Beyoncé I am... Sasha Fierce

Beyoncé- I Am... Sasha Fierce Deluxe Edition ★★★☆☆

There are funnily 2 editions of this album, the standard, which has 11 tracks, and the deluxe edition, which comes with 5 extra tracks. Duh’ the Deluxe la.

Disc 1
[If I Were A Boy] – An interesting song with a very interesting name, especially in the era now when the androgynous reigns. Anyway, it’s a highly debated song, with netizens claiming that this song rightfully belongs to this lass named BC Jean, who apparently wrote the song and sang the demo… BC has the huskiest/roughest/sorest/sandiest voice I’ve ever heard. Some chronic-cough-with-copious-phlegm sufferer. No doubt, I prefer Beyoncé’s version by an entire lot.
Here's BC Jean's version:

[Halo] – Yeah, just like what the title says, Halo-ish and saintly, like an epiphany, where Stephen Dadelus meets bird girl. A smooth and pleasant song.
[Disappear] – It gets kind of irritating when songs of an album revolve round a same genre, and that’s what’s happening here. [Disappear] sounds very much like the previous track [Halo], with the same sort of singing techniques and equally-saintly lyrics.
[Broken-hearted Girl] – A song with more, but still lacks somehow. Slow R&B with a fairly catchy chorus, but let’s not waste Beyoncé’s powerful vocals with such mellow numbers. Something more exciting please.
[Ave Maria] – This song sounds almost like a church hymn, or probably it already is. Quite a pleasant song, with ultra-soothing effects.
[Smash Into You] – A punchy title, but yet another SOUL. That missed-a-beat singing technique is quite cool, but this song is quite empty, didn’t register in me.
[Satellites] – The Soul genre continues, and leaves me almost confused as it transits from the previous track to this. They sound sadly similar with not much surprise either. Beyoncé did this in an almost acoustic way, clear and simple, in other words, very hypnotic.
[That’s Why You’re Beautiful] – Another song that didn’t manage to leave any impression on me. Tunes are simple, lyrics are ordinary, after listening to it, and one will go “That’s it?” Sadly, yes. Apart from the awkward changing and stretching of notes, the song is hollow with no ‘soul’ in it, despite the lyrics saying “Diamonds used to be coal/ Look young cos’ they got soul/ That’s why they’re beautiful/ And my heart used to be cold/ ‘Til your hands laid on my soul…

Disc 2
[Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)] – A faster and catchy number. A definite hit, and I can envision clubs and lounges blasting this song on the dance floor!
[Radio] – Woo, so hip eh this song. “Think I’m in love with my radio/…/ I’d fall in love with my stereo…” and there’s more to it. Let’s ignore that cheesy lyrics, and just listen to this song with your brain turned off. Something that apparel stores like Dorothy Perkins and Topshop would play on repeat mode.
[Diva] – A song that truly gets onto one’s nerves. Besides constantly repeating “Now diva a female version of a hustla/ Of a hustla/ Of a, of a hustla” which is plainly irritating, another trashy line repeated excessively is “ I’m a, I’m a, a Diva”. That line is sung in a chipmunk-oh-im-so-cute voice, which seriously creates nothing cute, but migraine.
[Sweet Dreams] – A previous version of this song released to the public had the name “Beautiful Nightmare”. Not much significant difference between these two versions, just that the newer one has a line “Turn the lights on” which I personally feel sounds out of place. It’s still a good song, with a pinch of oriental essence in it.
[Video Phone] – Another electronic gadget, but not as oomph-y as [Radio]. This song sort of reflects the advancement of technology these days; a mobile phone is all you need to do EVERYTHING. “We can shoot the video right here on my cell phone/ you want me naked? /if you likin this position/ you can tape it/ on ya video phone”, yeah, and end up like Edison Chen.
[Hello] – A nice start, but loses soon after. HELLO? I want more from you Beyoncé! Just as the lyrics suggest, “You had me at hello.”
[Ego] – A super duper song. Haha. Look at those ambiguous lyrics, “Its too big/Its too wide/Its too strong/It wont fit/Its too much/Its too tough/…/I got a big ego/Such a huge ego”. Men, men, men. BIG ego, small BRAINS.
[Scared Of Lonely] – There is a disconnection somewhere in this song; the lyrics do not seem to fit the music. The music’s too loud for the Lonely, a security blanket perhaps? Wanted the last song to be more impressive, although it does have a boom, it leaves me hanging anticipating for more.

A satisfactory album, but definitely lacking in some sense and pales in comparison, especially to her previous singles such as [Listen] and [Irreplaceable] which are such impressive and awesome hits. Disc 1 is good for easy listening; Disc 2 is great on the dance floor. For me, I just want more.

SONYBMG, give me a reason for asking me to check out http://www.beyonceonline.com/for the lyrics; what’s the lyric book for then?