Artist: Beyoncé
Title: 4
Label: Sony Music

Although Beyoncé has always described herself as shy, hence the need for her saucy "Sasha Fierce" alter ego, it still takes some serious self confidence to sport whatever fur contraption is barely covering her on 4's album cover. 

Trouble is, her rather questionable fashion choice is about all that's risky about 4, a collection of mostly bland, by-the-book love ballads that are basically a big step backward in terms of artistry.

No doubt, her honeyed voice sounds stronger and more assertive than it ever has, but none of the tracks on 4 have any real staying power in terms of hook or lyrical insight. 

Not only are tracks like recent radio single "Run the World (Girls)" and "I Was Here," co-written by the queen of soft rock herself, Diane Warren (Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael W. Smith) bordering on a Velvetta quality of cheese, but the clichéd lyrics are nothing but cringeworthy, too. If anything, lines like "Me and my boof, and my boof boof riding" makes her contemporaries like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry sound downright deep in comparison, which is definitely saying something.

Unfortunately, Beyoncé's attempts at going "old school" on 4 don't fare much better either. Whether she's doing her best Prince imitation, complete with plenty of panting and grunting on "I Miss You" and "1+1" or channeling R&B legends like Luther Vandross and Diana Ross on "Love on Top" and "Rather Die Young," the performances are missing that inherent star quality.

While trying all these different musical styles on for size, it's almost as if Beyoncé has forgotten who Beyoncé is in the process. No doubt, she's been a show-stopping presence for more than a decade, both as the leader of Destiny's Child and as a solo artist, but her unique sense of style and swagger is curiously missing on 4. And when push comes to shove in the entertainment biz, that's something that all the crazy get-ups in the world can't make up for.


*This review first published on July 13, 2011.