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4/5 stars
Tracks to download: "If I Were a Boy," "Smash Into You," "Single Ladies," "Radio"
Much like T.I. with T.I.P., Beyoncé Knowles wants to introduce her alter ego Sasha Fierce to the world. Unlike T.I. though, Beyoncé split up her two personalities into two different discs on her album “I Am...Sasha Fierce.”
While Beyoncé has always talked about Sasha appearing when she performs onstage, this is the first time Sasha is formally introduced to her listeners. The result is two distinct sides to this album: There is the “I Am” side consisting almost entirely of ballads, and the “Sasha Fierce” side that features the singer’s boasting, faster-paced alter ego.
The “I Am” disc has Beyoncé showing off her voice’s full potential with power ballads reminiscent of her previous No. 1 hit “Irreplaceable.” This disk’s first single, “If I Were a Boy,” is exemplary of what this disk has to offer. While the subject isn’t necessarily new, Beyoncé is able to belt the lyrics out powerfully and put a new spin on the tired topic.
Another standout track on this side of the album, “Smash Into You,” has Beyoncé singing more hopeful lyrics, while “Ave Maria” showcases her ability to hit those high notes. Like everything good, “I Am” has its downsides. With overdone lyrics and a nothing-special melody, “Broken-Hearted Girl” is the low point of this disc. Overall, “I Am” is an impressive, enjoyable display of Beyoncé’s vocal ability.
“Sasha Fierce” is a complete 180 from the “I Am” part of the album. Beyoncé, or Sasha, shows off her more confident side with faster-paced dance and hip-hop songs. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” this CD’s first single, begins the album well by setting the tone. This dance song, which is very musically-similar to her previous hit “Get Me Bodied,” has Sasha chastising her man for not trying to “put a ring on it” (“it” being her finger, by the way).
Beyoncé ventures into hip-hop with tracks “Diva” and “Video Phone.” The former is a blatant copy of Lil Wayne’s “A Milli,” even using a similar sparse beat, a slightly annoying repeated phrase (“I’m a, I’m a a diva”) and boastful lyrics. Though it is by far the worst song on the album, it still manages to be extremely addictive, just like “A Milli.”
“Ego,” another boastful song on “Sasha,” has Beyoncé singing over a jazzier beat and building up a double entendre about a man’s “big ego.” While the song’s topic is questionable, Beyoncé pulls it off gracefully. This side’s best offerings are the slightly humorous “Radio” and the slower love song “Hello.”
Though the concept of two personalities isn’t completely original, Beyoncé’s separation of her two sides, Beyoncé and Sasha, certainly works out for her on “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” She separates her vocally-amazing ballads and her confident dance/hip-hop songs, resulting in two distinct CDs that could easily stand well on their own. Almost the entire album showcases Beyoncé’s undeniable voice, while also varying the style so as to not have a redundant-sounding album. While there are a couple low points, “I Am…Sasha Fierce” certainly demonstrates why Beyoncé is one of the top artists today.
