"Beyonce VS Sasha Fierce" by Katrina Ali

Another feature of my blog will be guest writers!!!

So, here is an article by one my friends, the wonderful Katrina Ali:

To survive in today's music world, singing a good song and making a great video isn't quite enough. An artist has to continually reinvent himself/herself in order to stay fresh and appeal to the masses. How to do this is where the real trouble begins. Many artists might create music in a genre not common to their core audience (ie- Jessica Simpson going country). Some might attempt to change their usual vocal style (ie- Kanye West trying to sing). Others might just take the easy way out and have Lil Wayne featured in their song (seriously, that guy is everywhere). Another way that artists try to reinvent themselves is through the use of alter egos.

Many people have tried the alter ego thing, some more successful than others. Prince, The Beatles, David Bowie, and of course Eminem (who actually has 3 different personalities credited to himself). The most recent case of MPD however belongs to Beyonce. On her new CD, I Am… Sasha Fierce, she gives her fans a double dose of music. One, a more soft spoken, R&B vibe. And the other, a more aggressive, stage presence. But when more than one personality arises, the age old questions comes with it- who is better?

I have to say, I have always been a Beyonce fan. She makes great music, God knows, she can dance, and she sings beautifully. I have always liked her slower, more pop oriented songs, my favorites being Listen and Irreplaceable. So you can imagine my surprise when I admit that I prefer the Sasha Fierce side of the album.

When Single Ladies and If I Were A Boy (isn’t it supposed to be If I Was A Boy? Ugh… grammar, I’ll never understand it) came out, I thought they were both great songs. There was nothing too amazing about them. If I Were A Boy was nice and sing-songy. Single Ladies was a great club going female anthem. However, I found myself reverting back to Single Ladies much more. There was something about the beat that just grabbed me. Plus, I didn’t understand how a song that appears to have Super Mario Brothers sounds interjected in it could be pleasing to listen to. Am I the only one who noticed that? And it does help that the one-shot dance video is amazing.

When Diva and Halo premiered, I found myself again liking the more aggressive and hip-hop centered of the two. I think Beyonce is at her best when she sings songs like Diva. It shows what she is capable of. We all know she is an amazing singer, we have Listen to help us figure that out. But not many could pull off a song like Diva with as much rawness as Beyonce (or Sasha) does. Halo is a beautiful song, but anyone can sing it and it would be great. It does not do justice to Beyonce. Diva is powerful, and shows that women can have swagger too. The song is carried really only by the repetition of one line but that’s what makes the song work so well and gives it a harder feeling. Although, I really don’t understand how a diva is a female version of a hustler, Sasha Fierce has proved once again that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Beyonce might have reinvented herself in a too literal way, but I for one, hope Sasha Fierce will stick around.