Renaissance - Beyonce: Review
Beyonce
is a figure who really needs no introduction. After wowing audiences with her surprise released concept album and film Lemonade in 2016 she's worked on a variety of projects since, but Renaissance is a proper studio return for the queen.
Review by Lav:
After being one of the biggest commercials stars of the 2000's Beyonce graduated into being one of the most critically acclaimed pop auteurs of the 2010's, so what's next. That was the question I had going into Renaissance which has the chance to be a part of her most ambitious undertaking to date and is allegedly the first in a trio of projects. But with a lead single like Break My Soul the ceiling for this record is high. While it didn't quite blow me completely away there is a lot here that firmly cements Renaissance on the same tier as some of her best work, even if the filler time and lesser songs hold it back.
While the album is pretty consistent relative to all pop records out there it does still have ebbs and flows which line up very well with the development of the tracklist. One of those shifts in tone happens a few songs in but unfortunately the record doesn't start off with its best work. Opening track I'm That Girl skirts the line between intro and actual proper song but it mostly works because Beyonce has earned each of her brags. While the song is overflowing with charisma it mostly works to set up the rest of the record but the great run doesn't start until after the next song Cozy. Cozy isn't bad, it's a self-empowerment anthem but only by proxy because it's mostly a parade of Bey's confidence and swagger as both a lyricist and vocalist. My main problem with the song is the instrumental which does very little for me compared to other songs on the album, though I do love the Solange shoutout.
Thankfully after this we get the sequence that absolutely makes this album. It serves up one killer track after another with pinpoint transitions between them for one of the most enjoyable series of tracks I've heard all year. Alien Superstar was a song I first heard about through a leak that said the executives who heard it went crazy and for once, I agree. The sleek cutoffs at the end of every refrain in the verse is so lethal I just fall head first into it and the transition into the elegance of the hook is really smooth. Pair that with the hard-hitting rumbling drums underneath everything and Bey's on-point rapping I love everything about it. Cuff It shifts everything into pure dance music with a beat that feels like something Daft Punk would have made for The Weeknd. It's a train of one catchy refrain after another with absolutely mesmerizing backing vocals. The vocal layering throughout the track just sounds so crisp and high impact I'm obsessed with the whole thing.
Next up is the pair of Energy and Break My Soul. The first is the shortest song on the record but it features a great performance from Beam as a guest and the latter is obviously one of the best singles and hit songs of the year so far that is almost certain to top the Hot 100 next week. My favorite track on the whole record is probably Church Girl which is an amazing combination of Beyonce's effortless soul with her command of her own sexuality and intoxicating presence. It's essentially a thot anthem which I'm 1000% behind but it also features these wonderful backing vocal harmonies and a beat that knows just when to dial it up and bang the hardest.
There's a lot of songs on here that I have mixed feelings about but ultimately there are still some highlights left. Virgo's Groove is a great song my only complaint about it is that there was no good reason to stretch it out to over 6 minutes. It's a fun dance pop song that transitions into a memorable love song and the reintroduction of the beat in the last minute behind those great harmonies is a fantastic moment. Move is a similarly hard hitter with an exciting chorus and no shortage of catchy refrains. There are some island flavors on the song particularly in the drums but it doesn't feel like that much of an outlier on the record sonically. If there's anything to complain about on the song it's probably Beyonce's seemingly pointless bridge.
There's also two more highlights to be found in the records final run. As you can imagine America Has A Problem isn't exactly a shift into political consciousness or anything. It actually has one of the most instantly satisfying beats on the entire record and might be my favorite song across the second half. The closing track Summer Renaissance has a lot to live up to with its name but ultimately it's a fitting conclusion with a memorable beat and great refrains. It does a great job of painting Beyonce as a larger than life and impossibly glamorous figure which feels like one of the records overall defining themes.
All Up In Your Mind was a track I was pretty interested in going into the record because A.G. Cook worked on it but I can't say his presence is all that overpowering. Even though the track doesn't have the best refrains on the record the murky backing instrumentation and compelling way the song develops help make up for it. Pure/Honey is the very definition of a mixed bag as it starts off really strong with some of the most badass and memorable lines on the entire record coming in the first few minutes. It does start to unravel once the "funny, money, honey" part comes in and it shifts into a more conventional pop/R&B song. Despite Beyonce's once again great vocals I don't think the songwriting is there in the second half.
As many have stated about the album when it wanders away from Beyonce's comfort zone and the dance beats that define the record, results are pretty mixed. Thique is one of the more tolerable examples despite the expectations it clearly sets up with its title. Plastic Off The Sofa is a similar diatribe but one I don't like quite as much. The only song that REALLY felt like it was far below the quality bar of the record is Heated which has one of the most forgettable dance beats you'll ever hear and almost feels like royalty-free music. While the song does have some memorable quotables it also has parts that just clearly needed to go back to the drawing board.
When a record of this caliber comes out there are always hot takes and as usual I would urge caution. Fans and critics who see this new shift in style as anything other than a meaningful artistic evolution will likely come up with some excuse as to why they think Beyonce is selling out and coming up short. But the fact of the matter is she has a really strong connection with this style and serves up quite a few not only hit-worthy songs but plenty of future fan favorites and beloved deep cuts. There is also rationality needed going the other way. No Beyonce is not really reinventing a new musical style entirely nor is this anywhere near the best dance or dance pop record you could ever hear. While it does ultimately land in the middle I have to say I liked a lot of this album and the killer sequence in the first half is reason enough alone that it's one of the better pop albums of 2022. This may not be my favorite Beyonce record or my favorite record of 2022 but it is no doubt a triumph in the face of enormous hype and ballooning expectations. 8/10
This cover is really cool. I love the reference to Studio 54 and Bianca Jagger that really pus what you know you're going to hear on the album. I like that the horse is this futuristic light that brings a sci-fi modern twist to the retro imagery. Since Beyonce is so instantly recognizable I don't think it needs branding necessarily but it also wouldn't hurt either. I do think the background could have a slight texture to it like on the limited edition cover but other than that I think it's great. 8.5/10
For more pop check out my review of Steve Lacy's Gemini Rights here
