Beyoncé has rush-released a new video for her promotional single, "1+1" on Friday and in the video, the singer dons a garter belt and is shown tearing-up while singing about the one she loves. Serving as the opener for the 29-year-old Grammy-winner's upcoming fourth solo album "4," the down-tempo power ballad draws from the genres of contemporary R&B and soul music. Beyoncé leaves choreography behind as she becomes the sole focus of the clip.The piano-driven heartfelt ballad finds Beyoncé as the female protagonist expressing her endless love to her interest. The lyrics make sweeping statements about the power of her relationship. "I don't know much about algebra but one plus one is two," she croons, revealing she does know something about arithmetic. "He ain't got nothing but love. Darling, you got enough for the both of us. Make love when my days look low, pull me in close." The Texan songstress debuted the tune on the season 10 finale of American Idol on May 25. She introduced it as her "favorite" song, and sang it in a purple dress with red lights.
The song features "a soft, almost non-existent" backing beat, and makes use of guitar and piano as its foundation, while wind chimes and funk-influenced bass instrumentation is also present. "1+1" generally demonstrates the raw vocals of Beyoncé, presenting a side of her voice she told Billboard magazine she wanted to use more of on her then forthcoming album, "4:" "I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records." The low-key instrumentation allows Beyoncé' voice to display all the emotional points, in a way similar to that of Whitney Houston.
Beyoncé's all oiled up, shedding tears and having her hair blown around with a light show that accentuates her every diva pose dancing across her in herself directed video. The footage was a different direction for Beyoncé because it was far from the heavy dance routines for which she is known for. The whole thing may be rather simple, but it's hard to take your eyes off it. It experiments with psychedelic visual effects and innovative lighting, which altogether give it a cinematic feel. The video was generally met with positive reception from music critics, who stated it "sell sex as art" and it will be remembered as one of Beyoncé's most iconic visual work.
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