luffy
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Post by luffy on Dec 7, 2014 5:55:16 GMT -5
Her fourth studio album released in 2011.
Compared to IASF success, the era definetely didnt start off too well. Lead single reaching only No. 29, album leaking 3 weeks in advance, no top 10, promotion and confusing single choices after the album release and I remember a lot of people didn't like the album at first so it was funny too see how it grew on so many people over the time. Ultimately, I think this album was the almost perfect transition between Self-titled and IASF and the acclaim and respect for not going the EDM/commercial route was enough to make up for the moderate success on the charts in the end.
To me this album is tied with B'day as my second favourite after ST. 1+1, I Care, I Miss You, Party, Love On Top, Rather Die Young, Countdown, End Of Time, Schoolin Life and Dance For You still have a lot replay value. It would probably be tied with ST if I Was Here was replaced by Schoolin Life and Dance For You, it is also the only track I don't play at all anymore
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Dec 7, 2014 7:18:12 GMT -5
1+1 and Run The World are absolutely horrid and while, and I Was Here is kinda meh and OTT in a bad way. Those three aside, this is a very sublime chillout album. I remember being very surprised by the vibe and high quality on the first listen, especially after the underwhelming rollout.
She definitely shifted gears here and stopped caring about crossover success. It definitely paid off in terms of quality imo. This and her self-titled put most of her previous work (B-Day aside), both solo and Destiny's Child, to shame. It was a brave move to put this out at the height of the dance boom, especially in the summer when sales are typically weaker. It's a shame that this era seems to be swept under the rug now after the massive hype around her most recent. But you can't say it hasn't paid off. That hype helped it score big Grammy nominations, while this album got snubbed.
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#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Dec 7, 2014 11:16:46 GMT -5
My second favorite Beyoncé album, after B'day.
I love the throwback R&B vibe, the ballads are all great and the overall quality is Amazing. A stunning album.
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Dreams
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Post by Dreams on Dec 7, 2014 16:26:45 GMT -5
With the exception of "I Was Here" (and it's not even because it's not urban; the song's melody, production and lyrics suck), I love every other song on this album. This is by far my favorite Beyoncé album and favorite R&B album of 2011. Even the bonus tracks, well except "Dreaming," were really good.
Overall - great vocals, organic arrangements, timeless sound. That album was full of WIN.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2014 18:43:44 GMT -5
I consider myself a casual Bey fan, but I LOVE this album.
Love On Top, Countdown & give me LIFE, and I love 1 +1 and I Was Here.
Schoolin' Life is everything.
Flawless album.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2014 19:30:04 GMT -5
This is my second favorite Bey album behind her latest. Love On Top might be my favorite song from her period and I also really love Best Thing I Never Had, Countdown, Dance For You and Party.
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Ginger Spice
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Post by Ginger Spice on Dec 7, 2014 20:14:14 GMT -5
It's a great album, and I'm not going to lie; I absolutely love both "I Was Here" and "Run the World".
"Love on Top" is my favorite, and has been since the album's release.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Dec 10, 2014 14:44:42 GMT -5
I remember being underwhelmed by RTW(G), BTINH, and 1+1 so I was turned off by this album campaign. However, I requested it from the library about 6 weeks after its release and was shocked and awed by the quality! I will always remember standing in the kitchen with the album playing through the stereo in the next room, and literally stopping what I was doing to take in the intro of "End of Time" and then running into the room to get the full effect of the song.
My other great memories of the 4 era were all the "Countdown" gifs as well as the names on this board for "Dance For You" as it kept climbing higher and higher at Urban radio (Slay for You).
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Zeebz
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Post by Zeebz on Dec 10, 2014 14:52:52 GMT -5
This is easily my second favorite Beyoncé album. It only trails her most recent. "Run the World" & "Best Thing I Never Had" were instant favorites but I slept on the album until early 2012. It quickly grew on me and I currently love every song on it. Also. I really admire how she shrugged off commercial success for the sake of quality. It was clearly worth it.
My favorites from the album are "End Of Time", "Love On Top", "Dance For You", "Best Thing I Never Had", and "I Was Here".
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horchata
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Post by horchata on Dec 10, 2014 15:30:48 GMT -5
This was the first time where a Beyonce album interested me in full. I mean previously to that her albums for me were half baked affairs (handful of highs and then just whatever), but this is really a cohesive body of work from her. The vocals on every song are of precision as to be expected, but what was all the more impressive is that there is some real artistry showcased here. I think that is another reason some of her previous albums seemed rather half baked to me. Anyway, unpopular opinion here but "Rather Die Young" takes the cake with being my favorite song of the album. So much vocal prowess and raw emotion really take over that song. The production of it all is really an event. I like that there is clearly inspiration taken from sounds of the past with 70s r&b/soul roots, but still given some modernized liberties too within the production. I lose my musical s**t every time with the bridge of the song, 100 percent amazing.
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Wave.
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Post by Wave. on Dec 10, 2014 16:12:59 GMT -5
My second favorite Beyoncé album, after B'day. I love the throwback R&B vibe, the ballads are all great and the overall quality is Amazing. A stunning album. B'Day is my 1st favorite too!!
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J'back
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Post by J'back on Dec 11, 2014 1:24:20 GMT -5
Really good album, but for me it ranks 3rd for Beyonce releases.
1. BEYONCE 2. b'Day 3. 4 4 Sasha Fierce 5 DIL
I'm in the minority but I loved RTW. Still jam to it. My favorite tracks from this album were probably Love on Top, Start Over, and Schoolin' Life(both this and DFY should have made the regular album). I Care is also a standout. I guess my least favorite on the album would probably be Rather die Young but I even enjoy that.
Sadly this is where Bey decided to pretty much abandon getting pop hits, but it was the start of a critical revival so I'm good. Also funny how when she kicked Matthew to the curb her albums got better. Hmmmmm.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Dec 11, 2014 2:53:50 GMT -5
1. BEYONCE 2. b'Day 3. 4 4 Sasha Fierce 5 DIL Perfect ranking. I lean more towards B'Day than this simply because I love funk music. The original 10 track version of B'Day is FLAWLESS. That unnecessary re-release can go fly a kite. As for this album, amazing. The only songs I don't care for are "RTW" and "TBTINH." They're both harmless and I can listen to them, but "Schoolin' Life" and "Dance For Me" should have replaced them on the regular edition. That would have made the album pretty much fat free. I'm still furious to this day that she didn't release "End Of Time" as the lead single. One of the best songs in her catalog. I think it would have been a worldwide smash and gotten the album off to a much better start. It had similar elements to "RTW," but it wasn't abrasive and annoying. It had a melody and a catchy chorus. Not to mention it would have been PERFECT for summer. Such a missed opportunity... "Party," "I Care," "Countdown," "I Miss You," "Love On Top." All awesome. "Start Over" is one of my favorite unsung Beyonce tracks. I never hear anyone talking about that one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2014 18:00:05 GMT -5
This was my favorite Beyoncé album at the time. Now it's back and forth between this and B'Day.
"Party" and "Love On Top" are probably my two favorite Beyoncé singles ever. A handful of other all-time favorites like "End Of Time" and "Schoolin' Life" too. It's a crime they chose "Run The World" over "End Of Time" as the lead single.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Dec 14, 2014 16:07:36 GMT -5
"Start Over" is one of my favorite unsung Beyonce tracks. I never hear anyone talking about that one. I love Start Over. It was the first one that really jumped out at me on first listen. I spun it a lot back during Summer 2011.
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Agent Yoncé
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Post by Agent Yoncé on Dec 28, 2014 16:05:39 GMT -5
Such a shame this era didn't get to fully capitalize its full potential. This has too many great songs on here. 'I Miss You', 'Party' & 'I Care' are still my top songs from this body of work.
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NeRD
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Post by NeRD on Dec 29, 2014 18:12:12 GMT -5
Really good album.
Start Over is also my favorite. I also agree that Dance For You should have been on the standard.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Jan 4, 2015 21:40:34 GMT -5
There is not enough discussion of "Party" going on in this thread. This was the first time where a Beyonce album interested me in full. I mean previously to that her albums for me were half baked affairs (handful of highs and then just whatever), but this is really a cohesive body of work from her. The vocals on every song are of precision as to be expected, but what was all the more impressive is that there is some real artistry showcased here. I think that is another reason some of her previous albums seemed rather half baked to me. Anyway, unpopular opinion here but "Rather Die Young" takes the cake with being my favorite song of the album. So much vocal prowess and raw emotion really take over that song. The production of it all is really an event. I like that there is clearly inspiration taken from sounds of the past with 70s r&b/soul roots, but still given some modernized liberties too within the production. I lose my musical s**t every time with the bridge of the song, 100 percent amazing. I agree with all of this, especially the parts about her first three solo albums (+ Survivor & Destiny Fulfilled if I might add) seeming half-baked.
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divasummer
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Post by divasummer on Jan 9, 2015 15:39:57 GMT -5
I remember when I first got this being slightly disappointed. When "Run The World (girls) first came out I liked parts of it. It took me a second to really get into it as a whole. "Best Thing I Never Had" I liked from the get go but it took me a second to get used to the "sucks to be you" line. When I first heard the intro to "End Of Time" I thought it was going to be the second coming. I then had to get used to the fact that the whole song wasn't going to be as Fierce as the intro. When I got used to that it became one of my Top 3 favorites from the cd along with "Countdown" Which I thought for sure would have done a lot better at Top 40. To me this was the most "Beyoncé esque" song on the cd at first listen. "Love On Top" was pretty instant for me but I kind of grew tired of it rather quickly. I didn't dislike the rest of the cd but I'm more here for upbeat or heavily Rythmic Beyoncé rather than midtempo B. As a whole I think I like this cd more than her latest.
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surfy
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Post by surfy on Jan 28, 2015 22:51:01 GMT -5
Gave me two of my favorite Bey songs Countdown and Love On Top!!!
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Ginger Spice
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Post by Ginger Spice on Jan 29, 2015 0:16:56 GMT -5
I remember being kind of surprised that she didn't sell out and do a few dance pop songs for this, especially since a lot of I Am... Sasha Fierce was very pop oriented. Turns out it was really smart of her to stick to her roots and do a full on R&B record. People like to call this Beyonce's flop album, but it actually sold better than a lot of the artists who were getting pop hits at the time.
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Caviar
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Post by Caviar on Apr 11, 2015 22:41:46 GMT -5
Really cohesive album and it's my second favorite behind B'Day (her best album). I don't really like much of her catalog but this album was a total jam that summer. "1+1" was pure trash but "Best Thing I Never Had" and "Party" are some of my favorite songs from her. I did enjoy "Miss You" and "Rather Die Young".
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Post by Live Your Life on Jan 9, 2016 17:47:23 GMT -5
"Run the World (Girls)" was a horrid lead single and wasn't representative of the quality on this album at all. Aside from that song, this is a really enjoyable album. "Love on Top" is my favorite Beyoncé song and single ever. It's just SO good. What I like about this album and her self-titled are all the twists and turns in the musical palette of the songs. I like how multiple producers from different genres all collaborated on one track. It makes for a much more exciting listen and was also a good way to make sure we didn't get stale music. AllMusic gave the album 3.5/5 stars:
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Jul 31, 2017 7:40:54 GMT -5
My second favorite after B'day! I would rank all her albums as this:
1) B'day 2) 4 3) DIL 4) BEYONCE 5) Sasha Fierce 6) Lemonade
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Normi
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Post by Normi on Jul 31, 2017 8:04:44 GMT -5
My favorite is 'I Care' quickly followed by 'Best Thing I Never Had' and '1+1'. I also really love 'Countdown' and 'Love On Top'
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shayonce
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Post by shayonce on Jul 16, 2018 5:47:12 GMT -5
for regular play wise, I listen to this album more than others. timeless classic.
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back2blk
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Post by back2blk on Feb 22, 2021 16:15:05 GMT -5
LOL I love RTW - I love when Beyonce serves boss bitch, IDC.
But this album did floor me. I thought it was mature, it had a lot of moments - in particular, the End of Time Intro, when Party hits that "I may be young, but I'm reeeeeeaaaaadaaaay", the key changes in Love on Top, and of course the Booyyyeyeyeyeyeyeyreyweyeyeye, OH!.
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Jun 24, 2021 19:57:15 GMT -5
Hugely underrated album among her catalog. Happy 10th anniversary!
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elementd5
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Post by elementd5 on Aug 5, 2021 22:58:44 GMT -5
Definitely my favorite Beyoncé album.
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jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Apr 16, 2022 6:01:13 GMT -5
A post in another thread led me to the wiki of 4, which claims her intent with this one was to get to traditional R&B not dictated by current trends. Um, ok? I can see that with like "Love on Top" and maybe a couple others, but songs like "Run the World," "End of Time," "Countdown," etc were not 'traditional' lol. That's not a diss to the album, I am just flummoxed by that note for the album.
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