4
A warm, vocal-forward pivot to classic R&B and retro-pop. Brimming with soaring key changes, military drum lines, and deeply personal declarations of love.
June 24, 2011 · Columbia
A warm, vocal-forward pivot to classic R&B and retro-pop. Brimming with soaring key changes, military drum lines, and deeply personal declarations of love.
June 24, 2011 · Columbia
Brass fanfares and marching-band snares replace the polished radio beats, clearing a space for raw, unhurried vocals. You can feel the sweat on the microphone as she leans into classic, analog soul. It sounds like a door closing on the industry machine, opening instead onto a private, sunlit room of devotion.
“Beyoncé’s artistic maturation on 4 features some growing pains, but the album’s polish and her poise go a long way toward masking those flaws”Read review
“A welcome comeback for Beyoncé after the Sasha Fierce meltdown, full of silly ‘80s musical references and many of the strong vocal turns that made Sasha‘s banality such a frustrating reality”
“As far as pop music is concerned, Beyoncé is very nearly without peer”
“Overall, the weaknesses far outnumber the strengths”Read review
“One of the world’s biggest stars exploring her talent in ways few could’ve predicted”Read review
“We should be happy that a superstar is still committed to delivering quality LPs in an environment that frowns upon such commercially unwarranted traditions, but we should be especially grateful that that superstar is Beyoncé”
“Beyoncé may be giving us more of the same here but a Beyoncé album that treads water is still a Beyoncé album”Read review
“Her most personal and affecting album to date”Read review
“4 might be her strangest record”Read review
“There’s the unmistakable sense of someone treading water”Read review
“Beyoncé’s honeyed tones sashay through the melodies equal parts power-pop-torch, bright-light beacon and erotic invitation”Read review
“Beyoncé’s voice is ripe and, well, full-bodied”Read review
How does 4 sound next to the rest of Beyoncé's catalogue?
The production is built around analog warmth than this artist usually allows.
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