Album Beyonce - 4

4 is not the album where Beyoncé conquered the world. It is the album where she stopped trying to. And that made all the difference.

“Love on Top,” “Countdown,” “End of Time,” “Rather Die Young” album beyonce 4

Critics were puzzled, and radio programmers were slow to catch on. But looking back a decade later, 4 is not a stumble. It is the album where Beyoncé shattered the pop formula and laid the foundation for the surprise-dropped, visual-album revolutionary she would become. The most striking thing about 4 is its sonic texture. In an era dominated by EDM (David Guetta, Calvin Harris) and Auto-Tune, Beyoncé went raw. She retreated to the grit of 1970s soul, 1980s funk, and 1990s R&B. 4 is not the album where Beyoncé conquered the world