Album Review: Beyonce "I Am... Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Edition)"

Beyonce may be on her third solo album, but that's not to say she has run out of tricks. With the double-disc I Am... Sasha Fierce, Beyonce is just now introducing us not only to herself, but the one & only Sasha Fierce. We got a taste of the real Beyonce with I Am...'s first single "If I Were A Boy," while Sasha showed off her fierceness with "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," the first single off her very own Sasha Fierce disc. The real question is: no matter the alter-ego, did Beyonce bring it this time around? Let's just say she isn't the queen of the game for no reason.

I Am... starts off with the powerful "If I Were A Boy," followed by "Halo," an amazing song that's just begging to become a hit. "Disappear," aside from being absolutely gorgeous, basically begins the trend that runs throughout all of I Am... Sasha Fierce that makes it extra special: Beyonce gets creative with her vocal ability. I like a woman with a great voice, but I love a woman with a great voice who never relies solely on her incredible talent.

Beyonce continues I Am... with "Broken-Hearted Girl," which is more of the vocal beauty that, at first listen, had me already wondering if it would even be possible to love Sasha more than Beyonce herself. If you want to be blown away, listen to "Ave Maria." The track that follows, "Smash Into You," will work too, as it is enough of a reason by itself to pass up the standard edition of this album for the deluxe one. Beyonce closes off the first disc with "Satellites," a beautiful atmospheric song, & "That's Why You're Beautiful," a fitting end to the excellent I Am....

Enter Sasha Fierce. She starts off with "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," which may at first seem like your typical Beyonce uptempo (which isn't a bad thing at all), but one view of the video & you'll get it. More of the aforementioned creativity reappears with "Radio," while "Diva" could be considered an improved female version of "A Milli." I wasn't particularly impressed with the early leaked version of "Sweet Dreams," but the final edit is awesome.

Sasha had me at "Video Phone," which has attitude for days. She does, however, get a little more personal on "Hello" without getting out of character. Staying in character can definitely be said about "Ego," a suggestive midtempo. Sasha Fierce ends with "Scared Of Lonely," which I will honestly say that, although it's not a bad song, I just can't quite wrap my head around how the song really fits on this disc.

Overall, Beyonce really pulled it off with I Am... Sasha Fierce. I loved her last album B'Day, so for her to have an entire disc of slow jams to showcase her talent was a great way for me to appreciate Bee without comparing this album to her last one. At the same time, giving Sasha Fierce some shine was a great thing, especially because Beyonce was able to raise her game in some aspects enough so that I could simply enjoy the new music. I really loved what Beyonce accomplished vocally with I Am... Sasha Fierce & I truly feel that Beyonce has solidified her place as one of our generation's best.

Rating: 5/5 Stars