free, If, Girl, Gots My Own (Japanese bonus track), Lose My Breath I’ve found that anyone who’s skeptical about Beyonce` as an artist often becomes a believer after seeing a performance. She has many fantastic live appearances, but here are 10 that I find to be representative of her vocal ability, versatility and talent. Halo- 2008 or 2009. Beyonce` live and unplugged. Excellent showcase of her raw vocals. The Beautiful Ones/Sex on Fire-Glastonbury 2011 Her powerful and emotive rendition of a Prince classic and a Kings of Leon hit is a great testament to Beyonce’s versatility genre-wise. It stirs me every time. I go to another place when I hear this. Star Spangled Banner-2004 Superbowl This performance is great, not because it’s the coveted Superbowl national anthem spot, but because she didn’t ruin it by over-singing as anticipated. I thought Bey was going to do a lot of vocal acrobatics because she has a tendency for it and every Superbowl singer does so in an attempt to match the greatness of Whitney Houston’s appearance, but Bey was smart enough to realize the best way to remotely reach Whitney was to scale back and keep it classy. All bias aside, Bey’s interpretation of the U.S. national anthem was the closest to Whitney’s since. This moment was especially memorable for fans as Bey won her first round of multiple Grammys that same month. Why Don’t You Love Me?-Glastonbury 2011 “Why Don’t You Love Me?” is one of Beyonce’s most underrated songs. The harmonies are terrific on the studio version, and the lyrics are great and relatable to many. In her 1st performance of this song, Bey is soulful, vivacious and takes us to church. I love the unfiltered energy and love the band even more. Her all-female band shows out. Love On Top-MTV Video Music Awards 2011 This performance got a lot of attention because she revealed her baby bump for the 1st time publicly, but the bump wasn’t the only star in this show. Her vocals are INSANE here. Towards the end of the song, the chorus is repeated with quick, modulating key changes, which is very difficult to sing as the notes are high and maintaining breath and correct pitch is tasking. With not as much as a neck vein showing, Bey effortlessly delivers. Columbia/Epic Label Group Chairman Rob Stringer recently gave an interview with Billboard.com, addressing the multiple rumors regarding the label response to Beyonce’s release of “4.” “The story about us being unhappy with the record and stuff is just not true…We’re really, really happy with it…the numbers are very good everywhere. We thought the record was great from the beginning, and some of the stuff that is happening now is vindication of it.” Since April, rumors have swirled that executives from Columbia Records (Beyonce’s home label) were concerned about the poor chart and sales performance of “4’s” debut single, “Run the World” and desired a new release date and reconstruction of the entire album, particularly after its 3-week early online leak. “We didn’t want the leaks to happen,” Stringer says, “but there was never any discussion of this album moving. It has always been that date (June 28)…there was never conversation about pushing it back, bringing it forward, changing the songs-none of it. Those conversations never existed.” Looking at the multidimensional and massive marketing of other 2011 album releases, like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” fans assumed that“4” would be packaged with loads of bonus features and other related products to retain sales. Stringer discussed the long-term promotional plans. “The main concentration for the next few months is to get this record working everywhere. The touring plan is extensive. The promo plan is extensive. We also know we’re going to put out a lot of singles and shoot a lot of videos from the record. There’s enough positive information that we think we can work the record for another 18 months, and hopefully over that period we’ll all be proved right that this is an important record and a commercially successful record.” “4”sold 310,000 copies its 1st week and debuted at #1 on the U.S. chart. Hopefully Stringer’s comments will put the rumors to rest. What's your favorite song from "4"? Mine is "1+1." :) Be sure to vote on the other polls along the side of this page, including "What's Beyonce's Best Solo Album?" :) Check out my album review on this site at: http://jsays.weebly.com/2/post/2011/07/beyonce-4.html
This remix by Youtuber "FYU-CHUR" is pratically better than the original song! What do you guys think? Team Bey released another single from Beyonce’s upcoming album, “4”, called “The Best Thing I Never Had.” The song expresses gratitude that a relationship DIDN’T work out, due to the epiphany that it would ultimately be detrimental. Fashioned by Babyface, the production is melodic, beautiful and has an uplifting tone. The writing could be improved slightly, being less elementary. Overall, I’ll take it. Hear “The Best Thing I Never Had” below. Bees: How much do we love the single cover? The “King B” on the mirror is soooo fierce. Love it. “1+1”, the 2nd single from Beyonce’s forthcoming album, “4”, is a definite rebound from the hard-to-sing-along with“Run the World” (review link below). Less is more with the single as it has simple, yet metaphoric lyrics and basic, but beautiful piano/string orchestration. “1+1” is so smooth and romantic; you might end up with your clothes off if you’re near the right person. Beyonce` debuted the song live on American Idol’s finale last night after the finalists performed a medley of her songs. You can watch both performances below. ("Run the World" review: http://jsays.weebly.com/2/post/2011/04/beyonce-run-the-world-girls.html). Like some other Beyonce fans, I didn’t care for “Run The World (Girls)” when I heard it (see song review link below), so I was hoping that the video would be more functional, stunning and entertaining. Initially, it seemed that the video was going to be lots of random shots in which Beyonce` just looks cute and poses, but eventually the video appeased me; it related to song’s concept, the aesthetics were vivid, the fashion was fierce and the choreography was great (Beyonce` shied away from her usual “light and prissy” and went for more active and aggressive, which made the “Single Ladies” choreo delightful). Good go, B. Check out the vid below. (song review link: http://jsays.weebly.com/2/post/2011/04/beyonce-run-the-world-girls.html) |
Seriously Beyonce`, WTH?!?Most people figure out pretty quickly that I LOVE Beyonce`. She is my queen diva of choice. But every now and then, she does something that irritates or perplexes me. Here, I tell what's been buggin me about the Bee lately (with reviews and love for the Queen Bee in between). Archives
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