by Sam Wolstenholm
For my first review, I'm going with Beyoncé's RENAISSANCE. Released on July 29th 2022, this is an interesting sonic direction for arguably the biggest pop star of all time (if you can even reduce her to just pop music). However, it makes a ton of sense. Up front, I will say I liked this album. It centers around a dance/pop sound. This is a sound that has been making it's way into the mainstream for years now. The most recent example I can think of being the atrocious Honestly, Nevermind by Drake (I'm linking it, but don't listen to it) (cool website though). That surprise project was awful from front to back and an insult to the dance music genre. However, Queen B shows up here to take the sound to new, luscious, and seductive heights.
The style of review I'm going to do when it comes to music will be track-by-track reviews of entire albums. Then, I will give my overall "verdict" at the end. Without further ado, let's begin.
What a start to the album. The sample has a really cool digital sound, and the repetition of it isn't annoying due to the variations it goes through across the song as well as the other production around it. It utilizes dance beats, but it changes enough to stay interesting from front to back. Needless to say, Beyoncé comes through with an incredible confident performance. The strength in her voice is something that runs throughout the entire album, so I don't feel like I need to mention that for every song unless it's a clear standout. The feel of this track encapsulates the rest of the project and sets up the magical-sounding journey we are about to go on.
2. "COZY"
"Just a reminder!" cuts directly into a sick, upbeat drum and bass heavy dance feel. The song's title works with it's on-the-nose chorus to tell you exactly what the song is about, and I love it. It'd be a different story if the verses were as repetitive as the chorus, but they are definitely not. She does a great job of mixing melody and rhythm in her vocal performance here. It's catchy and confident. No complaints on that front. The beat itself can, however, get a little tedious if you focus on it. Luckily, the focus of the song is not its musical adventures, but its (previously mentioned) catchy and confident performance by the Queen.
If you haven't gotten one of this album's core themes by now, it is, to say it non-eloquently, confidence and self-love. This is one of my least favorite vocal performances by Beyoncé though, especially at this point in the album. This is because of the use of the melody from Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" for the chorus. I could be wrong, but it might even sample the drums..? If it does, then it's better than the original song. It's also way better than the Drake and Future song that is absolutely horrible (I won't even link that one, but I guess I'm all about the Drake slander here). "ALIEN SUPERSTAR", however, has a huge sound to it. It again follows the dance feel, but it is much more cinematic (that's a word I love to use - it implies high quality sounds combined with quality drama...I'll explain better later). It's 3:36 runtime seems to go by in a breeze because of the consistent dynamic changes throughout the track. It's just fun.
4. "CUFF IT"
This is a candidate for best song on the album, like, by far. I fucking love this. The only negative thing I can say about this track is that it kind of reminds me of something Dua Lipa would make...not that that's a bad thing necessarily. I love Dua Lipa. Besides that, this song is great in every sense. The drum beats get away from the spacey sound of the previous few tracks. In a sense, we come back to Earth here. The horns help create a super fun atmosphere when combined with that funky bassline. Her lyrics are relatable and her performance is beautiful. The chorus is extremely catchy and allows her to hit some high notes (especially those pretty backup vocals she does).
This was a cool transition from the last song to this one. This track is a little more lowkey and stripped down compared to the rest, but it is by no means simple. BEAM is a feature, yes, but his performance almost sounds like a sample. His voice combined with one of the most unique beats on the project makes for a really interesting journey. If there's one thing you should know about me as a "critic", it's that I like the weird stuff. I value risk-taking and creativity in general. I would prefer a mediocre weird song over an alright basic, safe song. "ENERGY" is neither basic nor safe, which is why it is another one of my favorites. I love the energy of this track (get it?). The only issue I have with it is that it is too short. However, it seems to be more of an interlude to lead into the next track, so I get it in the grand scheme of the album.
This is the "hit" from the project I think, and there is a reason why. This is one of the more dancey songs in the tracklist which is a feel that comes mainly from the looping sample combined with the drum beat that emphasizes every beat. It's a dance beat to its core, but the one musical element that takes it above and beyond is the keys part. It, especially combined with Beyoncé's rightous delivery of the chorus, adds an inspiring and uplifting feel to the track. Not only is it impossible not to dance to, but you'll be wanting to yell "you won't break my soul!" to all of your haters. If you're looking for a life-coach of a song to get you to get up and feel good about what you're doing with your life, then look no further than this epic.
Unfortunately, it's not easy to make a perfect album. Here is where the project takes a downturn in my opinion. This track starts out promising with a cool sample and some vocal "ooo"s from Beyoncé, but it immediately hits a weird tone-killer when the drums come in. That could all even be passible if it had a good vocal performance and enough dynamic changes in the production. Neither of these things are really present here. I actually really think the chorus in this track is horrible. It's too repetitive and clashes pretty hard with the feel of the production. The weird, cartoony keys that come in every now and then are also just offputting and don't really contribute to anything in a positive way. I just think this track is a mess, and it doesn't have much a direction to it. I understand it's supposed to just be a fun, cheeky dance track, but it just doesn't make me want to dance. This one is definitely not going on the playlist, whoops.
This song was much needed at this point in the album (especially after that last one). It's smooth and works as a sensual breather after a few high-energy tracks. It is simple, consisting mainly of a groovy bass, funky drums (utilizing open hi-hats, snaps, and a cool bongo thing sample), and soft piano and guitar chords. Nothing is in your face, and that opens up room for Beyoncé to bring out her warm, welcoming voice. She sounds amazing on this song. There isn't a lot happening on this song, but that's the point. It was placed perfectly in the tracklist and does its job. It's nothing special, but it doesn't try to be. It also serves as a good intro/interlude to the next track, where the energy picks back up again.
Running at about six minutes long, Beyoncé attempts here to fill a lot of space with a smoother dance sound. It changes enough to where it isn't annoying, so that's an obvious plus. She also shows off her vocal range here, and that is probably my favorite part of this track. The production, admittedly, does make me tap my foot and bop my head, but I would argue that a solid minute and a half could've been cut out of this song. If she wanted to run with the dance sound the whole song, she could have included a break from her vocals to bring in an instrumental solo of some sort. I guess I'd say this track is fine, but definitely one of the weaker spots on the project.
Oh hell yes. Another candidate for best song on the project. This doesn't completely follow the sound of the project as a whole, but it does good enough for being one of the most unique songs I've heard in a while. Confidence just oozes out the headphones (or speakers) through the extremely rhythmic beat and passionate perfmances by all the artists involved here. There is singing and rapping all over this thing. All of it is catchy. It makes me want to dance from start to finish. In fact, it makes me want to jump around with flashing lights in my face. It's just awesome. Already on the playlist. Listen to it.
11. "HEATED"
Not to say that it isn't good, but at this point in the album I could use a bit of variation with the drum beats. The song itself isn't terribly unique minus the quiet and distorted Beyoncé vocals (which are badass by the way). However, I'm close to having my share of a kick drum hitting on every beat at this point. It does switch up a bit around the middle of the track with a cool fat bass sound being added before switching to a whole rap thing she does. I'm not a huge fan of her lyrical performance here, which is something I look for in rap, but she does a good enough performance to make up for it. This is where the controversy around this album is too. I won't say the word, just in case, but I've heard it and many worse things in songs that didn't recieve any real backlash whatsoever. In this case, I'm fine with the lyric change. Like I said, I wasn't really a huge fan of the lyrics anyway, so it doesn't make much of a difference to me. As for the track overall, I'd say it's pretty mid honestly.
12. "THIQUE"
OOOOOO I'VE BEEN WAITING TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE SINCE I FIRST HEARD IT. I hate it. This song sucks. With that, I am clearly not the target audience (for the album in whole, but especially this song). It's supposed to be sexy and seductive, but it just doesn't do that for me. The beat is basic until halfway through where her voice seems to change all of a sudden too for a few seconds. I don't get it. The second half of the song is overall better than the first, but it's already ruined by the time it gets to that point. Not a catchy chorus, or one that I want to repeat over and over again. Honestly, the best part of the song is the last like 23 seconds. It doesn't even really lead into the next track though, so I'm not sure what the purpose of it is. Least favorite song on the project and I really hope this one doesn't end up on the radio or anything. It's not even fun.
Better, this track is much better. I don't think it is incredible or anything, but it has a cool build-up throughout the song that suddenly cuts off at the end, leaving the audience with a sense of incompletion. It is done in a tasteful way as to not piss me off by failing to release the tension it created. It keeps it fresh and interesting. I'm actually having a tough time pinning this one down, and I consider that a good thing in this case. There are cool sounds, it makes me nod my head really fast, and it keeps me engaged until the last sound stops. I can't really ask for anything more, I guess, so I'd say it's a solid track.
The production on this track is actually really, really good. It doesn't try to overcomplicate anything. The synths are total ear-candy, and the drums are repetitive but quiet and smooth enough to not be annoying or overpowering. There are so many different sounds in this song that I would say compliment each other very well. That combined with Beyoncé's vocals creates a pretty serious, dramatic tone. It's still danceable though. As far as the content goes, I'm pretty sure she is comparing herself to drugs. It rolls with the confidence that comes with this whole album, but in a more artistic way in my opinion. She paints the sexuality she embodies and sells as something Americans need in the same way they "need" drugs. She is a drug dealer, but her drug is herself. We cannot get enough of her, which has been proven true, and that sort of infactuation with her is compared to another American problem of drug addiction. It's actually really smart. This is a song that seems to get better every time I hear it, so I'm calling this one the dark horse of the project.
15. "PURE/HONEY"
"PURE" kind of goes with the sound of "ENERGY" and "MOVE" as a more lowkey, dance track. Again, there's a kick drum on every beat, but she performs cool dance lyrics, so it is what it is. Nothing too deep in the lyrics, but it does seem like a fun track for dancing or Tik Toks or something. I prefer the "HONEY" part of this track. It's sweeter (pun intended), and she is actually singing instead of the kind of rap she does in the "PURE" half. I also think the sample at the end of the track is hilarious. It obviously doesn't take itself too serious, which makes it more enjoyable in my opinion. I see why she combined these tracks, but I do think they both would've been better off on their own, especially "HONEY". Honestly, the "PURE" part could've been cut out entirely. I'm sure she had a better reason for keeping it how it is, but I haven't found it yet.
A solid close to the project, the near title track encapsulates the sound and themes of the entire album. Actually, I'd say it includes some of the best elements of almost every song. Dynamic singing. Confident, sexy lyrics. Cool synths. Dance-inducing drum beats. Catchy refrains. It's all there (you will definitely have to look past the obvious sampling of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" though). On the flip side, that also means this song doesn't necessarily stand out either. It is good, but I think it would fit better in the first half of the album. I really like it though as its own thing. Like I said, it's a fitting closer for this ambitious project, and it'll probably make the playlist thanks to the breakdown around the three quarter mark of the song.
Overall
I liked this album, a lot actually. There's a few misses for me, but it is an enjoyable listen for the most part. Queen B shows us yet again why she's one of the best artists out there. If you want to dance, listen to this album. If you want to feel good about yourself, listen to this album (especially a few specific tracks). If you want to hear some killer vocals over some badass synth sounds, definitely listen to this album.
What's keeping it from getting an 8/10 or higher is the somewhat repetitive beats across the album and the songs that are just not good.
7.8/10
If you've read my review, I assume you already have heard RENAISSANCE, so I want to hear what you think. What'd I miss? Did I tear apart your favorite song? Or give too much credit to one that doesn't deserve it? Any questions or comments? I'd love to respond. Feel free to drop review requests too! I will strongly consider them.
Peace and love.
Comments