"I Was Here" Beyoncé

Just about every big-voiced female singer in the last three decades has worked with Diane Warren at some point; it's practically a diva rite of passage. So it was only a matter of time until Beyoncé—the closest this generation has to a Whitney or Mariah—took her turn, collaborating with the veteran songwriter on power ballad "I Was Here" from last year's 4. As Diane Warren shlockfests go, this one is a remarkably genuine affair. Though the lyrics are as maudlin as ever ("The hearts that I touched will be the proof that I leave/that I made a difference"), Beyoncé sells the sentiment fully, never abandoning performance in favor of vocal showboating like so many of her forebears. (That passion can become melodramatic at times, even cheesy, but it seems almost selfish to complain about a singer who wants you to feel her emotions too much.) For a cause like today's United Nations World Humanitarian Day, "Here" is the perfect choice of charity single, hitting all the right thematic notes without sacrificing the entertainment value that audiences seek in songs they might actually listen to more than once. B+