While "4" is best consumed as a cohesive album, its individual tracks showcase its incredible range. Here are the essential cuts:
: Tracks like "Love on Top" and "Rather Die Young" showcase a retro, Motown-inflected vocal range that has since become legendary.
The album’s heart beats in its ballads. “1+1,” a raw, guitar-led love song, showcases a vocal restraint she hadn’t revealed since Destiny’s Child’s early days. “I Miss You,” co-written by Frank Ocean, floats in a melancholy haze. And “Love on Top,” with its four key changes and joyous doo-wop energy, became an unexpected anthem—proof that a song without a single curse word or trap beat could still ignite stadiums.
Artistically, she sought to move away from the high-energy production of her previous records to create "classics"—songs that would remain relevant and singable throughout her life. The album was an evolution into a bolder, more mature sound that reflected her growth as a woman and an artist. album 4 beyonce
4 demonstrated that Beyoncé was not afraid to take risks and follow her own path, ultimately solidifying her reputation as one of the most compelling voices in modern music.
: An energetic female empowerment anthem.
[2008: I Am... Sasha Fierce] ➔ [2010: Career Hiatus / Fired Manager] ➔ [2011: Release of "4"] While "4" is best consumed as a cohesive
Released on June 28, 2011, "4" features a more experimental and introspective sound compared to her previous albums. Here's a notable feature from the album:
Commercially, "4" was a success, but by Beyoncé's standards, it was perceived as a "relative" dip. While it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it failed to produce a No. 1 single on the Hot 100, a first for her at the time. However, the long game was always the album’s strength. It eventually sold over 3 million copies worldwide and spun off hits like "Best Thing I Never Had."
: A genre-bending fan favorite featuring a unique 1970s sample and intricate vocal arrangements. “1+1,” a raw, guitar-led love song, showcases a
"4" received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 36 reviews.
Naming her fourth solo studio album 4 was a declaration of independence. It wasn’t about marketing focus groups; it was about claiming her narrative. In interviews leading up to the release, she admitted that the album was heavily influenced by her time off between albums—a period where she traveled, fell deeper in love, and listened to the music of the past.
In 2011, Beyoncé's 4 resulted in her lowest first-week sales to date. The Washington Post called it her "fourth-best album, as in ... Refinery29 Album Review: Beyonce – 4 - 2020k