Research - R&B Pop CD Covers

Beyonce – I am Sasha Fierce

Sasha Fierce is Beyonce Knowles alter-ego, who is strictly for the stage only.
This album promotes and formally introduces Sasha Fierce, Beyonce’s alter-ego.

The picture is coloured in grey scale, possibly to connote that this is the real woman behind the music and the songs. However, it could also suggest that this is how fans should see Sasha, as a completely different person to Beyonce.


The greyscale colouring is generally used in R&B videos and is normally associated with this type of music. Therefore allowing the audience to realise what type of genre the music may be, before even listening to it.

Her movement and gesture of her scraping her hair back and she’s wearing no make-up, could connote that she is now revealing herself as a new woman or as her alter ego Sasha and that she may have been hiding behind the appearance of Beyonce. She is also giving us the impression she is naked too, which could connote her revealing her true identity as well.

The style of writing for the title and ‘Beyonce’ is pretty simple with the greyscale colouring; however there are some light parts on it possibly connoting the stardom she has gained and how famous she is. The shiny parts of the words itself connotes glamour.

The camera shot used is a close up shot, which could connote how the audience will get up close and personal with Sasha Fierce in the album. It shows she is not afraid to reveal herself. The position in the frame of her is that she’s central to the picture. She takes up the whole frame connoting her importance.

For the back cover of the album, Beyonce is in a very sexy pose showing that she is flexible, and quite a strong independent woman, linking to her alter-ego of Sasha Fierce. She is positioned in the middle of frame which connotes her high status and that all of the attention should be on her. The back cover is also greyscale the same as the front and it has the song titles and has a barcode and the copyrights including the record label.







Cassie – Cassie

This is the debut self titled album by R&B pop singer Cassie, which was released in 2006 by Bad Boy records.

The costume of Cassie isn’t really shown much in the album cover, however, you can see she is a beautiful woman and they wanted to give the album an identity.

Her gesture with her arms folded and her head resting on top connotes a certain attitude, like I’m not bothered kind of attitude. She also looks very serious because of her facial expression.

She is positioned in the middle of the frame, therefore dominating the whole cover, which again is another connotation of R&B pop singers. They like to be the center of attention.

Her name in the top right corner is in a gold colour, which makes it stand out and shows a glamorous side to it all.

For the back cover, the same image of Cassie is used, although it has zoomed out now and you can see the rest of her arms, which I think is quite cool. She is positioned in the middle of the frame connoting her status and so that the focus is on her. The back cover also contains the barcode, the song titles and the copyright of the record label and Production Company.








Danity Kane – Welcome to the Dollhouse

This album is the debut album from P Diddy’s band Danity Kane and was released in 2008. The band were formed on Diddy’s programme ‘Making the band’, but have recently split up.

The costume of the girls connotes and innocent yet playful side to them, which links into the title of the album. The make-up used has made them look very fresh faced, yet doll like.

The bluey-white background also adds to the innocent portrayal of the girls and their personalities.

The fact that they are entwined or leaning up against each other connotes how close they are how and how comfortable they are with each other.

The girls are positioned in the middle of the frame, therefore dominating the picture connoting that it’s all about them and they’re the main focus.

The style of writing for the words ‘Danity Kane’ seem to be quite harsh suggesting the girls have a bit of an edge, however, the words ‘welcome to the dollhouse’ are written in a soft way, connoting the girls have a soft side to themselves as well.

For the back cover, the picture is of a blank room covered in white, which connotes an angelic theme suitable for dolls. On the floor there are also a bunch of roses, which connote love and links into the songs on the album.
The song titles are scribbled on the wall, which is quite interesting and connotes a childish feel about it.
The back of the album also has a barcode and the copyrights.






Keri Hilson – In a Perfect World

This again is the debut album from American R&B pop singer Keri Hilson. It was released in March 2009 by Mosley and Zone 4 and was produced by Timbaland.
The title of In a Perfect World... with the dots at the end connotes that nobody’s perfect and the world isn’t perfect and the songs relate to this as they’re about heartbreaks. The songs are there for women to relate to and this certainly comes across.

The costume of Keri is very glamorous and stylish, very up to date.
Her name is in flashing lights at the top of the cover, and this is so that it stands out and is possibly the first thing you see. She’s like a star.
Her position in the frame is to the right of the cover, as this way the sun can be seen to be shining through, which again connotes how much of a star she is and makes the cover instantly stand out.

The background colour again makes the cover stand out as it is a metallic purple, which brightens up the cover straight away. It glamorises it.
Her movement and gesture in the cover is that she has an ‘I’m not bothered’ attitude, which links in with the album creating a certain power for women.

The back cover seems very glossy and is typical of an R&B Pop CD cover. R&B Pop is about glamour and Keri conveys this on the back cover, what with the bold, bright colours. Also the stars could connote how much of a star she has become. The back cover contains the barcode and the copyrights and logos for the record label.