Beyonce' ~ (Album Review)

No hype. No teasing. No promotion. Beyonce’ just pulls her new album out of the box. Literally. The biggest surprise though is the content. In an era where dance divas dominate (Rihanna, Katy P, GaGa), Queen Bee’s fifth solo effort is subdued, steady and sizably stuffed with sizzling slow jams. A cohesive effort that flows seamlessly like a cascade. 

The set’s opener, “Pretty Hurts” is a type of song that Pink or Kelly Clarkson would usually sing. Always the one to count on, Sia Furler, who co-wrote this inspirational anthem sprinkles grittiness and sentiment. Then B gets down and dirty with her husband on “Drunk In Love”. The thumping track is nowhere near the brilliance of “Crazy In Love”, their classic smash hit collarbo, but it definitely has swagger. The theme of raunchy sex continues with “Blow”, produced by Pharrell and Timbaland, a standout track that finds Beyonce asking her man to ‘turn that cheery out’ while begging, “Can you lick my skittles. That’s the sweetest in the middle”

There’s no diva torch song like “Listen” or “Dangerously In Love” here but Beyonce experiments with her vocals showcasing different colours, textures and layers of her voice; rich velvety lower register (“Superpower”, a refreshing duet with Frank Ocean), soft sexy coos, Prince-style (“No Angel”), lush and elegant mid-range (“Rocket”), effortless agility (“Blue”, a song dedicated to her little one) and emotive delivery on soon-to-be-funeral-favorite (“Heaven”) 

No Beyonce' album is complete without a compulsory feminist anthem of course. "Flawless" features empowerment message from the Nigerian literary superstar, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Deep.  But hey, let's face it, “Partition” is the track that will generate some serious twerking round the globe.

So… more Grammys for B? Hell yeah!