The singing, dancing, acting, power-coupling superhuman known as Beyoncé has held no-last-name-necessary status for almost a decade now. Yet somehow — against all the rules of our gotcha tabloid society — she steadfastly retains an old-fashioned, almost Garboesque mystery in her private life, granting only the occasional, pleasantly evasive interview. We are left to glean what we can from her songs and performances, which, though strikingly dynamic (only the dead of soul and lead of foot could resist smashes like ”Crazy in Love” and ”Irreplaceable”), remain oddly disconnected from Ms. Knowles herself, who appears otherwise as serene and unblinking as a beauty queen.

On her third solo CD, which purports to be her most confessional yet, does she finally break through her superstar scrim? Not really. But I Am…Sasha Fierce does offer two compelling sides of the singer. The album is a two-disc set, one the work of ”Beyoncé” (romantic, vulnerable,soft), the other by her alter ego, ”Sasha Fierce” (aggressive, sexual, and, well, fierce).

The first two singles — one from each disc, released simultaneously — demonstrate the contrast between her dueling personae. The ”Beyoncé” disc’s heartrending ”If I Were a Boy” soars with melodic swells and unwavering in-his-skin sentiments (”I think I could understand/How it feels to love a girl/I swear I’d be a better man”). On the other hand, ”Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” from the ”Sasha” half, is all bouncy hand claps and post-breakup sass (”Kept crying my tears/For three good years/You can’t be mad at me”), a giddy, high-stepping hybrid of lyrical kiss-off and fizzy jump-rope jam.

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