Beyoncé - Renaissance
Genre: Hip Hop
Score: 9/10
This is the seventh studio album from the greatest musical performer in an entire generation, Beyoncé.What to Expect: :
A lot. Beyonce is one of the most influential R&B and pop performers in an entire generation. When she drops, it becomes an earth shattering cultural event, the likes of which we do not see since the last Beyonce album dropping. When the lead single to the album Break My Soul came out, everyone started making House music again. Twitter became Wikipedia. Now that the entire album is out, will it be a parody of house like Drake’s album, or an actually tasteful tribute to House music?
Overall:
I’m incredibly impressed with the production on this album. Of course, Beyonce’s vocal performances are technically flawless, so it really goes without being said at this point. She’s just always on point, no matter what album or artistic phase she is in. But the songwriting and the production on this album is particularly insane. Every transition from one song into the next for a majority of the album felt like a very well made DJ set that just kept the momentum going on the dancefloor. You can fit most of this album into a club setlist and it will work really well. I also love the amount of variety of vocal samples and house instrumental stylers that were incorporated into the production. There were some deep house moments, some disco moments, and some trap moments. Each part was very well crafted and it was clear that Beyonce and her producers paid attention to the flow of the album. It’s too early to say if it’s my favorite Beyonce album of hers to date, but it’s growing to be one of my personal favorite ones.
Play by Play:
I’m that Girl - Loving the driving beat and her looped vocals as a sample. Her vocals are as grand as ever. I love how dynamic the beat is. The transition into cozy is great.
Cozy - I love the beat. Her lyrics are very supportive and her vocals are super catchy. Beyonce’s have not faltered technically at any point in her career, and it’s insane to see for THIS long. This beat is insane. Her producers gave a lot of attention and care to it. I can hear this song playing in classic house clubs in Chicago and Atlanta and Houston right in the middle of a classic House DJ set.
Alien Superstar - This is a banger. She sounds so alluring on the track. The beat is so insane and the way the hook comes in is smooth. It reminds me of a housy FKA Twigs at some points in the track. I’m loving the cut speech samples about love and pride. I think that they’re great benchmarks throughout the track. I also love the instrumentation along the bridge and outro.
Cuff It - I love the disco turn. Beyonce sounds so classic on this. The instrumentation reminds me of classic acts like Crown Heights Affair and Prince’s early releases. Her lyrics are as sexy as ever. She sounds like she saw what Lizzo was doing and was like “bet”. All of these tracks are so danceable and so cohesive so far.
Energy - Beam’s feature is dope. I love the beat switch too. Beyonce sounded like she went down to Ghana and was like “bet”.
Break My Soul - These transitions are incredible. Big Freedia’s sample is iconic. This song is an instant hit. I love the house beat. The song is really layered. Beyonce’s performance is fantastic. This song is a banger.
Church Girl - This felt like the first real break in the album, and for good reason. This sample and vocals into the beat sounds great. Beyonce’s performance is not only catchy but also very dynamic as well.
Plastic off the Sofa - Ooh I like this groove. It’s very jammy. Beyonce sounds like Syd and the instrumentation sounds like the Internet. Naturally, she does their sound a great deal of justice. Wow, that ending.
Virgo’s Groove - It’s a perfect beat. It actually sounds like a Quincy Jones beat. This song is amazing. The hook reminds me of Janet Jackson and Thriller. Her performance is iconically sexy. Instant hit.
Move - This dance beat is about to go insane. This is about to be a battle on the dancefloor. This beat is so catchy. Her performance is very dynamic and the song is very smooth as a result. I enjoy the vocal samples as well. It’s a very danceable track.
Heated - A dancehall track is pretty cool. Her performance is pretty catchy. I love the fried vocals, it’s a fun time.
Thique - I love the driving beat. Oddly enough, it reminds me of deep techno. I’m enjoying the variety of drum patterns and grooves on this album. It’s actually a tasteful tribute to American house music. Her hook is as ear grabbing as ever.
All Up In Your Mind - I love this techno beat. I love how it turns into a trap beat. Her hook is pretty catchy and gets progressively more chaotic instrumentally over the course of the song.
America Has a Problem - You can pop and lock old school to this groove. Like legit breakdancing. And Beyonce is just vocally breakdancing all over the concrete like a G. The instrumentation compliments the record cuts so well. The synth instrumental break sounds really awesome as well.
Pure/Honey - I’m loving the classic vocal chops and the bounce bass. It’s about to be a twerk fest. Beyonce is very much going to take us on a ride on this one. This house groove is so fire despite being so skeletal. I love the switch and how smooth the disco groove came in and out. This song is incredibly creative instrumentally and her hook is so incredibly catchy. Her vocal performance on the disco groove is so angelic. Her hook on honey is fantastic. The beats and grove transition into each other so flawlessly. The vocal samples and adlibs are incredible.
Summer Renaissance - Ah, the classic “I’m gonna make you mine by any means necessary” track that only Beyoncé can make. I love the beat so much and how layered it gets on the hook. The buildup of applause at the bridge is so good. Beyonce can write a hell of a bridge and it shows on this song. Her French sounds funny but it’s Beyonce so I’m sure the French would get past it. Overall, this album is great.
Score: 9/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion