I think it's convenient to have a thread about this album. I sense we all will have a B-overload in the following days. And she has great following of lovers and haters .



Deluxe edition

Disc 1: I Am…

1. "If I Were a Boy" (BC Jean, Toby Gad) - 4:11
2. "Halo" (Tedder, Knowles, Evan "Kidd" Bogart) - 4:22
3. "Disappear" (Knowles, Ghost, Dave McCracken, Dench) - 4:29
4. "Broken-Hearted Girl" (Knowles, Eriksen, Hermansen) - 4:40
5. "Ave Maria" (Knowles, Eriksen, Hermansen) - 3:42
6. "Smash Into You" (McLaughlin, Stewart, Nash) - 4:32
7. "Satellites" (Knowles, Ghost, McCracken, Dench) - 3:09
8. "That's Why You're Beautiful" (Knowles, Andrew Hey) - 3:42

Disc 2: Sasha Fierce

1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Knowles, Stewart, Nash, Harrell) - 3:15
2. "Radio" (Knowles, Jonsin, Love, D-Town) - 3:39
3. "Diva" (Knowles, Crawford, Garrett) - 3:21
4. "Sweet Dreams" (Knowles, Jonsin, Love, Wilkins) - 3:29
5. "Video Phone" (Knowles, Crawford & Garrett) - 3:36
6. "Hello" (Knowles, REO, Evan "Kidd" Bogart, David Quiñones) - 4:17
7. "EGO" (Knowles, Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly) - 3:57
8. "Scared of Lonely" (Cristyle Johnson, Jerkins) - 3:44

Since I finally got to listen to the deluxe edition, I have to say this album is truly a mixed affair. The ballad disc is excellent, but the fierce is section is horrid...really horrid. The only songs that can be salvaged are Radio and Sweet Dreams. The rest is pure...B-shit imo with overall camp feel that dancy ones of B'day had but 100000x more!

I wished she released a 45 minutes 10 songs album of ballads. Now that she's isn't screeching as much as she uses to.

Well still I am...Sasha Fiece is better that B's debut album, an album I hate.

It's no B'Day deluxe european edition 19 tracks...my favorite from her!

Overall I give it a 6/10

"Diva" gives the word pathetic a new meaning!

MikeMatronik said:

We definitely are alike musically! I love the ballad section but I think the second disc is garbage except for Sweet Dreams, Radio and Single Ladies.

MikeMatronik said:

lol I don't like Diva either, it's annoying

wow, she´s making double albums and all now...

I don´t like the album cover and two songs
I have heard so far are quite middling , imo

I'm so tired of egocentric album titles.

That new single, "Single Ladies" is purely stupid and enjoyable at the same time. That's quite a feat.

chuckaducci said:

It's true. Her singles are insanely catchy.

do we have to?
really?

ButterscotchPimp said:

No one is forced to. Free choice, buddy

I was a straight up Beyoncé hater. I even posted a thread about it back in the day called "I Was A Beyoncé Hater". And though I haven't listened to Beyoncé's "I am...Sasha Fierce" yet, I will be tonight, thanks in part to this thread. But what I wanted to comment on was that I did actually see the premiere of her video for "If I Were A Boy". It caught me by surprise while I was flipping channels several weeks back... and I was blown away! I really dug what the song (and video) was saying. Particularly the way the video laid out the story line; the imagery and the timing. And of course the music and her performance was on point too. I haven't seen the video since, and as I've mentioned; I haven't listened to the entire album yet either. But over the years Ms. Fierce has taken me from being an absolute HATER to an absolute FAN .

Well for the most part im not liking the record very much, im not into her doing ballads and her fast stuff is all the same at this point. I mean her "transition" is all talk, nothing is showing musically, its all the same theme with the ballads and with the fast stuff, at this point i would rather her doing an album of covers, anything but more of the same. Well lets see if she makes a video for every song again, that redeemed her the last time. But all and all, bring on Britney her clips are better than this double album

The standard edition which leaked like a week ago was very average. the new deluxe editions is so-so. The whole alter ego concept is a very weak attempt at an artistic statement and destroys the whole listening experience, it virtually is unremarkable. If this is the type and calibre of music we are expected to get in the preceding years, Beyonce won’t be looked too kindly upon in history.

There isn’t much differentiation between the two sides and calls into question her artistry – we all know that Beyonce, like Kanye, is all about profiling and branding and has more staying power in marketing and in creating the buzz that her album is an event than actualising the music to reflect the brand. When the marketing is compared to the substance of the actual music, it is a non-event, there is nothing really too deep and anything remotely interesting new to learn about her and her new found space, her marriage and her sense of maturity. The ballad heavy section of the first half is too insincere and musically maligned to reflect who she really is, that was her intention and her words. She doesn’t have the emotional capacity or depth of background which she can draw upon to actualise the music from just a standard affair to that of something that will truly move music fans. The second half is more her ballpark and a better reflection of the type of artist she is – over-produced, overexposed and overhyped. Consistency is patchy also, particularly in the second half. The best track, which is also a bonus, “Smash Into You” just doesn’t fit right on the first half of the album with its more anthemic piano tracks.

What is most interesting to say the least, is the change of guard that is actually occurring in the music world. Since Rihanna’s inception and domination, which has been perfected by Hov, Beyonce has been manically trying to separate herself from those artists that have emerged from the underground, Youtube fame and reality competition shows. Not only does it reduces her market share and ability to shop for and fight for tracks, but the new album of hers is a bit too distorted and lacks an assurety that was evident in Dangerously in Love. The new Jennifer Huson and Jazmine Sullivan albums are light years head of anything on I Am and better recommended.

Im so sick of her...why does she have to release the album on my birthday?

MikeMatronik said:

I heard this on the radio today, and I thought I was gonna puke on the ride home...what a shallow, stupid song! It sounded like a 4th grader wrote it

That song alone made her Destiny's Child tracks sound like Joni Mitchell cuts in comparison

a diva is a female version of a hustlaaaaa!

viciuzurban said:

! ! ! ! ! !

thekidsgirl said:

Whats frightening is that Beyonce doesnt even know what a "diva" is, very scary, that line stood out to me too, and i was like, "what the f is she talking about" i would love to hear Aretha's comments if she knew that Beyonce called her a "hustla", im sure she would school that girl

lastdecember said:

trying to redefine the word is pathetic

lastdecember said:

wear did she say this

Sod the music, I just wish she'd not bother covering up her breasts with her arms.

lol I heard her define diva too in the song too and wanted to scream NO THATS NOT WHAT IT MEANS!!!!

So her new cd hits stores today, along with American Idol winner David Cook's cd. I wonder whose cd will sell more? Now if this were any other AI winner's debut cd I would say "no-brainer, of course Beyonce's cd will sell more." However David Cook has a very strong following and lots of fans who are passionate about him. In terms of crossover appeal and popularity, he's up there with Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry. I would bet that his fans are intent on making his cd debut at the top of the charts. It will be very interesting to see how both their cds sell

viciuzurban said:

No, she didn't say that did she???

it sucks

Beyoncé 'Still Can't Believe' Justin Was Her Backup Dancer
By Emmet Sullivan

Originally posted Tuesday November 18, 2008 12:15 PM EST

Beyoncé is in awe of Justin Timberlake after he played one of her backup dancers on Saturday Night Live last weekend.

"I still can't believe he did that. He was incredible," Beyoncé, 27, said on Power 105.1's The Ed Lover Show. "We rehearsed it two times. He picked up the choreography. He has this photographic memory. He could probably kill it if he wanted to."

Timberlake, in a black leotard and high heels, danced to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," one of the tracks off Beyoncé's new album, I Am … Sasha Fierce. The singer said she is ready for people to see her through the album.

"With this project, I went with simplicity, because I've done everything," Beyoncé said. "Half of the album is my album that I love, called I Am, and half is for the fans, called Sasha Fierce."


Her Alter Ego

Sasha Fierce is the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego, but don't expect her to surface anywhere but the stage.

"Sasha Fierce was born when I did 'Crazy in Love.' People, when they meet me, expect that all the time, but that person is strictly for the stage."

Maybe Sasha caused that fall at her concert last year. Either way, Beyoncé is still feeling that pain. "I had to get right up or I would be laid out. I have a permanent scar and permanent bruising on my leg from that fall."
http://www.people.com/peo...pheadlines" target="_blank">
http://www.people.com/peo...pheadlines

lastdecember said:

I agree wholeheartedly!

thekidsgirl said:

You are so funny!

Lord knows I love stripper-pop!
Beyonce was only gettin' $1 rain but Sasha easily $5 (that's five singles not a bunch of lincolns)

Beyonce coming a bit more 'Fierce'Nov. 19, 2008, 3:30 PM EST


NEW YORK (AP) -- With a new album and two movies on the horizon, it appears the Season of Beyoncé has begun.

Then again, one could argue that it's always Beyoncé season.

Two years ago, it was all about the release of her second CD, "B'Day" and her starring role in the movie "Dreamgirls." Last year, her "Irreplaceable" was up for a top Grammy and she was on a world tour. And this year, besides a high-profile Grammy performance with Tina Turner, her hush-hush marriage to Jay-Z and appearances on hit remixes with Justin Timberlake and Usher generated headlines.

Though it may have been hard to tell, she actually did take a yearlong hiatus from recording music.

"I think I did need to take a break. I honestly did," she says, sitting on a sleek chair in an even sleeker hotel room during a recent interview. "I needed to take a break even personally so I could relax and appreciate all the things that I worked for."

Of course, Beyoncé being Beyoncé, her hiatus wasn't a complete vacation: She spent part of that "break" filming her upcoming movie, "Cadillac Records," in which she peels off the glamour to play R&B great Etta James during her drug-addled years.

Beyonce says not only did the role propel an acting breakthrough, it provided a musical one, too.

"I felt like after I played Etta James, and I sang these beautiful, emotional, deep, honest songs, I really learned a lot about myself. And I wanted to make classic music ... to grow and make that transition into legendary," she says.

Her bid at musical immortality comes this week with the release of "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE," her third solo CD, something of a departure from the frenetic funk of her previous two multiplatinum albums, "Dangerously in Love" and "B'Day."

While the new album certainly has its share of club anthems — one of its first singles is the bouncy jam "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" — it is a double-CD with two personalities. The upbeat side is dubbed "SASHA FIERCE" (the namesake of her onstage, divalicious alter ego); the "I AM ..." portion is a ballad-centric pop album that features Beyonce at what her father and manager, Matthew Knowles, calls her most revealing.

"She shows more vulnerability on this record," says Knowles, who with Beyoncé acts as executive producer. "That's a natural growth of her age and life experiences."

Though Beyoncé is an established veteran after more than a decade in the spotlight (she made her debut along with the rest of the members of Destiny's Child in 1997), the 27-year-old has always been among the more guarded celebrities, staying on message about her music and movies while giving up little about her life outside the spotlight.

She still refuses to divulge much about her private life (other than confirming her marriage to Jay-Z — a breakthrough itself — she declined to speak much about the relationship). But she seems more at ease during interviews, more willing to let the Sasha side of her personality come through. The day after the election of Barack Obama, the giddy singer was in good spirits, wearing a suit in honor of the candidate she supported and laughing often as she talked about politics, music, and her future.

"I'm learning the importance of balance, which is one of the biggest (concerns) of all working women — when is it enough, when is it time to relax, and to take care of yourself? But I'm very proud of my progress," she adds with a laugh, "and I'm growing."

Songwriter Makeba Riddick, who co-wrote songs on "B'Day" and was part of a team of writers on the ballad "Ave Maria" with Beyonce, says that growth was apparent during the creation of "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE."

"The energy, it was different," says Riddick. "'B'Day' was a bunch of dance tracks and it was a lot of fun records, party records, and this is more reflective and personal. (She's) just showing a more mature side of her and music."

That's partly because of where her head was at after filming "Cadillac Records," which she executive produced. The movie, which also stars Oscar-winner Adrian Brody and Jeffrey Wright, documents the heyday of the Chess R&B label.

To depict James in the harrowing throes of addiction, Beyoncé spent time at a Brooklyn rehab center in to better understand something she says she's never done: drugs. The experience, she said, took its toll.

"I don't go around focusing on negative things, so it was really a difficult thing for me to be in that much pain for that amount of time, crying all day, all night, even when I left I was in a funk. I was a different person."

Beyoncé also takes a dramatic turn in the upcoming thriller "Obsessed," due out next year.

"She's played two roles that really have helped change and mold her growth," says her father.

To that end, Beyoncé appears to be taking a more streamlined approach to her music.

"I just wanted to do things that makes people feel, make people think. Even with the uptempos, with 'Sasha Fierce,' I wanted it to be simple and classic."

http://music.msn.com/musi...8102&mpc=2





^From somebody on the internet. Aint that the truth!