She’s All Yours

Leave it to Beyonce to have an intimate concert in Las Vegas. Her “I Am Yours” event is currently on DVD charts and on several music-video stations. It originally aired in truncated form on Thanksgiving. On a night not usually known for high ratings, her special was the most watched program of the evening.

That said the program only shows a glimpse of what is on this multidisc set. The first part is a set of ballads and songs that were originally recorded at a faster pace have been slowed down. Two of the creative ways in which she reinvents her songs is by incorporating other songs with a similar theme. For the “Sweet Dreams Melody” Beyonce infuses Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” and the title song from her “Dangerously in Love Album” to fade out with. For an artist known for singing at the near speed of light, it was refreshing to hear this interpretation of her songs alongside a classic R&B song. Then there is “If I Were a Boy.” The Alanis Morissette hit “You Oughta Know” is slipped in and fits perfectly into the theme of “If I Were a Boy.” This isn’t a remix; it’s a performance that without the technology would have only been appreciated by the audience. Think Judy Garland’s stints on the Vegas strip before her filmed performance at the London Palladium.

There are some lyrical lead balloons on this special. The song “Satellites” seems to be there for an audience intermission. And the “Déjà vu Jazz Melody” although high energy was a letdown, particularly when Beyonce attempts to scat like Ella Fitzgerald. The high energy second part of Beyonce’s show is her life story through song. Anyone who has a television knows that she was with Destiny’s Child and has been working since she was 9. The audience doesn’t need the rehash. Unfortunately you can’t skip these parts since it’s intertwined with the music. Still for a diehard fan it’s more Beyonce.

Part of this DVD is the making of the concert. This behind the scenes glimpse into how this performance came about isn’t the most riveting however it is an interesting look into how a show gets put on.

Having said that we can’t forget that there is a CD component to this. The music without the visual performance shows just how far Beyonce’s voice has come. In the early days of Destiny’s Child she seemed to have a hard time matching the performance with her vocals. On this most recent CD her musicianship and growth as a performer are spotlighted.

For lovers of Beyonce’s style and music “I Am Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas” would be a welcome addition to their music library. For the rest you might want to buy the CD separately.