The first disc of I Am... Sasha Fierce is chock-full of ballads, quite the curious choice since Beyonce has found the most success in the booty-shaking hip-hop dance field (a.k.a., the second disc).Many of the ballads aren't very interesting. They're your typical "allow Beyonce fill-in-the-blank minutes to vibrato the song to death" trcks, which can get really boring after a few listens.
However, some of the songs are really something to click repeat on iTunes about. Alongside "If I Were a Boy" and "Halo" is the deluxe edition track "Smash Into You".
The song was originally written for Jon McLaughlin's record OK Now as "Smack Into You". After he rebuffed the track, composers The-Dream and Christophr "Tricky" Stewart gave the song to Beyonce, who made a change to the title to make it her own (a.k.a., get a songwriting credit).
The song being in her hands, of course, meant it was going to be pretty great. Her version, although virtually the same as McLaughlin, has a few more dramatic flourishes as the song progresses to its powerful climax. Remarkably, the flourishes don't come from Beyonce's voice. Instead of ripping the song to shreds as usual, Beyonce restrains herself. While she does allow herself room to interpret the thoughtful lyrics, she doesn't take it to a level where you wonder when her vocal chords are going to bust. Clearly she recognizes the wonderful melody, because she essentially follows it to the tee. Even her power notes near the climax are still held back, allowing the listener to remember why we fell in love with the pop diva years and years ago.
Kudos to Beyonce for realizing that less really is more.
Rating: 8.5/10
Note: "Smash Into You" is available only on the Deluxe Edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce
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