“Beyoncé” by Beyoncé

Total Album Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From Destiny’s Child to center stage, Beyonce has created a name for herself with her fierce persona and strong vocals. At midnight on December 12, 2013, the superstar placed an album on iTunes with no previous promotion. It skyrocketed to number one and got everybody talking.

I’ll be honest, the only songs I knew by Beyonce before listening to this album were “Single Ladies” and “Halo,” which I liked. However, I’ve never seen why the world makes such a big deal about her. This album didn’t really change my stance on her as an artist, but simply reassured the fact that she has some serious vocal power.

Undoubtedly, the best song on the album is “Pretty Hurts.” Beyonce stresses the problems with the modern day expectation placed on women to be “perfect” with lyrics such as “Blonder hair, flat chest/TV says, Bigger is better. South beach, sugar free/Vogue says,Thinner is better.” A song like this is certainly needed, and Beyonce goes as far to define perfection as “a disease of a nation.” Her song “Flawless” has a similar message, empowering women to love themselves and praise their bodies for their natural beauty.

Exactly like the title, “Haunted” made me a little scared because the vibe was so offbeat. The opening was strange, and I almost turned the song off before the tempo kicked in. Even when it did, the song appeared to lack in the lyrics department and seemed repetitive.

“Drunk In Love” and “Blow” were very annoying. The screeching in the beginning of “Drunk In Love” was repulsive, but I mostly didn’t like the song cause I’m not into rap music, and, therefore, was not thrilled by Jay-Z’s presence on the track. “Blow” has very promiscuous lyrics, and even though all the other tracks do too, this song made me the most uncomfortable.

In “No Angel,” Beyoncé sounds too breathy, like she’s struggling to get air into her lungs. She certainly seemed to be trying too hard to be sexy in this track, which isn’t needed.

“Rocket” is one of the few slow songs, allowing Beyoncé to clearly enunciate and show off her skills. “XO” is super catchy, and “Blue” is especially different because it is dedicated to her daughter Blue Ivy and a testament to the blessing she has been to her and her husband.

In conclusion, it’s obvious that Beyoncé won’t fade. However, before people think I’m bashing “Queen B,” that’s not my intention. I’m just simply not as crazy about her as the rest of the world seems to be.

1. “Pretty Hurts” – 5 stars
2. “Haunted”- 3 stars
3. “Drunk In Love” ft. Jay-Z – 2 stars
4. “Blow” – 2 stars
5. “No Angel” – 2 stars
6. “Yonce/Partition” – 3 stars
7. “Jealous” – 4 stars
8. “Rocket” – 4 stars
9. “Mine” ft. Drake – 4 stars
10. “XO” – 4.5
11. “Flawless” – 4.5
12. “Superpower” – 3 stars
13. “Heaven” – 4 stars
14. “Blue” – 4 stars

Lauren Fabiszak is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.