Has Beyoncé outgrown Contemporary R&B?

Beyoncé: You know, I feel like the only way I can be around as long as I pray that I can be around is to always push the envelope. And it's really exciting that now people are allowing music to just be music... and R&B and hip-hop artists are collaborating with different types of artists. Hopefully we can just continue to grow and just step outside of hip-hop or rap or rock or whatever and it can all just be good music.

With this quote from the Queen of Pop & Soul, I begin this new entry. Also, we all know that Friday is the anniversary of a death that music and entertainment fans still feel: The King Of Pop. I was telling someone on Bwboard.net that it is still fresh in my mind and a hard thing to get over. He is truly missed in music and my prayer is that all of his family, loved ones as well as the fans(of which I am one) will continue to heal from this tragic. We miss you, MJ. Long live the King.

With that in mind, I think that if he was alive, and debuted in a similar to what Beyoncé has done in her career, people would ask him the same question. If looked at on the surface, you might say, Yes she has. One example is last year's BET Awards. Her performance of Avé Maria was the most distinctive performance of the night. In fact, Jamie Foxx and QuestLove from the Roots, after the performance spoke on how brave she was to even think to do such a performance. And of course, she got a lot of feedback from it. Some of it positive, a lot of it negative. I thought it was beautiful and sincere, and I especially enjoy her rendition of Schubert's Avé Maria.

However, as beautiful as the performance was, one of the complaints was that they wanted her perform a song that would have people shake her butt. It's a shame because it wasn't about her, it was about MJ. Still, on Bwboard.net, one of the questions was, Has she outgrown the BET Awards? That's an interesting question considering that the BET Awards is to Contemporary R&B what the Country Music Awards is to Country Music. The way she stood out performing and the way she conducted herself artistically in IA..SF era especially, would make you think on the surface that she has.

Then we have the interview of Kim Thompson, one of her drummers from her band. She said some interesting things considering Bey's growth in terms of musicianship and the overall growth that the music industry should have, especially with regards to Jazz being a big focal point for that growth. Here is the video: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E29oE1jtQKE) Let me say that I learned in those few minutes about where Bey is progressing musically than I have in all the interviews that she has ever done. And she continues to grow musically and expand herself as she progresses in her career, it would seem that she is outgrowing the boundaries that Contemporary R&B has set for artists of that genre and would leave it altogether eventually. So we think.

But with Beyoncé, a lot of times things aren't always what it seems. Some people tend to look at surface stuff with regards to her music. As deep as try to be, they don't really think outside the box when it comes to her art. Perfect example, one of the things that critics said when reviewing IA...SF was that they wanted more of "Sasha Fierce" and less of "Beyoncé". Talk about typecasting and putting an artist inside a box. (BTW, even Sasha Fierce wasn't all uptempo "club bangers", which is probably the point of why the CD was arranged in that way). Another issue was that when critics reviewed DIL, an album that is considered one of the most influential albums from the Rock and Roll Hall Fame, they felt that there were too many ballads. Then music fans wonder why the industry is as stuck as it is. Forget quality of music, if it is not in the mindset of what the critic thinks of the artist they are reviewing, they run with that rather truly judging the music unbiasly.

Okay, I am digressing a little but it all comes back down to this: Has Beyoncé outgrown Contemporary R&B? I would say, No. To me, Contemporary R&B is to Beyoncé what milk is to a baby. Let me explain that. When a child is born, they are weaned on milk and baby food because they can't be fed anything else. They can't handle it. Then as they grow up, their culinary palate expands. Especially as adults, and obviously milk isn't the only thing that they drink but no one stop drinking milk because of this. They continue to drink as well as other things. It's the same way with Beyoncé as far as Contemporary R&B. My conviction is that Contemporary R&B IS Beyoncé and as she expands, the genre expands also and it opens the door for artists in that genre to expand their sound also and with that we get quality music and the industry as a whole gets better.

One of my favorite videos is the Halo Behind The Scenes. I think most of us have seen it, so I will get right to the point. One of the most interesting things that she said was that because of the Drums that she added to Halo that the song itself is a Hip Hop Song. Actually to quote her, a great mixture of R&B and Hip Hop. I would have never figured that song to be a hip hop but then again, if this song can be(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEUX-HYRtUA), then yes Halo can be too. The point is, as she said in the quote that I posted at the beginning, if an artist wants to grow, progress, mature and leave a legacy that will even outlive them, these are the things that an artist must be willing to do.

Don't get me wrong, there are artists who stay withn the framework of what their genre is and that's cool. But also, you have artists like Aretha doing Jazz and even substituting for Pavorotti at the Grammys, Diana Ross covering Billie Holiday, even Mary J. Blige doing an Jazz album. An artist will go out of their comfort zone sometimes, even away from what their fans think of them for progression and growth. Even though it is still early in Bey's career, she has 3 albums that are going to be looked in terms of the legacy of her genre. Contemporary R&B is a young genre, and the Grammys have been awarding it for only 8 years. Yet Bey is the only 3 time winning in that Grammy category.

I believe when looking back at those albums and the legacy that it has left for that genre, one of the things that historians are going to look at is how Beyoncé with those albums set the course for the genre and with it have not only influenced her peers but others after her. Contemporary R&B won't be bound by rigid structures of what the genre should be about, and that's a great thing. That's what the genre should be about. It's what MJ did, and as I said, he is one of the pioneers of this genre. Beyoncé is a product of his legacy, and one of his musical daughters. If people want to truly honor him, then we honor those who are carrying on his legacy musicially, such as she is doing.

RIP Michael Joseph Jackson

(August 29 1959-June 25, 2009)

Why Beyonce is a soul singer.

It's a topic that I have wanted to speak on for a while. It's very controversial. Every time when I get into a discussion of her music, it's always, "She doesn't have a lot of depth to her music. We don't know her. She don't show her human side.". Now, it is true that she is a pop artist. No one will ever say anything else different. She's unapologetically commercial. But I think that people love to use her family background(like the fact that she hasn't lived the ghetto) and the fact that her sound, at least the perception of her sound, is all about club and party songs and nothing else.

It's the kind of statement that Sasha Frere Jones made about her(She is also a strange and brilliant musician. Young black female singers rarely get past the red rope and into the Genius Lounge—the moody, the male, and the dead crowd that room. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/02/09/090209crmu_music_frerejones) that fuels the perception of her. And then finally, if a pop singer is black, then there is this venom against them from much of the black community. And seeing articles like these: http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Beyonc_Embodies_Soulless_Starbucking_of_Music_Industry_7778.html
from bloggers who have nothing on their agenda but show how "deep" they are, I feel that it is time to post my mind on this.

First of all, Bey is influenced by many genres of music. She is as likely to have Shuggie Otis in her Ipod as she is to have Coldplay. She is as influenced by Aretha and Mary as she is by Barbra and Karen Carpenter. She is as likely to sing a club-banger as she is to sing a big band influenced musical. That's what she is and that is what makes her sincere and soulful. I say this because I hear too many times how certain artists are "real" because they put "hearts on their sleeves", and they allow us to enter in their "real lives". Reality shows are a way to get people to think like that. Look at how many celebs especially artists who have them. It makes their fans feel that they are apart of them and it makes feel their music. Or so they say.

It's all contrived. And if it isn't, do we need to know all of their personal lives and their problems? I say no. I personally feel that a musician makes music for the audience that they are trying to reach, not to "exercise their demons" on wax. Because at the end of the day, when an artist makes songs for that reason, those demons are still there. It will take more than music to do so. But not to mention, labels encourage artists to do this so that it will sell records. They know that an artist's fanbase need to find a connection to the artist in order to keep them interested.

Now what does I am saying have to do with Beyoncé being a soul-singer you ask: Everything. I am convinced people don't listen to her music catalogue. I saw a thread on Single Ladies on the net, complaining that it didn't have a melody and harmonies. And I just SMH. She's doing "Call and Respond"(that a technique that is Gospel influenced) harmonies with her voice in the beginning of the song. I ask myself when I hear some of these viewpoints are we listening to the same woman singing? It's like they listen to the beats and not to the voice or what the lyrics say.

What she does do, is what Michael Jackson did when he was at his best: Bring black culture to the mainstream. The woman is as likely to do a "Soul-Clap" as she is to do the Uh-oh dance(African Influenced btw). And though her vocal stylings has many influences, which is pop in nature, her timbre especially fits funk inspired songs. Look at what a blog said about Bey's greatness, concerning funk: There is a world of difference between being a good soul singer and a good funk singer. Mariah Carey, for example, is a good sweet soul singer, but if she were to suddenly start grunting into the mic and demanding snare kicks from the drummer, her people would rush the stage within seconds to drag her off to the mad house. Presumed breakdown. She hasn’t got the funk. Sadly, neither have many of today’s fine young singers, with the possible exceptions of Beth Ditto, Mary J, Beyonce and that’s about it. Even the greatest soul singer of them all, Aretha Franklin, doesn’t quite have the funk chops to be a BOLD SOUL SISTER. http://www.interestment.co.uk/2009/07/13/interestments-top-four-bold-soul-sisters/

Do you see this? And Bey is influenced by Aretha. Crazy in Love is one of her signature songs and that's funk inspired. Most of B'day brings the funk also. And Funk is a big part of Soul Music. James Brown would approve of what Bey does especially concerning that genre. You don't have to "sing the blues" to have soul. There are different interpretations and flavors of soul music. I don't need her to be "Tracy Chapman and/or Cris Williamson" to feel her passion in songs. She interprets very well with her voice and is a voice that has encouraged a LOT OF YOUNG WOMEN, especially with her music. Tell all of them she has no soul whatsoever. That's her audience and demographic. No offense to white men, but you're not her audience, and you're not going to fully grasp why people feel Bey's music.

Bey's vocal phrasing is VERY much influenced by Gospel. I told you about the "Call and Respond", she also does growls, squalls, wails, and especially her melismas. Some of it is opera influenced, but much(most of it really) of it is Gospel influence also. Because she has been exposed to different art forms of music, she phrasing vocally around the music that she does. Like for Baby Boy, because when she performs, she uses an Arabic sound, she will use melismatic phrasing that is Arabic Inspired.

So she understands "soul music" and like MJ did, brings it to them mainstream because soul music is a big part of what pop culture is all about. It is no coincidence that she recorded a song called Black Culture, sampling a Michael Jackson song. Hip Hop(black music) is as much a part of Bey's song as anything else in her music catalogue. If she has no soul, then Alicia Keys, who is just as commercial as Bey could ever be, has none either. Let's call a spade, a spade. So those who want Beyonce to be their definition of what a soul singer is, need to stop it. If you don't or won't like her music because she don't fit in your "soul-singers" box, then fine. But whether you like it or not, she's a big part of land-scape of soul music. Especially with regards to Urban Rhythmic music. In fact, I will leave you with this quote from Ann Powers who review Single Ladies when it first came out: Her new club banger, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," elaborates on "Irreplaceable's" theme of love as sport, if not war; sounding a lot like a Destiny's Child song, it has Beyoncé doing call-and-response with her backup singers over a rump-shaking beat provided by TheDream and Tricky Stewart. More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example.

All hail the Queen of Pop and Soul.

Beyoncé's Next Album Era: The Era that will set the tone for the 2010s

Instead of doing part 3, which will be sometime next week, this is my blog entry. The IA...SF era is still going strong(still on the charts though it is like it going to leave it...it's at #198 now). It's crazy when a video from a song that was already released(Why Don't You Love Me) and is almost 2 years old can still get this kind of buzz, especially from the bloggers. You have their "stans"(I put that in quotes because much of the time, they are just "rooting for the underdog" to take "replace" Bey), going mad and foaming at the mouth like they are possessed by a demon because they are afraid that the video will take shine away from the artist they are rooting for. *SMH at their tomfoolery*

All of this while the woman is on break. It confirms to me that the industry is ripe for Bey to take the industry into the next decade with the kind of music and showmanship that only she can bring. Looking at her musical catalogue, for her genre especially, she has been its standard-bearer as well as a pioneer. The freshness that Bey approaches with her music, sets herself miles apart from those who are supposedly her peers. In fact, they look up to her for inspiration and direction musicially and showmanship wise. Even if they don't want to admit it.

So what does that mean? It means that Bey will once again be the one who infuses energy and direction, just like she did with B'day at a time when Contemporary R&B especially was extremely formulaic(a couple of club-bangers to sell the album, one or two mid-tempos and the rest ballads because that's consider "real R&B") and even with Sasha Fierce with fusing different genres such as Folk Music, stripping down her vocal arrangements(On the I AM CD) into Contemporary R&B; Hip-Pop Soul as it's subgenre. A genre where vocal tracks are extremely important. That's quite a challenge and I believe she is up to it.

One of the things that I believe she will do is bring her fabulous band---Suga Mama---into the studio. Even Bibi, who is her band director, talked about how Bey in IA...SF used more guitars than on her two previous recordings: Totally! Her new album has more guitar on it but the previous album, that we did for the Experience tour, the B’Day album .. there is no guitar on that album. It’s all key-guitar, which was really cool for me because I got to come into the situation, write my own guitar parts and do what I wanted to do. She has never said she didn’t like it, so that was really cool. http://iwontstfu.com/index.php/bibi-mcgill-beyonces-musical-director-interview/

To me, that this is part of the natural progression of Bey's music that has been going on since she was in Destiny's Child. One of the first articles on her by Sasha Frere Jones said that from her own lips, she was listening(studying) Miles Davis(Horn) and Fela Kuti(Sax). DIL and B'day was horn heavy in sound, especially. But not as much as with IA..SF. So I can see her using SM, to fuse both the guitar sound that Bibi and Divinity bring so well and bringing back those horns along with the saxs and pretty giving even more of a big band sound to Hip Pop Soul.

Instrumentation has always been a big part of what Beyoncé is about and this is the genre that is ripe for what Bey brings to the table. More importantly, SM is ready and this little step will be the most bold step for Hip Pop Soul, especially. Now maybe she won't do that. Maybe she will take another baby step toward that. I don't know. But I can see the progression and I am very confident that whether it is the next era, or the era after that one, she will take that step. The industry is ripe for it, and she has a great understanding for what the industry needs at the time also. Just like with B'day and just like IA...SF. All by being herself as an artist.

Also, I see an appreciation from the indie label artists, the kind that would frown on any other artist who does the music that Bey does. For example, Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal, already said that he has a song for her even if she don't want it. *LOL* This opens the door for her to use new blood and gives her an opportunity to fuse even more things into the sound that she has already established. Bey has an electic and varied taste in music, so this is something that she would embrace. I could see her tackling Grunge Music(for example) and fusing into her Urban Rhythmic Sound.

Not only does she have the musicianship to do it, but she also has the respect of the industry to make it work sincerely, without losing the foundation of who she is musically. That's the definition of progression and growth. It's not about completely changing your image, your sound to look as if you're re-inventing yourself, copying the Madonna playbook to show that you are growing artistically.

One of the problems with today's Contemporary R&B, especially Hip Pop, is that you have too many producers feeling themselves. Look at the Dream crying because people aren't appreciating his CDs like he thinks they should and he says he is no longer recording. *Waves GoodBye happily* Look how egotistical Timbaland is. He had the nerve to say that he was going to do Bey's whole album (the album that we now know as Sasha Fierce). Forget that Beyoncé always work with various producers so that you don't bog her down with a specific producer who has their signature sound where she can put her stamp on her songs. LOL. So definitely didn't sound like something that Bey would do(having a producer do her whole album). Especially with something as stale and trendy as his sound.

And I am not going to get into Ryan Tedder's antics with the whole Halo/Already Gone mess. *SMH* These "hit-makers" love themselves too much to realize that when you write/compose/produce a song for an artist, it's about the artist, not you. I am not saying that she shouldn't work with producers. Absolutely not. Bey works well with producers and with demos add the missing ingredient that the songs need. In fact, there are producers like Rodney Jerkins who said that he has song specifically for her. I approve because his ego is not big like theirs. I also have no problem with Amanda Ghost, either for example. They work well together. But I see her, especially with the love that she is getting from producers who aren't mainstream, fusing their sound with theirs and with them combined with Suga Mama in the studio creating something that will shock the ears of everyone who hears the CD.

Not that I need her to do those things. LOL!!!! But as the trend setter that she is, I believe this is the direction she is going. I had a feeling that when she did Irreplaceable, that she would kind of go in the direction that she did with what is eventually IA...SF, though I didn't expect Folk. That was a shock and something that my ears had to get used to with regards to Bey doing it. IMO, this is something that every Beyoncé fan should look forward to.

Yes, this has been one hell of an decade for her. Billboard Female Artist of the Decade. All of the Grammys and accolades that she has recieve. But she's coming into her prime as a vocalist, a performer and more importantly, as a musician. With this in mind, there is another gear that Bey will reach and as a fan, I am ready. I believe just as with last decade, Bey will do another project that in time, will define the decade. Are you ready?

Setting the record straight on Bey and her songwriting: Part 2

Beyonce: I don't play any instrument, I have writers that I write with, or I have writers that will send me a full song, and I'll rearrange it - change the second verse, change the melody, keep a chord that I like, and recreate it. Just depends. I might bring in whoever I think can help the song. When I have just a beat it's the most fun for me. I'll get somebody to play whatever I hum for the bassline. So I'm creating a whole track with my voice.

With this, I begin this entry. In my last entry, I explained how the songwriting process is in regards to how collaborative it is, especially in the mainstream aspect of the industry. I also explained how arrangements, especially vocal arrangements factor in because songwriting is much more than lyric writing. Now, what I will do is show the things that Beyoncé has said in terms of the songwriting process with her songs.

One of the things that kills me when discussions of this nature happen is that she steals credits from "poor defenseless producers or songwriters" to make her look good or to have more money. That's the dumbest, most stupid thing I have ever heard. Especially considering that in pretty much every Beyoncé song, leans heavily on vocal arrangements especially harmonies. In fact, I can think of only two songs where there aren't any harmonies at all from her. Still in Love(Kissing You) and Fever(her second version, not her first version).

Anyways, as you can see from the quote, in her explanation of her songwriting, she emphasizes her arrangements mainly. For example her article in the Guardian, talks about the difference in arrangements on I am CD as opposed to Sasha Fierce: I did a lot of things differently this time with my album. A lot of it was [recorded] live, less production with the vocals, I didn't do as many arrangements... that was with the I Am side. Then with the Sasha Fierce side, I tried to do things that were, sonically, a little more modern and a little more electronic. A little bit. But still mixed in with my drum loops.

That's her lane and gift as a musician among other things. And as she said, she get full songs sent to her from producers and she will arrange them as she sees fit. Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=234aEjIvKPM (Irreplaceable). This is one of the controversial topics ever since Neyo spoke on how he did the lyrics and then explained what he meant on Concrete Loop later. He himself also said that Bey did Harmonic Arrangements and melody changes (http://concreteloop.com/interviews-neyo) while Stargate added to that saying that she also added drums (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580808/20080201/knowles_beyonce.jhtml). We all have heard the Irreplaceable, the finished product that is and anyone that is unbias can see what Beyoncé did to bring that song life. It's part of makes a great vocal arrangments, a great vocal arranger. She also made it rhythmically better, especially in her phrasing and the production of it melody wise.

Then we have Exhibit B: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvrLUpGDX30) This is for all who don't know is the Halo demo done by Ryan Tedder. Even Ryan himself said that he didn't know that Bey would change the key of the song. And he himself said, "The greatest singers each have their own 'thing' that they do better than anyone else. Beyonce's thing is taking a great song and making it an event. She adds her own personality and vocal prowess like a master chef adds the missing ingredient to his signature dish. Beyonce brings that missing ingredient." Now listen to the Halo that we hear on the radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC06CMBQLM0 We all know about the key change. Listen to the harmonic arrangements and the differences in them. Also, she scrapped the 3rd verse that was on Ryan's Demo. And emphasized the Bridge more to make up for the 3rd verse that was gone.

Finally we have Exhibit C: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwe2Za87WrQ Resentment. This is Victoria Beckham's version. Actually Jazmine Sullivan also tackled this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WfWquoVum0&feature=related), but it is on Beyoncé's album, B'day. Though I like both versions, Bey's superior IMO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAI8R3l8YE8) because of the harmonic arrangments, the key and melody changes as well as the chord changes. In fact, Bey called it her best vocal performance on the album because of the chord changes in an interview almost 4 years ago when the album was in progress. So for these things alone, she gets credit because any changes done toward the arrangements, are consideed part of the co-write. An example of this is DC's version of Silent Night. We ALL KNOW that she didn't write the original lyrics to the song, but their arrangement is obviously not the same as the original. Guess what? It's for THEIR VERSION OF SILENT NIGHT that Bey gets credit in terms of the arrangement which I have already said is part of song-writing.

Now with that being said, there is many more that I must say. As I have said, Bey's signature sound is harmonic arrangements. Ever since she has been a solo artist, she uses her own voice (not using background singers) to produce those sounds. They sometimes start in the beginning of songs, like Me, Myself and I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdHkG_bCM5A Not to mention, Bey loves to use them in the bridge of songs to buildup to the climax of the song. Ring The Alarm is a perfect example of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2LzOBc9FaM and Freekum Dress is another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjx6FhKbPRk

In fact, there was a controversy about her writing Crazy in Love. Rich Harrison said that he wrote most of the song, but left the bridge for her:

Unpleasant reminders of the night before notwithstanding, Harrison stepped up and wrote the verses and the hook, leaving the bridge for Beyoncé (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484784/20040203/knowles_beyonce.jhtml) Well, guess what the bridge is made up of? Harmonic Arrangements. LOL!!!!!

As for Bey she has always been honest about these things. She said that when she was young, her greatest joy was arranging the harmonies for DC and choreographing their dance steps. Not to mention, she did say that she has writers that she write with. Also, in an interview when she was asked whether she would do everything by herself. She said that she would not because in her words: You know alot of other people wrote some of the songs on this album (IASF) and I love being around great writers because I'm finding that alot of things I want to say, I dont articulate as good as maybe Amanda Ghost." And look what at Amanda Ghost concerning their composition of Ave Maria together: 'I think she's selling herself a bit short there. I think she's had huge experiences - but they've been bizarre ones that you or I couldn't imagine. The challenge of being a songwriter is to take your life experience and make it universal, so that everybody else relates. She keeps the Jay-Z references ambiguous, but music is the one place she can be incredibly expressive - look at the lyrics to the track Ave Maria. We were talking about how much we loved the Schubert Ave Maria. We had both recently got married, and it turned out we had both come up the aisle to that song. So I said wouldn't it be great to try and rewrite it. And the lyric is very much about her. She talks about being surrounded by friends but she's alone: "How can the silence seem so loud?" and then "There's only us when the lights go down". I think that's probably the most personal line on the whole album about her and Jay, because they are very real, and they're very much in love, and it must be pretty tough to have that love when you're incredibly famous. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3563004/Beyonce-dream-girl.html

In closing, Beyoncè admits to collaboration with regards to lyric writing, composes, arranges and vocal produces. She has never, ever lied when it comes to this. She has never said that I wrote songs all by myself especially as a solo artist. She has her hand in everything because she's involved in everything. Every one she works with says the same thing and I will post this in my last entry on this topic. Have a great weekend to all who read this blog.

Setting the record straight on Bey and her songwriting: Part 1

This is the topic that I want to speak on. I have been wanting to speak on this for a long time. It seems to me that people love, the bloggers especially love to bring controversy in order to get traffic. It's funny because there are people out there who will speak about commercial artists "selling out", but many of these bloggers will "sell out" for attention. They have agents, and they covet fame and celebrity for themselves. Most of the time, their viewpoints have agendas.

Not that I am trying to put myself above them because I am blogging. Like I said, I am doing this to put my viewpoints on all things Beyoncé. Meaning I can guess less about fame and celebrity. I see how it goes when you get famous just from looking at celebrities and all of the scrunity that they get. I want no parts of that. I love my life as it is. And it is with that in mind, that I am writing this entry.

It seems that the bloggers want controversy so bad that they will even slander artists for the sake of them being famous. Now don't get me wrong, some celebs even like negative publicity. At long as their name is being put out there. And TBH, Beyoncé don't need defending when it comes to her talents. They speak for themselves. Not to mention, the regular media don't even entertain most of the bloggers foolishness because of the most of the time, their reputation is highly suspect. Nevertheless, I feel it is necessary to speak on this topic.

For one: Beyoncé is a talented woman. She sings like an angel, perform and dance her out, and is great at arranging in her recordings. Look at that last statement I made. One of the things that people don't understand is how songs are made in the first place. People have the misconception that lyric-writing is all to composing and writing/making songs. In fact, most of the time in the mainstream industry, it's not even "organic" like that. As a star of Beyoncé's caliber, she gets songs given to her as demos all the time. Producers and artists are networking all the time. All of those afterparties, and shows aren't for nothing. It's all business, pretty much.

And producers are creating melodies all the time, knowing that they are pretty much prelinaries and they are going to "shop their song" around waiting for whichever artist is going to record. Then when the artist is record to make their album, the songs are ready for them to record and do whatever the artist who actually has control of their work has in mind for the song when they hear it.

I am digressing, but hopefully you get the point about how songwriting goes in the industry. Most of the time, it's collaborative. You know the saying, "It's take a village to raise a child", well it takes a village to raise a song. LOL!!! Anyways, it's a collaborative effort because everyone has their own lane. Some are GREAT at lyric writing. They have a beautiful way with words and they can express themselves that way. And even then, it's hard for them to write a hook or write a chorus. Or you have those who are great at melody arrangement or vocal arrangements. If I was an artist, I would want the best around me that know music and have a passion for it like I do. I would know there are those who are better than me at certain things and I get their imput.

Then you have the fact that if an artist is truly in control of their art/brand, then they are the executive producers. They are the who choose they will work with, what direction they want to go sound-wise, discuss with label heads what kind of budget they want for distribution, promotion for videos and singles, even up to how many songs they want on the album. If you look at Beyoncé's music, she has been the executive producer on her last two albums especially. So in essence every producer, works for her. Even the songs done by a producer, it's up to the artist whether or not they want the song on the album.

And with all of this, it don't even get to my point on Bey's gift as a songwriter. Like I said, I am a big Beyoncé fan. So that means, I read everything that comes with her work. Across the board, everyone who works with her speaks of how great an arranger she is especially vocally. Especially her harmonies. In fact, I am going post from a engineer---Dave pensado---who has worked with from in making Dangerously in Love and I Am...Sasha Fierce: Beyonce just hears those harmonies in her head. She was born with them. Her dad, Matthew is quite a good singer, and I believe Tina sings also. She usually starts off with the tonic, and builds from there. She does a little experimentation, and then blends them herself with the engineer. I love her timing. She has no regard for the beat, but it always sounds right.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/q-dave-pensado/21012-lets-talk-about-vocal-stacks-especially-brian-mcknight.html

I could post many more quotes like this and I will, but I just to make this quote to make a point. Anyone who is even a casual Beyoncé listening knows that her songs lean heavily on vocal arrangements and harmonies. No one really talks about her lyrics. Bey don't do that either and my next post will set the record straight on that also. But I wanted post this so that when I post on that entry, this post will compliment that post because it's about time that the blogosphere get the record straight and posting these lies for publicity sake. Enough is enough and it is bigger than being a fan of Beyoncè. And please don't say: You don't get paid to say anything in her defense. The way some people are passionately against her, that's the same passion I am going to have in speaking on this topic and other Beyoncé topics.

My First Beyoncé entry...

I just to say Hello to everyone. I am not the best or most articulate writer. I am not the greatest music expert though I love music or anything of that. But one thing I want to say is...I am very passionate about Beyoncé's music and performing. I am a huge fan and because of this, I have made this blog.

If people comment on my viewpoints, then that is cool. If they don't, I don't care. As long as I am putting my thoughts out there on her music and performing and entertainer and pretty much all things Beyoncé, then this is all that matters. So this is my first entry and I will write another after this one because I am just using this one to welcome all who read it.