Get Into It : Beyonce' "4"

I have to preface this post by saying I'm a Beyonce fan. I can't deny that. I preordered her new cd "4" well over a month ago. I was excited to hear new music from her. I only mildly liked her first single "Who Run The World (Girls)" which didn't surprise me. I've never liked a Beyonce first single the first few times I've heard it. But, her cd's are always a complete experience. I define a great cd by one simple fact: if I can listen to it straight through. That's a rare feat in the music industry today. "4" did not disappoint!

Beyonce simply singing a love song is a wonderful thing. She does just that on a few songs. They are some of my favorite tracks on the cd. "Rather Die Young," "1+1," "End Of Time," "Start Over," and "Love On Top" are all sweet odes to different levels of love. In "Rather Die Young," she sings about loving a man so deeply that she wouldn't want to live without him. The lyrics are touching to me. "End Of Time" and "Love On Top" are more mid-tempo love songs. I liked that the sound and feel of these two particular love songs are different than normal ones. Each love song takes the listener on a journey. Anyone who's ever been in love can relate to these songs.

She also dives into some heartbreak songs. "I Care" is the epitome of loving someone who doesn't love you back. The lyrics are so relatable. It's a really raw song to me. "I Miss You" sounds more like her love isn't too far away. But it could also be interpreted as a song about what one feels after a breakup. "Best Things I Never Had" is the ultimate middle finger to an ex song. It's brash and in your face. She sings "thank God you blew it, thank God I dodged a bullet." If those lyrics don't hurt like hell, you might need to check your pulse. Beyonce does know how to give women an empowerment song though. I mean "Irreplaceable," "Independent Women," and "Single Ladies" are all testaments of that.

There are also some party/club tracks as well. "Party" featuring Andre 3000 is the ultimate summer jam. I've loved it since the first time I heard it a few weeks ago. The music is the perfect fit to the lyrics. Beyonce's voice is golden on this track as is the 16 by 3Stacks. The only weak note on the whole song is Kanye rapping about "swagu." I love Ye but no sir. "Countdown" is another love song but its more suited to the party scene. The chorus is cute and very catchy. I'm sure it will get a lot of play.

The pinnacle song on "4" is the Diane Warren penned "I Was Here." This is huge song. Beyonce belts it out too. She does not over-sing it. Her voice and tone are so on point. The lyrics are deep. I love this track so much. The last track is "Who Run The World (Girls)" I'm honestly glad that this song is last. It does not fit in with the rest of the tracks in my opinion. It's high tempo where the rest of the cd is mellow. I liked the video and loved her Billboard performance so much. They both made me like the song more.

Lucky me, my copy of this cd showed up a day early. I was uber excited about that. I really enjoyed every track on the cd. I will be playing it at loud levels for a while. It's just feel good music from an artist that can actually sing and dance and perform. Beyonce's a true artist and she will always get my $$ when she's dropping new music. I just always know beforehand that I'm going to enjoy it and that it will be good. Get into it: Beyonce "4"