Beyoncé - 4

Well as if the industry isn't flooded with albums with numbers being used as titles... Let's see - we have Do As Infinity with their album "EIGHT", previously reviewed album by Adele "21" and the Queen of J-Pop's upcoming EP titled "FIVE", just to name a few.

And right now, we'll be looking at Beyoncé latest creation titled "4"! I wonder why she named it this way though... Do leave a comment on this post if you know the mysteries of this album.

Anyway, let's get started!

Beyoncé's "4" has one of the, I don't know~ Weirdest photos on the cover? I can barely see her fierce face!! What's with the album arts nowadays? Anyway, "4" was released last month - June 24, 2011 and this marks Miss Diva's FOURTH studio album. Okay~ Looks like I've solved the mystery on my own by just Wikipedia-ing a little.

And as this red sticker says, the Deluxe edition of this album comes with 6 extra tracks (out of which 3 are remixes of the lead single) as well as an exclusive version of the lead single's video. In case you were wondering why I got this album, it's because firstly, it's Beyoncé we're taking about and secondly, because "Run The World (Girls)" is so catchy!

Who run the world? Girls!
Who run this motha? Girls!
Who run the world? Girls!

Somehow, I feel like there's an extra word behind the world "motha" because there's this weird pause when she sings, even live. Cheeky cheeky Beyoncé!!

I think the back of the album looks better than the cover. Maybe the CD shops should considering displaying it this way to turn up the sales, which isn't that horrible but who would complain if their albums are selling better because their butts are really attractive? :)

At least the inside looks promising with this red hot CD greeting you the open you open the casing as well as Beyoncé in a really cool pose. Why didn't they use this photo as the album art? Just crop in on the face and I believe you have a better album art as opposed to the queen airing her armpits. The consolidating thing is at least the regular version looks slightly better... Google it!

The second disc looks pretty much like Disc 1 and while blogging, I'm actually listening to the remixes and they actually sound quite good! Not those trashy kind that goes on and on without people singing - hate those remixes! And of course, there's Miss Thang in a fur coat that reminds of me a shrub (oops) with that "Whatcha want?" attitude. FIERCE!!

Well, it's typical for American albums not to have lyrics inside (Adele's one is not forgiven though!! >:( ) because I have no idea why but at least the inside looks pretty neat. Why isn't this photo used as the cover?! It's so stunning! Think this album is the literal meaning of "Beauty lines within" because I say almost every photo inside the booklet trashes the album art's one.

Chun Li inspired hair? Anyway, this is the second single from this album and I think it's not bad~ I must say that the photographer of the photos in this booklet, Ellen Von Unwerth, is really good! All the photos speak for themselves and of course, due credit to the model as well because she rocked every shot!

One of my favorite shots in the entire booklet, also shot by Ellen, and again, I wonder why this wasn't used as the cover. Well I hope this would be used for a single or something to do some justice to these awesome photographs. This shot kinda reminds me of ayu's INSPIRE outfit in her PV - the Thai inspired headgear and golds.


Overall, I say the packaging of "4" is up and down. It throws you with a mediocre, or even below average album art, but rescues everything with the fantastic songs which I have yet to finish listening to and even more spectacular photographs inside the album. Maybe nowadays, the tactic is to attract people using not-so-nice covers and rewarding them with something so much better on the inside.

That concludes this post. Hopefully my copy of ayumi hamasaki's "FIVE" will arrive soon so I can give myself an excuse to get even more CDs. :P Till then!!