Queens, rough trade and ballroom boys, lend me your ears. Or actually, lend your ears to Beyonce, as you are no doubt aware her Creole Majesty has dropped a new track "Bow Down/I've Been On," produced by Hit Boy and Timbaland.
The songs is miles away from the grown folks R&B of 4; it starts with Bey singing over snappy 808s and trippy synthesizers until the beat drops down into trunk shattering chopped and screwed bass, complete distorted vocals as Beyonce recalls sweet memories of her Houston youth--eating boudin and sneaking away to listen to UGK.
Personally, I think the track will appeal to the clubs, remix DJs and hip hop stations; as a Southern gal myself, I can see young ladies getting their life in the club while trade nods their hooded/fitted capped heads in the corner in approval. But as a proper single, I don't feel it matches up to previous blockbusters like "Crazy In Love," "Irreplacable," "Countdown" or "Diva," the last of which also mines similar alpha-female territory. It'll definitely set the club on fire, but it's just not broad enough to appeal to Beyonce's mainstream pop audience (who'll probably be scratching their heads and saying "what's boudin?") or get played on top 40 stations.
More than likely, it's probably a case of Beyonce wetting our appetites for new music while covering all her demographic bases (i.e making sure she keeps a foothold in clubland, where Ri-Ri and Kelly Rowland have been wrecking shop); She's much too savvy/ambitious to make this the introduction to her new album. My guess is she'll drop a few more tracks of various genres and we'll the get the full-blown first single treatment soon enough. Listen to "Bow Down/I've Been On" below.
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