According to Showbiz 411 they are. The international pop superstar, who in my opinion is the only artist keeping Columbia afloat plans to release her album next Monday in the U.K. and on Tuesday in the U.S. After Run The World failed to capture the same energy as her hit Single Ladies off of her third album, and fans balked at the recent album leaks, it was rumored that her album would be pushed back to September. The entire album has already leaked online and you can listen to a stream on AOL, but Beyonce's team have stuck to their guns and will release her fourth album, titled 4 on the initial June 28 release date
Even though I know that there are plenty of loyal followers who will inhale Beyonce's farts if they were in tune, you can't deny that her new album is a rushed, uninspired mess. Teresa LaBarbera Whites is the senior A&R exec at Columbia Records, and has known Bey since she was 9 years old. She even left her job at Jive Records (home of Britney Spears, who's last two albums she oversaw) to work with Bey on her new CD.
Beyonce's strengths have always been that she's someone who is one of the hardest working showgirls in the indusrty. But her song selections have been mediocre, we all know she's not a songwriter (even though she always get songwriting credits for changing one word) and in my opinion I was bored to death with her I Am...Sasha Fierce CD and concert DVD. Sure we couldn't get enough of Crazy In Love and Single Ladies took the world by storm and ignited a YouTube revolution of video imitators. But let's be real here - Bey has never been someone you look at as a person who marches to the beat of her own drum and can make a rational creative business decision. That's what she had Papa Knowles for.
As a whole 4 lacks focus, and it definitely shows. Why at 29 (?) do you have a song on your album called Rather Die Young? I know the saying goes that it leaves a beautiful corpse, but she's one of the richest women in the world, has music mogul Jay Z for a husband, is living the high life vacationing on yachts and flying on private jets that many women half her age would kill for and she's rather die young? In the words of Fantasia's Aunt Bunny...
Don't get me wrong 4 does have some standout tracks, but as a whole the record lacks a focus and she seems to be more driven by ego and the need to stay on top rather than really work to put out a cohesive record. As you get older, you can't rely on the Tina Turner-isms and the hairography you've relied heavily on throughout your career. Beyonce is not an artist. She's an empire and when you have allot of people on your payroll, you can't afford to put out half-assed work. If all fails with 4, I really feel she needs to put the solo work on the back burner and reunite with Destiny's Child. But then again, Kelly Rowland's career is heating up hotter than Bey's at the moment so Bey might have to take a backseat until KRow's ready. Take a listen to Love On Top, Countdown, Schoolin' Life, End Of Time and I Was Here - creative and vocally different songs that should have kicked off the album, not pushed to the end of the album and not messes like Run The World (Girls). I really think she would have benefitted if she would have dropped the album in September. That way it would have given her people the chance to put something great together instead of rushing to add six new tracks on a Deluxe edition (which will be released exclusively at Target). Check out the album's official track listing below...
1. 1+1
2. I Care
3. I Miss You
4. Best Thing I Never Had
5. Party (ft Andre 3000)
6. Rather Die Young
7. Start Over
8. Love On Top
9. Countdown
10. End of Time
11. I Was Here
12. Run The World (Girls)
13. Lay Up Under Me
14. Schoolin’ Life
15. Dance For You
16. Run The World (Girls) Kaskade Club Remix
17. Run The World (Girls) Redtop Club Remix
18. Run The World (Girls) Jochen Simms Club Remix
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