Solange is my favourite Knowles sister. That is a fact that is not about to change. I'm not into comparing her and the older sister Beyonce, but in terms of both music and style I find Solange to be far more creative and far more superior. I don't expect the mass market to appreciate that. Moving along... I've been giving Beyonce's latest self-titled album a listen and I have to admit to being impressed and hooked by a few tracks. These include Drunk In Love, Rocket, Mine, Flawless and my absolute favourite Pretty Hurts. On the vocals, Beyonce is unsurpassed by any artist I know of today. She really does a lot with them. While I think the silent release of Beyonce's visual album (the iTunes download comes with 17 music videos) was a marketing genius I'm afraid the album itself falls short of being as close a triumph, for me at least, when compared to her previous efforts. I don't know if I expected more- a new sound or whatever it may be- from B, but I do know that this is not my favourite album from a woman many have called the Michael Jackson of our time. But this doesn't mean I hate it. I'm enjoying it; I just wish it did more to me than make me "enjoy". What do I enjoy most about it? How Beyonce responds to the criticism over feminism that was initially sparked by "Bow Down" by adding elements of Nigerian feminist writer Chamamanda Ngozi Adichie's powerful TED Talk on feminism and adds more lyrics to it to support what she started with songs like "Run The World (Girls)" and "Independent Woman" for instance. I love how she doesn't shy away from her desire to please her man in spite of all the feminist ideals she espouses. Her's is a brand of feminism that embraces reality rather than to say "I can do it ALL and I don't need a man".
SCREENSHOT: "Pretty Hurts" music video with model Shaun Ross
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