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"After a drip-feed of buzz tracks, surprise singles and song leaks, Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9&amp;#039;s 4 appeared online in its entirety last night, a full two and a half weeks ahead of its official release. Having already listened to the opus at a recent (and very fancy) playback party, we&amp;#039;ve given our initial thoughts on Bouncy&amp;#039;s latest set below.  The good:  The album shies away from the au courant hip-hop-meets-dance sound and opts for more traditional R&amp;amp;B instead. Truth be told, the absence of a David Guetta or RedOne hook-up is a relief. All 12 tracks showcase her impressive vocals, particularly the growly &amp;#039;1+1&amp;#039;, and funk-infused &amp;#039;Love on Top&amp;#039;.  Power anthem &amp;#039;Best Thing I Never Had&amp;#039;, with its stadium-sized drums, catchy piano hook and aggressive vocals, is a classic Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9 track waiting to happen. With the exception of &amp;#039;Party&amp;#039;, which features Andre 3000 and Kanye West, we&amp;#039;re pleased to see this is largely a solo affair rather than a who&amp;#039;s who of hip-hop. There are moments of interesting production, including the brass section on &amp;#039;Love on Top&amp;#039;, stuttering trumpets on &amp;#039;Countdown&amp;#039; and marching band drums of &amp;#039;End of Time&amp;#039;.  The bad: On first glance the tracklist appears upside down, getting off to a false start with buzz track &amp;#039;1+1&amp;#039; and closing with trailer single &amp;#039;Run The World (Girls)&amp;#039;. Her instantly recognisable R&amp;amp;B vocal can often sound cold and generic, though this dissipates after repeated listens. Despite recording a reported 70 songs for the LP, tracks &amp;#039;I Miss You&amp;#039;, &amp;#039;Rather Die Young&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;Start Over&amp;#039; feel like filler and are nothing we haven&amp;#039;t heard many, many times before. Maybe she&amp;#039;s saving the best for a super deluxe edition?  With the exceptions of &amp;#039;Run The World (Girls)&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;Best Thing I Never Had&amp;#039;, it lacks any more obvious hits. Despite flashes of intriguing production, things rarely deviate from the bump &amp;#039;n&amp;#039; grindable. Listen to Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9&amp;#039;s new single &amp;#039;Best Thing I Never Had&amp;#039; below:   What do you make of 4? Which are your favourite tracks? Leave your comments in the box below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a323819/beyoncs-new-album-4-first-listen/>