MTV.COM - #2. Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"My favorite thing about Beyoncé has always been that despite the fact that she is well-manicured and coached to within an inch of her life, there is roughly a 50 percent chance that she is also a complete and total lunatic. I cannot explain why this is ... though, as Exhibit A, please allow me to present this song, which sounds like what would happen if the Supremes cut a track while someone was playing "Frogger" in the background (and I mean this in the best possible way). "Single Ladies" is hyperactive and supercharged in ways I never thought possible. It's epic and sexy and even a bit sad (because, you know, he didn't put a ring on it), and it manages to out-crazy even "Ring the Alarm" (thanks mostly to B's shout-out to Buzz Lightyear three-quarters of the way through). I love this song unapologetically, in reasons I am probably not doing a very good job of conveying. All I know is that there is absolutely zero chance Beyoncé ever releases a single like this ever again, so, you know, enjoy it while you can.
RollingStone - #1. Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"Love has always been a high-stakes business transaction for Beyoncé, ever since that lousy boyfriend maxed out her credit card in "Bills, Bills, Bills." "Single Ladies" is her definitive statement on that subject. The beat, courtesy of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, is irresistible and exuberant, the vocal hook is stormy and virtuosic, and her lesson is blunt: Seal the deal. With a shiny ring. Or else.
EW.com has given one of the first reviews for Beyoncé's new album I Am...Sasha Fierce. The overall review rating done by Leah Greenblatt was a B+. Read the review below.The singing, dancing, acting, power-coupling superhuman known as Beyoncé has held no-last-name-necessary status for almost a decade now. Yet somehow — against all the rules of our gotcha tabloid society — she steadfastly retains an old-fashioned, almost Garboesque mystery in her private life, granting only the occasional, pleasantly evasive interview. We are left to glean what we can from her songs and performances, which, though strikingly dynamic (only the dead of soul and lead of foot could resist smashes like ''Crazy in Love'' and ''Irreplaceable''), remain oddly disconnected from Ms. Knowles herself, who appears otherwise as serene and unblinking as a beauty queen.On her third solo CD, which purports to be her most confessional yet, does she finally break through her superstar scrim? Not really. But I Am...Sasha Fierce does offer two compelling sides of the singer. The album is a two-disc set, one the work of ''Beyoncé'' (romantic, vulnerable,soft), the other by her alter ego, ''Sasha Fierce'' (aggressive, sexual, and, well, fierce).
The first two singles — one from each disc, released simultaneously — demonstrate the contrast between her dueling personae. The ''Beyoncé'' disc's heartrending ''If I Were a Boy'' soars with melodic swells and unwavering in-his-skin sentiments (''I think I could understand/How it feels to love a girl/I swear I'd be a better man''). On the other hand, ''Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),'' from the ''Sasha'' half, is all bouncy hand claps and post-breakup sass (''Kept crying my tears/For three good years/You can't be mad at me''), a giddy, high-stepping hybrid of lyrical kiss-off and fizzy jump-rope jam.
"Single Ladies"
"If I Were A Boy"
