BEYONCÉ

muah

Ikke det definitive Beyoncé album men jeg synes faktisk lyden er ældet meget godt

Fyldt med gigantiske numre, ekstremt repræsentativ produktion for tiden (positivt). Føles måske lidt overproduceret, men det hjælper at hun nøs på beatet og så blev beatet endnu mere ordentlig sygt

As a 34M I feel like a very empowered woman right now.

It's No Lemonade that's for sure. I like the beats and dshe has a good vocal range she is likable no doubt it this is just a nothing album really. The collabs are the best thing on here and I like the odd track but as an album it got boring. First few tracks were okay but I drifted off mid section. I probably won't return

ah no thank you

Has some good songs but not a cohesive album

Uma verdadeira cápsula do tempo que lhe coloca de volta pro início da década de 2010, época onde Beyoncé era sem dúvida uma artista ubíqua, e seu disco de estréia destaca essa intensa presença popular, com diversas canções memoráveis e até mesmo nostálgicas. A cápsula do tempo se dá não só pela popularidade de algumas dessas canções naquele tempo específico, mas também pelo estilo de produção. A influência palpável de produtores como Timbaland, Kanye West, Pharrell… Pode-se dizer que é um som datado, mas não acho isso necessariamente ruim. Nessa época, o Rap estava flertando muito com uma sonoridade eletrônica, certamente pela popularidade de Dubstep na época, e o resultado sempre me interessou. Afinal, Yeezus é o melhor disco do Kanye e sem dúvida um dos melhores discos de Rap da história, e ouço aqui uma pegada bem semelhante. O grande problema é o maximalismo exacerbado. Kanye dá conta, Beyoncé nem tanto. O disco fica cansativo chegando perto do final de sua longa duração. Ainda mais com uma sonoridade tão abrasiva. 3/5

30 co-writers really make this a personal statement.

i’m a self proclaimed not beyoncé fan but this album might have turned me. an almost perfect album

Not feeling this that much

This has some good bops but feels inconsistent. Lemonade deserves to be here over this. Also people are freaking out over her being on this list like it’s the worst thing in the world, but don’t bat an eye at every single generic britpop band on here.

It’s okay.

I've never been a fan of Beyonce. I did like Destiny's Child back in the day, and I do like some songs on her Lemonade album. Other than that, I don't like her. I think she thinks too much of herself, and I just don't get the hype. I didn't know any songs on this album. It was fine, but nothing special.

Before listening: what a torture this project does to me today. Just returned from a fabulous concert of Wilco and than this. I would not be able to mention a song from Beyonce, only know she is very famous but in a pop style which is totally not for me. My prejudice is that it is very overproduced and over commercialised and far from what I consider as art and beautiful. But let’s give it a try… After listening: My prejudice turned out to be correct. I read that this is music for hairdressing salons, I would rather say music for low budget porn movies. 1/5

I was kind of shocked at how bored I was throughout this. I like Beyoncé for the most part, and even though this is well produced and sounds fine, ultimately the inserts from various competitions or shows from her youth comes off as the truth is, that is Beyoncé is all Beyoncé thinks about or cares about. No real jams here. Not much to sing along to. Not much to dance to. Not as good as her other outings.

Conflicted on how to rate this. On the one hand its a competent and entertaining album of pop r&b with a sprinkle of rap performed by an industry powerhouse that put the work in to get to her position. On the other hand its an album created by an entire industry that seems more interested in generating revenue than in the ambitions of a single artist. The list of writers and producers is long, though Knowles has her name threaded throughout. It's a far cry from an artist with a pen and a pad and a DAW putting their heart and soul into an album with its warts and all. It is slick and shiny and produced to the millimeter. I don't doubt that Beyonce put effort into this album, and that it does express some of her feelings, thoughts, emotions, experiences, etc. But the machine behind it is vast and it feels too packaged to be 100% genuine.

Look, R&B isn't really my genre...but you gotta respect talent. Beyoncé can sing, rap, and write, all at a very high level, and she picks excellent producers and collaborators to get everything done exactly to her liking. This is rhythmic and raunchy and clever, and the fact that I'm probably not going to listen to it again doesn't take anything away from that.

First time listening to a Beyoncé album and this on was very good

arguably her best, even though the production sounds a bit dated partition is one of the best pop songs of the millennium

Much of this album is what I would expect from a Top 40 album made in my lifetime. The few songs that didn’t, like the funky and surprisingly sexy vamps on “Blow” and “Rocket,” were the most memorable and enjoyable moments for me. This was generally enjoyable but I’m more likely to return to certain tracks rather than the album as a whole. 3.5 stars.

This project has me nostalgic for 2013. I hate being nostalgic for 2013 because I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.... Anyway, OK album that goes places that made me raise an eyebrow but nod along in agreement that this is what it's here for and this is what it's going to do. I really enjoyed the title track and the final track. Everything else in the middle was good enough for a 3 star rating. It's always fun to read of albums that were unexpected release. In my old age (in 2013) I wasn't listening to Beyoncé so I wasn't hip to its release. Grateful to have experienced it.

20 tracks (though I plan to skip remixes) for an artist I am not entirely fond of is already making me feel tired, but let's get on with it. Much like my outlook on Adele, I cannot deny that this lady can sing, her vocals are phenomenal. The album has started strong with "Pretty Hurts", with relatable lyrics (unfortunately can't connect too deep as a man) and tight vocal performance. The only place it's let down - for me - is the instrumentation, in that it only exists to prevent her from singing against silence; didn't find anything to grasp onto here, not even the piano sections. Straight away, in this first track too, I am reminded of the reputation of Beyonce's artistry: it's heavily manufactured, with several song writers and instruments (if any are played at all) being heavily post-edited to dial in perfection to a point that the humanity is squeezed out of it. I will do my best to give it the benefit of the doubt going forward. I was more partial to "Haunted" due to the dark synth beats (always been a sucker for these) and the reverbed spoken lyrics were also a fun inclusion. About the half way mark, hearing the lyrics repeating over and over made it fall off in a big way for me. Frustrating, nothing worse than enjoying only half a track. "Drunk in Love" was just awful start to finish. Instrumentation deeply uninteresting. Lyrics complete drivel; can't help but thinking of that typical anti-social working class couple with the needlessly tumultuous relationship 'vibing to this' when they aren't threatening to kill each other. "Blow" was pretty forgettable for me (despite having a pretty decent music video) and "No Angel" had just straight awful lyrics that repeated in the most grating way. I enjoyed "Partition" more due it's burlesque style beats, but still didn't vibe with it due to the overtly sexual lyrics (never really been a fan with this, though I will readily admit that this way more tasteful than anything a rapper has ever managed). "Jealous" was another forgettable one for me and, I realised with this one, that even in 2013 (8 years after she broke with Destiny's Child) that the subject matter of relationships hangs heavy over the whole album. "Rocket", if you are gonna have a sexy track, is probably where the tasteful metaphors peak; it's just an upgrade on "Partition". I was actually enjoying "Mine" for the first 1:43, despite her need to repeat that hook lyric 'taking this a little too far'. Then Drake happened and just... wow. I'm finding it difficult to put into words how much I hated the distorted lyrics and muted drums. It just smashed all of the brain cells out of the track; truly awful. Another deeply frustrating one. Come "XO", I don't really have it in me to keep stating the same criticisms over and over per track. So, best thing to do is to put out what tracks I actually did enjoy to some extent: "Pretty Hurts", "Haunted", "Partition"/"Rocket" (still on the fence with these). "Flawless" was just the same as most others on this album, but Adichie's spoken section about standards for boys and girls was good; it somehow worked more than Knowles' vocals did. Also listened to "7/11" and "Ring Off" which is part of the Platinum edition. Nothing much to say about both of these tracks either. Overall, I can't say the album is unlistenable here. Other than the odd track that had lyrics that strived to be meaningful in a way that actually seemed sincere, it's just kind of devoid of anything that gives it real life like other music does. If you had showed this album to me some 2 or 3 years ago, I think I would have found something in it, for sure. However, having been spoiled by music from the 60s-90s since then, where perfect instrumentals were achieved with skill alone and an overall higher sophistication of lyrics generated by 1-2 people already in the band existed, I just cannot find much at all.

Imagine making a super crass sex album, including a cruel reference to an young woman abused on the world stage and an idolisation of domestic violence, before veering painfully hard into mourning death and celebrating birth while giving your one-year-old a credit. Then naming the whole thing after yourself. And being lauded for it. I feel violated.

I can feel her exploring her art beyond the big pop hits, and you have to respect how she's swinging for the fences with some of these -- there's an epic, maybe operatic sensibility in a couple that demands attention. Still didn't quite grab me overall.

Her move away from chart toppers and easy pop hits towards something deeper, truer, more profound. I remember the surprise release like it was yesterday; something had changed in the music landscape, and its ripples have informed everything since. Of course, three years later she completely ripped up the playbook and created Lemonade, which is better than this in every conceivable way. It's really something when an artist puts out a career-defining album and then finds a different gear and blasts through whatever range of outcomes you thought possible. Four stars for Beyoncé; all the stars for Lemonade (not on this list, natch),

The sheer impact this album had when it was first released was crazy. For me it signals a shift in Beyonce's career where she truly became one of the greatest pop stars of all time - even the music press seemed unanimously bought in. And who can blame them. This is a really great pop album, it flits between genres confidently and feels more personal than what had come before, though that would be outdone with the follow up Lemonade. If anything, Lemonade's release does cast a bit of a shadow over Beyonce's self titled album. The behind the mic drama that took place between the two albums means the tracks directly dealing with Beyonce and Jay-Z's relationship feel somewhat false, though they didn't really lessen my enjoyment.

2013 electro-r&b Pretty hurts Drunk love flawless Heaven

pretty hurts. kocham tą piosenke 💃 reszta albumu mid, posluchalam, ale nie wiem czy wróce do tych piosenek

meh

1. 4.5 2. 4 3. 5 4. 3 5. 3.5 6. 4.5 7. 3.5 8. 3.5 9. 3 10. 4 11. 4.5 12. 3 13. 2.5 14. 3

Music history is littered with self-titled albums and they mostly break down into one of two camps: debut or making point. In the making a point category, things can be further subdivided between artists who are self-titling because they think the album represents some culmination of their work (Saint Vincent by Saint Vincent) and artists who are being defensive (Van Halen III by Van Halen). Beyonce by Beyonce clearly intends to be in the artistic culmination subcategory. And indeed, the album is largely a victory lap showing off Beyonce's skills, some of her most acclaimed collaborators, and generally celebrating her success. But at the same time, we know that Lemonade comes next which is both a better album and a much more vulnerable one. It unintentionally mutes some of the impact of this album by recontextualizing songs about how awesome Beyonce and Jay Z's marriage is as defensiveness in a marriage that has serious cracks. That's not to say it's a bad album by any means. It's just harder to buy into celebratory tone on the more brag-based tracks with the benefit of hindsight.

Why the hell is this shit even in the book?

MOTHERQUAKE INCOMING. Me esperaba muchísimo más de este álbum. Beyoncé no se decide si rapear o cantar, aunque en ninguna de ambas destaca. Solo una canción me pareció buena y el resto son un sinmas del montón de canciones pop/rb.

Hard to believe this album received "widespread critical acclaim"! It wasn't bad just didn't seem that great to me.

Now that more than 10 years have passed since Beyoncé released the self titled album, it's maybe more interesting to think about this album in conversation with the rest of her work and where the artist was at this time. I (hopefully) don't need to tell you what a phenomenon "Single Ladies" was, making I Am... Sasha Fierce just as much of a phenomenon, ensuring that even a few years later "Halo" was still my high school prom's theme. She followed it up with 4, still my personal favorite Beyoncé album, the first she released after an advertised personal break and a formal professional breakup with her father Mathew Knowles as manager. I love the way 4 explores various corners of R&B music, but it didn’t set the world on fire as much as its predecessor did. Enter Beyoncé the album, dropped without warning on December 13, 2013. I still remember opening up iTunes on that day and seeing just how wall-to-wall plastered Beyoncé and her videos were plastered all over the interface. Don’t call it a comeback, especially since it came only two years after 4, but the hype was immediate and powerful. The album itself only spawned one huge single (“Drunk in Love”), but it was hard to think of an album that was as much of a capital-E Event as this one, especially because the visual album was such a novel concept (and will, sadly, probably stay that way). In fact, it’s hard not to think that the success of Beyoncé’s self titled album on iTunes was probably what inspired U2’s ill advised publicity stunt to give every iTunes user a free copy of Songs of Innocence a year later, whether they liked it or not. As marketing, Beyoncé played it right, and she backed up with a pretty great album. Listening today, my main take on the album as a whole is that this a portrait of Beyoncé as she saw herself in 2013: starting to reminisce on the past (as evidenced by the Star Search samples), starting to see herself as more of a feminist leader in pop music post-“Run the World (Girls)” (as evidenced by the outro on “Partition” and all of “***Flawless”), someone bouncing back and forth between big pop songs and more luxuriating R&B moments, and a new mother (it’s not my favorite song but it’s hard not to be moved by “Blue” as a closer). This album covers a LOT of ground, highlighting Beyoncé’s ability to meld genres and mesh with the stylistic talents of songwriters/producers as diverse as Sia, Pharrell, Caroline Polachek, The-Dream, Drake, Ryan Tedder, Boots, and Frank Ocean. How you feel about each individual song will depend on your personal preference; there’s a lot of songs I love on here (especially “Blow”, “Partition”, ‘Jealous”, “***Flawless”, and “Rocket”), but there’s also a few that that probably should’ve been left off on an album that was pretty notoriously pared down from 80 songs to 14 (especially “Mine”. I liked Drake a lot at this time and even this felt like way too little effort from him). Those tracks are what knock this album down a bit for me, but the visual album itself gets a 5 from me: making a lot of music videos for an album wasn’t the most original concept, but basically no one before or since had done it with this level of production. I think a lot about Beyoncé jamming around a roller rink in a Wonder Woman t-shirt singing about getting eaten out. What came next is history in its own right: Lemonade became an album inextricably tied to its creator’s personal life in a way probably no one was expecting in 2013 but still stands as a hallmark in Beyoncé’s discography (4 is my favorite Beyoncé album but gun to my head Lemonade is the best), and that in turn was followed up by Beyoncé going into full genre curation with the explorations and interrogations of classic house music and classic country music. At this point now it’s harder than ever to say what Beyoncé’s next move is, but only because she so definitively changed the template for how a popular musician could surprise their audience. Bow down bitches.

Would have been a four if it had been condensed into something of a digestible length. Too much at the buffet

It’s not often I wipe my Spotify history after one of the albums on this list but for this one I’ll make an exception

I want to support the female empowerment, but honestly a bunch of songs about jay z haven’t aged well so I’m good.

Well, it's well done and I didn't hate all of it - but some songs I found just annoying. Overall, it's way too mainstream for my taste. As a general review - I get why people are so into her. For me, though, it's a no.

Did not like it ... skipped through most of it.

I have to say, that voice has a certain charisma—naturally bolstered by the backing vocalists. I like the soulful, mellow moments best; as soon as the rapping starts, I can't stand it. Generally speaking, it’s not my kind of music, but I managed to get through it by skipping tracks. 3 stars.

Fuck Beyonce

Ok Jesus I can't believe it but I actually quite liked this. Well, parts of it. The bass and beats were really thumping. Beyonce herself is fine, obviously a great voice but she's incredibly overproduced on this record. But as a whole it sounds pretty grand if you just listen to it on the surface. Like I could picture myself driving to this at night with the windows down. I enjoyed the electronic sound this album utilized. I've had virtually no modern pop on this list yet but this fits the bill. Not that I enjoy the genre by any means. But this sounds like stuff that was starting to come out at the tail end of my college tenure so there's kind of that element of going out with friends all night that this album hits. Standout tracks were "Haunted" "No Angel" and "XO." Lyrics are not the strong suit on Beyonce. Special shout out to Jay Z for the godawful line "Your breasteses are my breakfast." Thats just... awful stuff. The low beats and complimenting high melodies are the album's selling points. Anyway, Beyonce annoys me and I hate that I enjoyed this, it's a solid 4. The vibes are good even if the song quality is subpar.

Blind album, and honestly couldve gone my whole life without listening to this and been okay. Had 0 interest, now have negative interest. Shes got a voice but the music diminishes it emensely and she chose this for her style and brand. Credit where credit is due. But at some points honestly, i cant tell if i want her to shut up or the crap trap to stop. Interesting for the music video piece and maybe I will watch 1 or 2 cause I feel like thats meant to be a part of this music experience, but last I checked, you shouldn't need a video to appreciate and compliment music. It should be able to stand out on its own.... 1.

Heard before?:❌️/✔️ (Beyoncé is inescapable so I heard snippets around) Will listen again?:❓️ 2.5 Haunted is the highlight of the album for me. The other songs aren't really my thing but as far as highly produced pop from the 2010s goes, this album is definitely a gem.

Good album, Beyonce

I honestly couldn't get very far. Committee made pop music still sounds like pop even if it has 'important' messaging/lyrics.

3 stars

Thought I'd like this. It wasn't good. Over-produced and indulgent. 2/5.

Like my recent introduction to Taylor Swift, I went into this trying to separate the artist's reputation from the album in question. In both cases, I had never heard anything from the album, and I imagined the artist to be an unknown named Linda Smith. Weird, I know - but I wanted to be as unbiased as possible and not let the "oh, this is a big name, so it must be good" trap cloud my judgement. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any merit to this album. There's nothing innovative in its presentation. No story to be told. The lyrics are shallow. The music is formulaic. In fact, I wouldn't even call it music. It's machinery. Lastly, it overstays its welcome - and not just because its total runtime is over an hour. Nearly every track seems to go on longer than is sensible. But worst of all: it's boring. There isn't a single interesting hook on here. I hate to say it, but if this album actually had been done by Linda Smith, it wouldn't be on this list. Or hell, maybe it would - there's no making sense of Robert's brain. *Perhaps there's a successfully executed Hail Mary moment on the Platinum Edition, but my disinterest stopped me from going any further than the Standard.

Not the Beyoncé album I would have chosen. It’s like Robert knew he had to put beyonce on his list, but never listened to anything. Just picked randomly. We could have done better.

Beyonce's not really my cup of tea. This apbum is interesting musically. Lyrically, the sexual innuendo and over the top eroticism is a bit much for a whole hour listen.

Hmm ikkje dumt egentlig. Hadde hørt overraskande få sanga herfra

I have ZERO interest in listening to this album, this is gonna be a painful ride. I don't like poppy R&B dancey generic stuff. And that's exactly what this was. I have never heard a single one of these songs but can say they're ok, they're good for someone else, they just don't float my boat even a little. The listener counts are unreal with 7 over 100M listens, one at over 600M (the repetitive "Partition") and another, over 750M (the unlistenable babbling "Drunk In Love"). "Haunted", "No Angel", "Rocket", "Mine" (let's all be honest, Drake is talentless), "Flawless", "Heaven", "Superpower" & "Blow" were all true crap. Positives: Nice hook on "Pretty Hurts". "Let me sit this ass on you" was my favorite line ("Rocket") without a doubt. "Blue" had a moment once you got past the first 2:10 minutes of nonsense. Honestly, I yelled out loud twice asking "who listens to this shit?". I hated it, I do not get it, it made me anxious and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I will never understand how she has become a global phenomenon, I think it's fake news. 2 stars.

It's too long. Beyond that, there were some decent songs and others that were forgettable. (3)

bem ok, mas não achei nada demais. Nem consigo lembrar de nenhuma música depois de ter escutado o álbum, mas lembro de ser bem dançante.

Damn JayZ must throw some D, cuz Beyonce seems to be really horny for him. Which makes the fact that he was probably cheating on her while they made this record kinda sad. The record is a little better than I expected. The production is tight and good, the vocals strong and overall vibe good. The lyrics are... very 2010's coded. A lot of references to drinking and sex. By todays standards they are ultra corny, but it was the vibe then. People needed their bread and circus. This entire record seems to have been made in some kind of lab to produce the highest possible quality pop that would make women drop their ass in the club and generate plays. If that is your measurement for music, this record is a 10/10. Would I say this record meaningfully contributed to music in some way. Nah. Has it and will it enterain a lot of people? Yeah.

Another day, another critically acclaimed album made by a pop artist in the 10s. It is a great album, though beyoncé never really was my thing.

Well if not over produced at times. Beyonce comes off like someone desperately trying to tell you she’s strong and in charge, but never really showing it.

She has a wonderful voice and is a very beautiful woman. Around the second half of the album, I was hoping it would be over. The music isn't awful but does repeat a bit.

I never really heard Beyonce before. We'll give it a try. There were a few good tracks on here. Not really but style, but I'll give it 3

As someone who really doesn't care for anything Beyoncé, I'll admit this was a great album, though definitely a bit vapid at times. Excellent production and bristling with energy.

I was pretty unenthusiastic about this one when it popped up. So much so that I forgot to listen to it all day. I’m always suspicious when someone puts out a self titled album that isn’t their first album, so this already had that working against it. It’s a big pop album, and these reviews absolutely want you to remember that there was an army of people behind it, so there’s that too. Idk.

3/5

A wide variety of progressive r and b styles. Salacious, but not just for the sake of it. Even though she collaborates with many producers, it's her record. No easy feat.

Meh

Very well produced, as expected, and she does have a decent voice but I found myself bored quite quickly and I absolutely despise melasma, so my rating declined the more it went on.

Сорри, Раф, альбом что-то тяжеловат для восприятия)

Какая же у меня адская аллергия на Бейонсе. Boring ass music. Бесконечные понты. Захотелось пересмотреть Swarm.

Ну купила Рафа и купила, чего бухтеть то

норм поет конечно, но не понимаю откуда столько грэмми, альбом не зашел - 3

С ума сошли со своими оценками 🤯 Это точно не худший альбом здесь из всех что были. Чуть подправим ситуацию.

Kad sam vidjela singlove s ovog albuma nije mi bilo dobro. Sve njene pjesme koje znam i mrzim. Srećom nesinglovi su jednu nijansicu podnošljiviji, ali za nešto što je neki kao pokušaj rnb muzike ovo je sve strašno aritmično i neupečatljivo.

A tremendously talented artist, but I fear I am not in her demographic.

like like liquor like like liquor

Some real bangers but also some stinkers that don’t hold up Good album overall though!

Bland

It's solid, but it gets a bit repetitive and also some really off pointing lyrics at times, specifically Nicki Minaj. Also, fuck Nicki Minaj.

Beyoncé just doesn't click for me, it's not my kind of pop, sorry

I thought I might like this album, I did not.

She woke up like that. Decent album overall. Some catchy, some fine, some meh. Maybe a little too long.

Vibes music can be nice sometimes but I expect bangers from Beyoncé. Also the vibes were not vibey enough. Coulda used like I don’t know some marimba or a tooty horn or something.

Yeah, I don’t know. A lot of this seemed disingenuous. I totally get the “this is boring, unexciting music that was produced via assembly line” criticism “Workin’ 9 to 5 just to stay alive” and “I probably won’t make no money off this. Oh, well.” Made me roll my eyes pretty hard. And the album had barely started. Too long, boring, and pandering. I couldn’t make it through.

Ñão costumo acompanhar essas super-celebridades cujas músicas toacm demais por todos os lados. Não sei nem identificá-las. Uma das primeiras vezes que escutei um disco delas inteiro. E me surpreendi de forma muito gratificante. O disco foi me ganhando, mesmo com a minha má vontade. Curti.

Queen of Pop fr 4/5

When an artist of Beyoncé’s stature uses lines like”Probably won’t make no money off this, oh well” it comes off as so out of touch and disingenuous to me.

This is the Beyoncé album I'm most familiar with because it came out when I was in high school and I remember my friends listening to it. I also think I danced to Partition in my hip hop class lol (must have been the clean version if so). There are a few good songs on here, but also some fairly forgettable ones for me. I like Drunk In Love, Partition, Heaven, and Blue. I also don't mind the track with Frank Ocean. It seems like this album bridged the gap between two different eras for her and she was experimenting with some different sounds and themes. It gives me similar vibes to what Wrecking Ball was for Miley Cyrus. Seems like maybe a bit of an awkward transition, but I wouldn't say it's a bad album. Apparently she released this as a surprise with no pre-promotion, which is a cool move imo. I'm not a Beyoncé super fan and have really only heard her hits, but I do think she's an extremely talented vocalist and a creative musician. Why they chose to include this album on the list doesn't make much sense to me. This isn't the best album to showcase her talent or appeal to a broader audience that includes people who have never heard her music. Lemonade seems like an obvious choice for this list because it's so critically acclaimed. Or even one of her earlier albums with some throwback songs.

Beyoncé is kind of a big deal. I’ve tried to appreciate her music knowing her reputation and huge fan base. Her album LEMONADE was broken down on a season of the dissect podcast. I tried listening to that to learn more about her music and I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe her music is just not for me. Maybe I’ll try again some other day. Maybe I won’t.

Did not enjoy

Not sure why this is the Queen B album that was chosen for the list. I feel like most of her other stuff is better than this. Even the singles on this one kinda suck in comparison to songs like Halo, Countdown, Single Ladies, Love on Top. I wonder how much creative control Beyoncé took on this album, in terms of production decision, writing, etc... As certain songs on here were just straight up not good. I think Beyonce is great when it comes to the more ballad like songs. She often misses the mark and comes off as annoying when she strays away from that (I WOKE UP LIKE DEEES), especially when it comes to the production on the 'bad bitch' type songs. Drake wasn't even able to save the day with his feature! /s Although I did actually like Franks feature a bit later on, that one was very tasteful and their voices meshed well.

The first of Beyonce’s concept albums as far as I remember. A major step up towards a more R&B influenced sound, more mature I’d say. Exploration of themes such as jealousy, love, intimacy etc. Used to vibe with her earlier records but it has grown on me quite a bit over the years. Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Drunk in Love, Blow, Partition, Rocket, Xo, 7/11, Standing on the Sun

It’s alright, not sure why one of the best of all time. Never got the hype behind Beyoncé. 2 stars

Beats go kind of hard. Don't really like this much otherwise, just not really my thing. It does have some nice messaging too it, but the overall product just kind of feels flat and lifeless to me. Beyonce is sort of barely singing all the time and the pounding beats and long album length make it a tiresome listen.

I have my headphones on. I'm ready to hear something that will quell the haters. Instead... This is 1hr33 of the most uninspired 2013 studio production drivel. Beyonce can really sing - it's just that there's no hook to be found on this thing. There's nothing iconic. It's pop music production without the pop music.

Знаю цю жінку. Не моє, звісно, але послухаю. Коротше не так погано, як я думав. Якісно зроблено, не дратує.

My favorite album about giving Jay-Z a blowjob

it's just fine i'm sure, but...pass

3/5. This album is probably most significant for how it was released, which is that it dropped on streaming completely unannounced with no roll-out, which sparked a fair bit of discourse at the time. As for the album itself, the standout feature to me is the production, the instrumentals/beats are a lot more varied and interesting than I would have expected. Lyrically Beyoncé’s self titled is a very sexually charged album, which is good and all…though I always start laughing when I remember that the person receiving all of this sex is Jay-Z. Will also say I know it’s likely a result of this being her newest/most acclaimed album when a specific edition of the book came out, but I feel like Lemonade or Renaissance are much more deserving of a slot in the 1001 album book than the self titled, only thing it has going for it compared to those is its release strategy.

I’m glad I can say I’ve listened to Beyoncé other than just passively on the radio, but I didn’t get much out of this album. I listened to the platinum edition which was over 90 minutes long but it did at least go by quickly.

It is a 5 because of who she is. But maybe a 2 because of my personal enjoyment. In the end, it gets a 5 because I can recognize her influence and also her musical accomplishments, even if this album is not near as good as some of her others.

RATING: 8.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Haunted LOWLIGHT: Drunk in Love

2.7 2x cant hate on it, but not my thing

An hour and a half of bouncy. There is only so much you can take. Stylised over produced and annoying.

I honestly don’t understand Beyoncé. This album isn’t bad but it feels overproduced and each song overstays its welcome.

I always try to give something a proper go, even if not really into it and feel I have failed if I don't listen to one of these 1001 albums all the way through. I really tried with this, but really really really is not for me. Bleurg. I had to turn it off during Flawless. I don't need a lecture about feminism from Beyonce thanks, even if she's sampling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Who, in her own words, said of Queen B "...her type of feminism is not mine, as it is the kind that, at the same time, gives quite a lot of space to the necessity of men,”) Bleurg. Ack. 1

Horny/party Beyonce is my favourite, so this has 3 all-timers in Drunk in Love, Partition, and 7-11, but lots of slow, boring filler otherwise. 3.5 rounded down.

Bof… très très moyen

Takes me back to Vine hearing "Surfboard" and "I Woke Up Like This"

I'll admit, I was reluctant to listen to this when it showed up. My relationship with Beyonce's music so far has been hit or miss and a nearly 70-minute contemporary R&B record definitely didn't seem like something I'd be interested in. It's certainly more interesting than I thought it would be, and this thing is just...dripping with sex, almost to a fault but I would be throwing stones in a glass house if I called that element out specifically. The production is pretty fascinating for a R&B record because there's some really heavy distorted parts of this thing that sound like they could be on Yeezus. I guess 2013 was just a formative year for this sound.

If Boncey did hip hop gangster rap (maybe she does - I don’t know or care) then everything I hate about her and that type of music would be wrapped up in one stinking ball of excrement. 1/5 5/7/26

Some songs were alright, but some were atrocious like Partition and ***Flawless. Overall it was a pretty poor album. The best song was XO.

No merit.

Artiste connue de nom uniquement. Aucun intérêt, morceaux répétitifs, longs et ennuyeux dans un album beaucoup trop long. Accompagnement électro totalement inintéressant. Je ne suis pas allé au bout. =>1/5

3,5/5

Beyoncé as full-fledged artist, not some pop diva. Beautiful emotional exposure for being one of the top performers in the world, then and now. Well worth the listen.

Look, this was better than I gave it credit for considering my opinion on mainstream commercial pop music. Beyoncé is very good at what she does, and deserves that respect. Would I suggest you jump at the opportunity to experience it for yourself?probably not. Would I have a wiggle with you if it was on? yeah, pretty sure I would

Talvez seja um 4.5 porque alguns momentos parecem zero sinceros, mas são tantas músicas boas em sequência. Grande fã da fase SAFADA da Beyoncé!

Doesn’t resonate with me or speak to me lyrically or vocally. The music is okay.

El punto de inflexión en la carrera de Beyoncé. El álbum “Beyoncé” caminó para que “Lemonade”, su mangnus opus, y mi álbum favorito, corriera.

Pop r&b music of the pop r&b music variety.

I like the album where she's on the horse better.

Autotune really starts to blur everything together in what is generally a really talented and vibrant performance, just not my thing

Not for me

on yer mouth like likker. Houston shit, 3rd ward shit. I knew drunk in love of course, a monster song somehow both elevated and stunted by the JayZ (he and kendrick still mystify me as to their popularity/acclaim) verse. It's dumb and wimpy as hell but I still end up singing it all the time - I'm Niceee... Hol' up. The rest of the album is both distinct and of a piece like all great albums are, and I like the production a lot, and the energy. Haunted is nice, interesting that BOOTs did this and essentially nothing else?

Better than I expected but didn't blow me away.

While I'm glad to see that Beyonce got included in the collection, and this seems like a great choice, especially given this project's focus on albums, it also seems weird to me that the editors didn't also include "Lemonade", since that album seems to be generally considered even better than "Beyonce". But it's clearly a fool's errand to try to guess at the fickle whims of this project's selections and rejections, so at least Beyonce's incredibly successful and thoughtful solo career is represented here. I'm not particularly drawn to her music, so I didn't have any particular favorites among the many (many) tracks (although the combo "Flawless" and "Superpower" are pretty powerful, especially in the visual versions), but as an album this seems like a masterpiece on many levels. From the industry rupture she created by releasing the entire album without *any* promotion or leaks or advance singles, to the amazing effort she put into making a high-quality "visual" album to complement the songs (and apparently nearly all of the videos were shot across the world as she toured), and the amount of work and sweat and tears she spent on every aspect of the album and production and commercial aspects, I'm not sure there's anything in this collection that quite compares as a complete package from a woman who clearly felt free to follow her own vision.

first time listening to this amazing album--love the honesty, intensity, flaws and all

inte min grej

Not great for me

I find it so interesting that both Taylor Swift albums I've reviewed here have better averages than this Beyonce album. While both artists are insanely popular because of mass mainstream appeal, at least Beyonce seems to inject more personality into her music than Taylor. Regarding the actual music, the production is really layered and rich. It's never overbearing, but it's almost distractingly clean. Whatever edge this album has is fleeting and mostly contained to lyrical content. The first half of the album is definitely stronger. Poppy R&B tracks had me bobbin' my head to the beat. As the album went on, around track 7 or 8, I started to tune out. The album doesn't have a very diverse sound, despite all these collaborators credited. Obviously Beyonce is a very talented singer and artist, so I think she deserves recognition, but this is definitely not an album I think of when wanting something to listen to front to back.

Queen for a reason

First off, for the longest, this has been my favorite Beyonce album. It’s one of the first times my ear caught her experimenting. I remember when this magnificent work dropped. The sexuality she explored within this was addicting. The visuals were stunning and a clear descendent of my favorite artist, Kanye West. Beyonce is the second album on my 1001 list so far to receive a 5/5. A wonderful piece or art.

Great voice, for sure. Decent pop songs and immaculate production. Not a genre that I typically listen to or really enjoy, but I see why it made the list,

Generic pop garbage. 1/10

2.5, need to round this one down

Nope, not for me. I'll grant some elements of this have some quality, but, perhaps due to my middle aged white male-ness, this one just doesn't land in really any aspect. Sounds like a (too large) group of collaborators put together an album designed to tap into the lowest common denominator of music listeners, got some press to write it up as some "enlightened" bullshit being quick to call out critics as "out of touch," and commence collecting fabricated accolades.

Way more horny than I thought it would be. I've never actually listened to a Beyonce album all the way through. This one was fine I guess.

6/10 Beyoncé is an artist that I’ve always kind of admired from afar. She’s clearly got a great voice, she’s released some absolutely superb pop hits, and she’s clearly managed to become vastly popular with vast swathes of the population, but I’ve never really felt the need to dig in deep. I’ve never truly been able to tell from a distance whether she’s musically brilliant, or just a superb marketer. As with many of these things, the truth is probably somewhere between the two. This album contains some really superb stuff. There are tracks that I completely bought into, others that I thought were hot garbage, and a fair share of ones that sat somewhere between the two. Clearly Beyoncé had a vision and a theme for this album, and that does come across. She’s horny, and she wants us to know it, and wants us to celebrate it with her. That’s as good a vision as any, and I’m all for the celebration of feminism and sexual freedom. Unfortunately, her execution of that vision involves almost 30 writers and a significant number of producers across the 14 tracks on the original release of the record and, as a result, this does feel stylistically a bit all over the place. It’s also a massive shame that on a record about feminism and female empowerment, a quick count tells me that only four of the ~30 writers on the album were women. Girl power. Putting that all aside, there was a decent amount to like from the stronger parts of this record, and it also doesn’t strive too hard for hits, leaning more on the thematic focus, which is an admirable approach for someone who is known as a pop musician. Tracks like Blow and Rocket are excellent, but the moments of quality are a touch stretched out and there are times when this feels like a roughly assembled collection of ideas, rather than a completely coherent whole. If the core ideas of this record were stripped back, the songs brought at little more into focus and the runtime dropped to 40-45 minutes, I think there’s magic in here. But somewhere along the way, that magic got diluted and scattered, resulting in an album that’s good, but not what it could have been. Pretty Hurts - This is a pretty strong start. It’s musically fairly sparse, but the production gives it good depth and weight. There’s plenty of good melodic moments and the use of triplets in the rhythm of the lead vocal gives it a cool, rolling groove against the straight beat. Sometimes this kind of roaming, slightly flamboyant vocal performance can overwhelm a track, but there’s enough of the core melody at the centre of this to allow for it to have space and feel natural here. Haunted - We get more of that sparse quality here, and it’s song in two parts really. The sound design here is great and it’s a restrained and focused vocal performance that works really well with that more electronica-edged vibe. There’s an edge of Burial about this, although apparently it was inspired by Aphex Twin. There are parts of this that I think are brilliant, but it doesn’t really offer enough development or variation of the main themes to fully connect. Drunk In Love - This song reminds me so much of Trapped In The Closet by R Kelly, that it’s completely colouring my view of the song. It’s melodically a bit rambling and the vocal is a really weird half-rap, half-sung thing that doesn’t ever fully land in either camp. It’s not very musically interesting either and feels more focused on telling a story than on creating a musical narrative. Not in love with the “trance synth preset” sound of it either. Blow - This is immediately much better, it’s got a funky, staccato groove and the interplay between the lead and backing vocal is really good. It’s got a light, floating charm to it There’s a good pop sensibility to the track, but it’s sonically more interesting than a run of the mill pop tune. Some of the guitar work in there is really excellent too, followed by some excellent funk synth work after the middle eight. The evolution of the orchestration through the runtime is really cool too. Great track. No Angel - We get a very 80s sound now and another sparse production. There are elements of the sound design that I really like, but it doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere. Yes, there are changes, but it all feels a little bit aimless and meandering, particularly from a melodic point of view. It just feels a touch confused. That being said, doing work like this on a pop record should probably be applauded, as at least she’s trying to do something different. Partition - Similarly to Haunted, this is kind of two tracks. In the first part, like the last track, there’s some cool stuff, but things are a bit too repetitive. In the second part, there are some lovely bits of melody through the chorus. I’m less keen on the verses, but the production is really cool and creates an intriguing, slightly dark and grungy atmosphere. In fact, I think the different sections of this just feel a bit disconnected, like there’s some good ideas, but they’ve not been strung together in the most effective way. Jealous - We get a cool slow jam now. The groove is great and it calls back stylistically to Pretty Hurts. The vocal performance here is excellent, emoting in a brilliantly subtle way. It’s fairly stripped back and simple, but tells its story well. There’s not too much to cover here, but it’s incredibly well executed. Rocket - This feels so much like D’Angelo’s Untitled (How Does It Feel?), including melodic motifs that are lifted wholesale from that track. But I actually really like this as a take on that song from a female perspective and, as companion pieces they work really well. It’s not quite up to that standard, but it’s still very good. The roaming vocal works incredibly well over a more musically stable and focused backing. It’s got some great instrumental work that pops in and out of focus in the background, and the balance of the production is so good. The whole thing feels suitably sexy and like it’s just about holding everything together while almost bursting at the seams. More quality stuff. Mine - The percussion here sounds a bit too much like a metronome. The piano playing is nice, if a little basic. The transition into the synth part is really cool though, and then the rapping is really bad and doesn’t fit with the rest of the track at all. Once that’s out of the way, it goes back to being quite pleasant again. This is a proper mixed bag. Some parts are good, other parts are just crap. It’s super disjointed and lacking in coherence. A bit of a mess, basically. XO - There’s an almost futurist indie vibe to this with an edge of synthwave. It’s got good drive to it and the build of the synth layering is decent. Musically, it’s a touch bland though and doesn’t really go anywhere that interesting. But the soundscaping and tone is decent. ***Flawless - And now we’re leaning into trap. The atmosphere and vibe is great, the message behind the song is great, and there are some nice vocal moments. But it’s very repetitive and one-paced, to the extent that it feels overly long, despite being only four minutes long with lengthy spoken word sections. Superpower - This is a slow paced effort that focuses on vocal movement and development at the expense of significant variation within the backing track. It’s another that’s ok with some quality moments, but as a whole it lacks either anything hooky enough or any significant musical focus or virtuosity to really get its hooks into you. Heaven - A slow, atmospheric and stripped back ballad. It’s very patient and pretty and feels very heartfelt. Her vocal is gorgeous, and the stripped back, sparse nature of it creates a really effective vibe. I think this would have had more impact in a more tightly sequenced album, but it doesn’t feel as effective of the back of the last couple of tracks, which is a shame. Blue - We get an ode to Bey’s first child to close out the record. It moves through a range of different production styles through the track, while using repeated vocal motifs to anchor the song through the tonal changes, which is a cool effect. It’s quite cinematic, but does become a touch melodically stale by the end. But it’s not a bad way to finish off.

It's well made, but I don't find it super compelling

Oh wow. Ive never heard this one in full before. It's too long. There are a couple, few good songs on here. But sadly too many that I don't like or put me to sleep. More than one song didn't have anything close to a melody and that made me upset.

Not great songs and grubby lyrics :(

Edgy, stevige beats… onverwacht genoten van Queen B! 3,5

een paar bangers, ni de grootste fan tho

Nunca en toda mi vida voy a entender como alguien puede escuchar este tipo de """"artistas"""", hay un molde en el que está esta mina que hacen todos la misma música de mierda, pero sobre todo totalmente insulsa y aburrida

Nah

Lots of energy and variety. Which is good because this album is forever long. Not all the tracks are winners but Beyoncé ruled the airwaves in 2014 for a reason.

Neat RnB soul disco not my cake but ok..

honestly better than i expected but was still kind of dissapointed a lot of this album felt like filler after the first few tracks 7/10 Favourite: Pretty Hurts Least Favourite: Mine

Got a bit boring in the end, to be honest

I was expecting more from this tbh. Beyoncé has some bangers. None of them are on here. In the end I was just bored. Which is some feat with all those writers and producers. Too many cooks perhaps?

Man, this is kind of a hot take, but Beyonce has such a great voice and I have always felt that her son's don't really show that off. I haven't been able to figure out what I don't like about her. XO is a pretty good song and a fave of my Beyonce loving friend. The track with her kid saying Mommy was also cute.

A billionaire who is married to another billionaire.

Not my favourite Beyonce album, but still highly enjoyable. The lyrics here have bite and they hit hard despite Beyonce sweet vocals. The production is great and some really big songs like ‘Drunk in Love’ and ‘XO’ and ‘Superpower’

I suspect I’m precisely the demographic who is meant to enjoy this, but I was just so bored. When it came out, I didn’t like any of the singles, and I still don’t.

I didn't really enjoy this. I'm not mad at it - if anything I'm a bit surprised how little I liked it - but ultimately I could not get into it at all. It didn't hold my attention, I didn't even particularly enjoy the majority of the singles. XO was alright, but I don't really want to listen to it again. I don't dislike Beyonce's voice, but it feels wasted on these tracks. This would get a 1.5 in a different marking system, but as it is: 1/5

Game changing record. The beginning of Beyoncé putting together more cohesive, thematic albums. The theme here being: I'm grown and like to have sex with my husband!

You know where you was when this digital dropped. It stopped the world. (Some of ya’ll don’t deserve Beyoncé and it shows.)

Beyoncé far from her best here.

I liked it better than I thought I would, but I"m not gonna just listen to this

disappointing. this kinda sucked

some bops. kind of boring

I honestly can't stand Beyonce and I don't get the fascination. This album is particularly awful.

I always think I should appreciate Beyoncé more, but then I try, and it just doesn't grab me. As with most overlong albums, you could probably come up with a solid 45 minutes from this but it was a lot to wade through.

Just enough H-town references in the lyrics to merit a third star in an otherwise consistent album without a lot of real highs. A little hard to reconcile the references to her own childhood and motherhood with some pretty steamy content.

Does not live up to the hype

5/10 I was bored, not a single track caught my attention

4/10 There are a couple bangers on here but overall I've never been a big Beyonce fan. It really doesn't help that there's a few pretty terrible people featured as well.

I recently listened to Lemonade (2016). and thought it was incredibly good, so I had high hopes for this 2013 album - but it just isn't really connecting for me. There are a range of styles on the album, 22 different producers credited (more than for any other album I've heard this year), but only a few of the songs appeal to me. I could try to analyse what disappoints me - or I could say perhaps I'm just not a fan of electro RnB? I had a read of the Wikipedia page about the album - strangely detailed, maybe written by a horde of fans who revere everything Beyoncé does? So I knew to pay attention to the lyrics - but I'm not really convinced by the pitch. Also from grouch corner, I didn't appreciate the features from Nicki Minaj and Kanye West, I was confirmed in my preference not to listen to either of them if I can avoid it. Overall, there's lots of impressive singing, but only 2 out of 20 songs work for me, so for me it's Not Good, 4/10.

Can't stand her music

This album feels a little more dark than I was expecting when I saw the album art. The production is a lot more modern, lots of bass and late-night club vibes. It's definitely overproduced, and though it's hard to consider this album a must-listen, I can understand if we're talking about Beyonce specifically, listening to this effort helps gives context on how well rounded she can be as an artist. And really, it feels like her drive is getting into massive amounts of ear-holes for profit. Lots of that addicting uplifting production that makes you feel like you just finished a marathon regardless if you're finishing a long walk or eating a chocolate bar. I had been previously introduced to Blow, which turned out being my favorite single on the project. Is it because of my exposure to it, or is it because it's one of the better singles? There's a couple of other songs on there that tickle my ears, I'm a fan of a deep bass line and club music, and I can't deny the talent in Beyonce's vocals. I just wouldn't listen to her in general on my own. Gun to my head, it's still not the first album that comes to mind, and it's self titled. 2.6/5

Not for me. I usually like big female voices, but I did not find anything here that was worth putting on a playlist. I guess I would not leave the room if it was playing...

favs: haunted drunk in love ***flawless standing on the sun remix rating 1/5

Decent listen but nothing particularly compelling.

Okkk. Se mi zdi, da sm ga vsaj enkrat v celoti že, pa itak se spomnim, ko so komadi izhajal (osebno mi je bil Lemonade amazing, pa un nastop na Coachelli - ufff). "Pretty Hurts" je kr dobr opening track. U ja, sm poslušala ta album, spomnim se teh posnetkov mejhne Beyonce. "Haunted" je fakin hud, kako se razvija skozi svojih 6 minut. "Drunk in Love" je ikoničen Tud če ni moj najljubši. Mislm, zj sm pr Jay-Z delu - on men nikol ni bil všeč k rapper. Don't get the hype at all. Vokalne sposobnosti in general showmanship žene? Impeccable. U, "Blow" mi je bil zmer hud. Video je tud perfektn za ta komad ki je nasty disco, basically. "Partition" rab besedo, k je somehow več k 'ikoničen'. (Kako sm loh pozabila, da je ta album tok horny?) "Rocket" je beautiful. "Mine" & "XO" mi nista dbest. "Heaven" uniči the sexy vibe k ga je Beyonce skozi album kultivirala & zadnji komad isto ("Blue").

It didn't grab me

is this seriously the beyonce album they chose to put on this list when it's not at all her best work fave track: blue

Beyoncé is brilliant, and while this one is all about the sexy love my husband R+B heat, there are definitely several clunkers--bland, corporate, dumb--amid some great ones.

Beyoncé enters an adventurous era, one marked by bold risk-taking and embrace of dissonance, while still using a pop framework. She pulls it off pretty well, but future albums would deploy the approach even more successfully.

Wouldn’t normally listen to anything like this but actually quite enjoyed it. Immaculate production

This was a lot more mediocre than I was expecting. A lot of the production sounds outdated, even though it's well executed and most songs have at least a couple production elements that are interesting. Obviously Beyoncé is a very skilled singer, but she didn't seem to have too much interesting to say. "Blow" and "Rocket" actually grooved pretty hard and harnessed some of the aspects of R&B that I like, but in either case the subject matter was very sexual and not very appealing to me. One consequence of "feminism" is girls are now allowed to act like sluts. I guess that's "empowerment" to Beyoncé.

I didn't have super high expectations for this, but I was a little surprised that I liked it even less than I'd imagined I would. I'm trying to think what to say about it; what I've come up with is: it's not very musical, and/or it's not very interesting, musically -- neither melody, nor rhythm. Also, weirdly lacking in energy? I figured it'd probably be good enough for at least 2 stars, but I was wrong: 1 star.

surprisingly low-energy. 7-11 is probably the most fun track. most of them aren't fun, nor are they emotionally moving. Seems like this album was funded by alcohol money. I like Beyoncé as a singer, but I don't think this album plays to her strengths. The 808s and trap percussion are pretty lazy, sound dated

Todella korkeatasoista tuotantoa

I am generally not a fan of pop music. This was not unlistenable but I don't need to hear it again.

Zero.

i mean

It's not my thing, but I understand the allure. It's a very good album, I can tell. Good production, the beats are outstanding. She has an amazing voice, and she's very powerful. I think it deserves higher than 3 stars, but in my personal rating scale, a 4 star review means "I may occasionally play this album of my own free will" and I really cannot see myself ever craving a Beyonce album. I think the last half of the album slowed down a bit, and at over an hour it's about 20 minutes too long. 3.5 stars

Look, Beyoncé is a very talented singer and performer, but despite now having listened to 101 tracks of hers over the years (according to Last FM), I just can’t get into her style. There was nothing about this album that spoke to me, I didn’t care one bit about it. Its saving grace was that she doesn’t come across as vulgar or obnoxious, as some of her contemporaries do. I simply can’t insert myself into the same shoes as the bey-heads, or whatever they’re called.

It's hard to rate this album w/o considering what Beyoncé was doing before this came out. This record was the start of an "artistic" period for her. But when I first listened to it, I only paid attention to how she was exploring different genres under a loose electronic vibe. I was also fascinated by how she was feeling herself in this album, how frank she was about sexuality. There were a few songs that stood out to me like Blow for its roller skating funk, Partition and No Angel for their minimalist beats (one more energetic and the other chill), Rocket for sounding like D'Angelo's Untitled, and Haunted for its transition from spoken word to a thumping, electronic atmosphere. That said, some songs were also filler to me (Jealous, XO, Pretty Hurts). If I had to choose an album that best represented Beyonce in this decade, it'd have to be Lemonade. This is more so a taste of what was to come (3.5-4).

I know it's a good album, just not my jam.

Hm algunas me gustan mucho pero otras no, creo qud más bien no es tani estilo.

I'm never going to fully get into Beyonce. I recognize her talent. I don't even dislike Beyonce, I'm just hella-neutral on Bey. Save for being super-gorgeous, there's nothing else that compels me towards her. It's all over-produced and unrelatable. Just not at all my thing. Like I said, I recognize the talent, but it doesn't mean anything to me.

Liked this, had more variety than I was expecting

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would

amazeballs

This was quite good and not quite what I expected. It's majorly horny, for one thing. It's also more of a bass-heavy, club sound than I anticipated.

Good lord, this was trying to reap all the goodie points of being a female icon without putting in the actual work. Putting in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one of the foundational voices of Black Feminism in your album while you've got literal sexual perverts alongside her is some downright bad optics.

The significance of this album lies in its impact on the industry. It is part of the reasom new music is released on fridays now. But while the production is top of the line and Beyonce can definitely sing, there is a sinister side to this album. Beyonce is the owner and CEO of Parkwood entertainment. So if she decided to have other people write songs for her, it works out because she picks those people. But I write that not as a defence of her work. Everything on this record is hers. Including the choice to have a major black feminist author recite the definition of feminism but then only touch on the subject in terms of women in high success positions. Beyonce's feminism is of the girlboss type. It does not ask why there is a boot but insists that the people putting the boot down on others necks should be 50% very rich CEO women. Beyonce's feminism allows for prominent villains like Kanye West (a nazi) , Nicki minaj (full blown MAGA) and Drake (an alleged pedo) to have a place in her media empire. According to wikipedia there are only a handful of billionaire musicians. Beyonce Jay-Z are two of them. One does not become a billionaire without screwing over others. In this case a movement for positive change and many other women were exploited to build this empire. Ironically, this is the first album she made after breaking free herself from a manager father who wasn't treating her fairly. The industry was soon after this album changed forever to benefit her. Ultimately this album's biggest sin is its corporate insincerity.

HATING MAINSTREAM RNB/SOUL/POP MUSIC DOESN'T MAKE YOU COOL OR INTERESTING. IT MAKES YOU LOOK misogynistic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's Queen B. Flawless production, beats, and music are diverse and great overall. The colabs are quite mixed. I detest Drake, so there's that. Minaj and Ye are on the platinum edition, and they are worse. Lyrics are also a strange mix that I cannot untangle to find some coherence on this album.

Cool

1.93

I actually don't know if I've ever been through this front-to-back. The first song was super fun, and I supposed I never realized how many ludicrously popular songs were on this record. This is the album that gave us "I sneezed on the beat, and the beat got sicker," which is enough to give it a high score. But I found it fun at times, very sad at others, and overall a very full portrait of a very interesting person. Cool!

The fact that this is so low in score is proof that a goddamn lot of people on this site are dinosaurs, mentally if not physically. Yes, there are, in fact, pop albums on here not made by white guys from the 50’s-70’s. Maybe, instead of just bitching about that, you could maybe talk about the actual music. So with that said, Beyonce’s S/T is no masterpiece. Ironically, I’d say that the post-release singles are the weakest links here (especially that fuck-ass Drake verse on “Mine” that completely ruins the song), at least in the way of that my favorite songs on here, e.i. “Haunted”, “No Angel” and “Superpower”, tend to go a more experimental route. “Blow” is entirely exempt from this though, that song is well worth the hype. I’m also a sucker for a visual album too, and I’d say that the videos for the record are a cool way of representing the record’s themes.

yes yes yes yes yes for the ones that truly bop but not a no skip

Never heard of her tbh but I see bright things in this young lady’s future!

beyoncé

Beyoncé has such an amazing voice but this album is an incoherent mess where her voice is just not used very well. 2/5

She shows the versatility she has in this. Very polished product.

I was a little excited to listen to this as I'd never (knowingly) heard anything by this celebrity queen of artists - what a disappointment. A highly sublimated mashup of R&B, rap, hip-hop and soul. Not a moment of this really grabbed my attention. Mostly a constant, background drone. I'll give it a three for being inoffensive.

Musically lush. Lyrically..... like catching up with a friend who's never had a lover before and she's talking like she discovered passion and dirty words, and she *really* needs to make sure other people know. Also........... Jay-Z better thank all of the stars and stardust in firmament that Beyonce loves him. Like, the way he rapped about women....and he ends up with her?

Tak toto nie je pre mňa ...

Exhausting album, both in terms of its length and the content within. I just could not give a shit about this generic pop slop that offers me nothing new or interesting. Maybe the most I've wanted to skip an album.

Some good songs, but fine on the hole

I been thinkin I been thinkin, that this album is very good. Probably one of the first really good album that was introduced to me at an age where I could have more opinions on it

I recall this being the point where I found Beyoncé “cool”. The lows drag a little bit, but I’ll round up because I like the hits and vibe. Why It Matters (Memory Version) In 2013, when the music industry relied on months of promotion and singles-driven marketing, Beyoncé suddenly released an entire visual album with no warning and changed expectations for how major artists could launch music. The album fused mainstream pop with darker, more experimental R&B while presenting Beyoncé as a fully autonomous creative force rather than simply a superstar performer. Its influence can be seen in surprise releases, visual-album rollouts, and the artistic freedom embraced by artists ranging from Beyoncé’s own later work to Drake, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, and Taylor Swift. Outside music circles, it is remembered less as a collection of songs and more as the album that rewrote the modern pop-star playbook.

Exquisite production, good vocal performances and a handful of good songs. It goes on for too long, though. And I simply dislike Drake and everything he does. Blow also, ehhh Blows, and I get a little bored in the middle section. Much better than I’d thought, actually

I've mostly heard Beyoncé big singles and some small songs, so I wasn't really sure what a full album by her would involve. This was a solid album! She has quite a powerful voice!

1001 albums to hear before you rock hard then rock steady 93# Blow is fantastic Rocket is just a D'Angelo song and i'm not complaining.

Yeah it just feels weird ranking something that I remember coming out. Idk. There’s some great hits on here, I like thinking about how an album like this impacts later releases in her solo career. But on the other hand… eh.

I think this was too long. Sorry not sorry, also I think having remixes on an album is silly, But disk one was fine, I think having the remixes makes me like the disc one versions less, while still not fully enjoying the remixes. But shes queen bee, and I cant really hate, but this album was not for me, not dislike, but indfference to a lot of songs

It's a shame that the last two songs on this record are hot garbage, because they keep it from being a great album. The rest of it is pretty great. It's introspective, deep, provocative, sexy (even dirty), and socially quite interesting. There are a lot tracks I really loved, but the way it ended really rubbed me the wrong way.

Is Beyoncé AI? She’s AI, isn’t she? It would explain why she’s so boring.

Beyoncé is the most overrated artist in history. I don't understand how, other than a successful marriage to a billionaire rapper, her popularity is due. Take this album, for example. What's the most important thing in pop music? For a song to stick in your head after listening, for you to hum it automatically. There's not a single song like that here. Not a single memorable line, not a single melody, no interesting arrangements, no strong vocals — nothing! The only noteworthy aspect of this album is its promotional campaign, or rather, the lack thereof; the album was released without prior announcement, plus a music video was shot for each song. They say this was a first, which is debatable. After the album's release, it was raved about by journalists everywhere, and Rolling Stone recently ranked it the sixteenth best album of the 21st century. Well, if Beyoncé was bringing me as much money as them, I'd put it there too — but as it is...

What’s there to say? It’s Beyoncé by Beyoncé.

“Self-indulgent” is the first word that comes to my mind listening to this record.

She has a great voice but I didn't latch onto the music itself.

Bop

This is ok, but it's not for me.

The ol' surprise release album. Seems like every big modern artist has done this at least once, and someone with the pop culture status of Beyoncé was no exception. You can tell that she and her team set out to create a magnum opus of sorts, simply based on the sheer amount of producer and songwriter credits here. Still at the height of her powers and fresh off of having her first child, Beyoncé further evolves her sound and lyrically matures in some ways here. More electronic-based R&B than her previous works, this is also the most personal Beyoncé has gotten in her music. And she really gets personal here, like to an extremely erotic level at many points (the reference to "licking Skittles" in 'Blow' won't be lost on many...) But hey, I guess there's a certain charm to being THAT comfortable with your sexuality. That doesn't and shouldn't define the entire album, however, as some time is also taken for Beyoncé to self-reflect and highlight some of her insecurities. It's kind of a bloated album, but I somewhat enjoyed the different ways in which the R&B soundscape was used and blended here.

Deeeecent. Pari hyvää kuunneltavaa.

The videos totally change this for me. Visual vignettes bathed in the power, outrage, vulnerability and tenderness of being a black woman, wife, mother, boss, creator.. . while the music isn’t always what I enjoy, a genius she clearly is.

OHHELLNAH “Music made by committee for hairdressing salons.” nah.. hairdressing salons hebben echt bangers.. maar dat is dit album niet. ieeee drake dit album cover lijkt op blackpink album YIOOO JOHN MAYOR COVER???? "I just found out that XO was a cover originally by Beyoncé… my mind is blown…" john mayors versie is echt veel beter....

dit album voelde als tijdverspilling van mijn leven

Dieses Album interessiert mich so sehr, wie Genozid den durchschnittlichen deutschen Politiker

Me gustó conocer canciones no tan populares de una artista que se destaca por lo mismo. Tiene canciones creativas con mensajes lindos (el caso de la primera canción) y también atrevidos... Muy buena producción en todos los casos.. aunque no sea de mi gusto totalmente.

Really nice

I mean, this isn't made for me. But I can't help saying, some songs that have been recorded in history are terribly dumb. Blow is one of those songs.

peak

Polished R&B and experimental pop built on trap beats, layered synths, minimalist textures, and commanding, versatile vocals unfolds with sleek, calculated precision. Listening feels like moving through a series of sharply lit, self-contained scenes where each moment is controlled, intentional, cohesive and boring in Italien calculation.

I have had it on and it’s nothing special - why is it here? There are a 1001 other pop albums that would outshine this.

Even though nothing here really catches my ear, it's an enjoyable listen throughout

Sure, as pop music I guess this isn’t dreadful y any means. It’s not my thing really, and I didn’t particularly enjoy most of it. It’s a bit too generic in some ways and obviously too long. It’s somewhere between a 2 and a 3. The record company only putting the “platinum” version on Spotify pissed me off massively - last thing I need at 5am is to hide half the fucking album. So it’s a 2.

influential, v dirty

If you aren't interested what was in Beyonce's mind through 2012, then this is total horse$hit

It seems weird that at some point Beyonce got this like cult of personality around her. People treat her like she’s the second coming of Christ or something. Her music is fine but it doesn’t really seem to stand above other similar pop music

So I don't really listen to music like this ever, but: if I were going to, I imagine this would be what it would be because I have to say that a lot of this is really good. I had to listen to it in parts over the course of a day since listening to the whole thing in one sitting wasn't keeping my attention, but when I was listening to it I enjoyed it. She's obviously a great singer, and the faster tracks especially were pretty intense and enjoyable.

More a product than actual music. And that goes for Beyoncé herself, too, because her image, her "art" and her private life are so perfectly staged that I can't even believe the "personal" lyrics with their feminism and empowerment. This is supposed to be modern soul music, but to me it feels completely soulless and dead.

Classic bey, eh? Big surprise was Blow, absolute banger that seemingly didn't get much airtime over the years. A jam tho

This album is a testament to the fact that "Queen Bey" can do whatever she wants. And you know what? Despite not being hot, or rich, or talented I can also do whatever *I* want. And *I* want to never listen to Beyoncé sing about her clitoris again. Thank you for the opportunity to confirm that I didn't miss anything by never listening to this stuff.

Fuckin, here we are again with more 2010s bullshit. Ain't stood the test of time, Songs For The Deaf could have been here instead, nuff said. Sod off.

Amazing singer, just not my taste

Really excited to read about this one. Impressive Beyonce.

Someone else more qualified will write a review telling you about how they were there when this dropped, how it caught the industry off guard to the delight and surprise of fans. They'll write about how compelling the accompanying movies were at the time. They'll probably also talk about how this is a landmark album in Beyoncé's career and for popular music in the 2010s. This person will be confident in their assessment of the record and you'll probably be convinced that Beyoncé deserves her flowers. I'm sure they'll make a compelling case that this is an album that merges artistry with commercial appeal by a singer with a singular vision and the power of significant capital to corral a team of creatives. It won't be the last time Beyoncé harnesses resources and directs them majestically towards her artistic ends — in fact, this person will remind you that the album BEYONCÉ initiates one of the greatest 3 album runs in popular music for Beyoncé the artist and pop hyperscaler. They may end by citing its goals and stating the record thoroughly sparkles in what it sets out to do. I can't really tell you if you'll agree or disagree with this person and I can't really tell you if I even agree or disagree with this person — taste and preference are unpredictable after all.

Sounds like generic R&B to me.

Congrats to Beyoncé and Jay-Z for all the sex they were apparently having circa 2013. This is a very horny album with maybe two catchy songs (that aren’t actually very good). I think Beyoncé is overrated.

This was a bit more lyrically graphic than I was expecting. It's fine, just not really my jam.

2.5 - Pretty neutral in this. I don’t hate, but I can’t see myself ever throwing it on unprompted.

Had higher hopes but pretty trash

Might be my favorite Beyonce album....I remember reading that she invited a bunch of musical talent to her house at the Hamptons and set up a "summer camp" as she described it, which is a cool way to make an album and get some different ideas. Definitely her horniest album. Some songs are weak (including Jay-Z having the lamest verse of all time on "Drunk in Love") but overall I feel like its her most varied album and has some really great production. I like "Partition" and "Blow" the best, "Pretty Hurts" is a cool opener. Has some corny indulgent moments but overall its a solid 4.

El disco antes de Lemonade, Renaissance y Cowboy Carter. El que viene después de los exitosos cuatro anteriores. Con este Beyoncé se ganó el respeto mundial, si es que no lo tenía ya. Pretty hurts te eleva, Haunted sigue con una estructura y una producción perfectas. Drunk in love fue el sencillo principal del disco. Flwaless y Mine (con Drake) son otros buenos ejemplos. Blow es R&b con garra. Rocket es sedosa y elegante. Heaven también. Un disco pletórico para una Beyoncé imparable.

I can’t believe this album is over 10 years old. I didn’t listen to it in full at the time, but I do vividly remember its release. It’s easy to forget that surprise drops were not the way things were done, and certainly not how the cornerstone pop stars were doing it. I wish I could remember how “Pretty Hurts” hit at the time. Hearing it now it rings a little hollow and even dated; I don’t know if that’s what I’d choose as the album opener, but I am obviously not Bey, so what do I know. Thankfully “Haunted” picks things back up. Overall it’s a lot of fun, stuffed with great production and vocal performances. Often steamy. I wish the songs themselves were a little shorter; there’s a sprawl to this that isn’t always to its benefit (I really don’t understand why that Drake song is over six minutes long, for example, even if I begrudgingly like his feature.) I don’t think it’s her best work (I’d give that to ‘Renaissance’), but it is maybe her most important as far as shaping popular music goes. If someone asked me what pop music in the 2010s sounded like, this would be one of the albums I’d point to.

yesssssss. the boomers just came in and said "this sucks" but im a "teenage girl" and is wise enough to determine what sucks and what dont. 4/5

I’m giving this a 4 more out of respect for her talent than anything else. I’m not really a Beyoncé fan myself, but man, she can sing. Even when a song wasn’t totally my thing, there was never any question who was carrying it. She has that level of presence where she can make almost anything sound bigger than it is. There’s also a whole lot of sexual innuendo all over this album, which definitely became part of the experience. Some of it worked better than other parts, but overall I could at least appreciate how confident the whole thing felt Favorite song: “Drunk In Love”

Hard pass

Memories from highschool came flooding while listening to this lmao. I remember the day this dropped, it was like everyone's world shifted. And honestly? rightfully so. (Side note: I wish Beyoncé made more neo-soul music!! Superpower and Rocket are hidden gems!!!!)

one word. „partition”? MORE LIKE PERFECTION. „partition” is eating. favorite song „***flawless” and „7/11”, second fav „partition”. honorary mention „haunted” or „drunk in love”. i’d say this album was solid, gave me 2-3 songs that i’d put on my playlist and the rest is also good woahhh!! queen.

I thought I would like this album a lot more than I did. 2/10

I am starting to dislike double albums. This was just too much. The tunes are catchy and the album contains many tracks that I enjoy dancing to, but listening to the album in its entirety felt like a chore

Обычно я не слушаю поп музыку. Местами скучно, местами неплохо. Особенно скучная вторая половина альбома.

My wife was with me when I listened to my album of the day. She used to listen to Beyonce and Destiny's Child when we first met, her review is; this is pretty boring.

Someone else mentioned this just sounding like bland/soulless R&B made in a factory, and for the most part, yeah they're right. Obviously her vocals are good, she's talented in that regard, but the songs themselves have no staying power whatsoever. Just boring bassy instrumentals and nothing to hook you in. Was surprised at how much I disliked this. 1/5

It's beyonce what more can you say. I do think I have to say that I enjoyed her other, more recent albums more, but it's possible I just missed the window of nostalgia on this particular one. It was good cause it's beyonce but I wasn't like jazzed to listen to it. Sorry Beyonce.

Ms. Knowles-Carter was horny.

that comment about 'Music made by committee for hairdressing salons' can't be right can it? Haunted was pretty okay and then yup this sure is music made by committee for hairdressing salons.

poor music, not good art

you know what, this is fine. it's not as good as lemonade, and it's only real relevance now is the way it was dropped, but for a certain time, this was te best production you were gonna hear from this genre. it just, lacks something for me.

Decent but just don't care for it.

The score is mostly for the beautiful production, it's so silky smooth. Aside from that it's not a very memorable album, Beyonce is Beyoncing. That's all.

6.5/10

Manufactured pop r&b. It's good manufactured pop, but it's still just that. Design by committee music. Not a flavor of ice cream I care to eat. Yay sexy girl boss I suppose. Meh...

Generally, pop is not my style of music but I didn’t mind this album at all.

Never listened to one of her album and boy I wish I still hadn't.

No me puede gustar tan poco este tipo de música. Si reconozco las vibes dosmileras, pero me deprime un poco

I didn’t know Beyoncé could get this freaked out.

Confidence, swagger, bravado, whatever you want to call it. Beyoncé’s attitude on most of the album can be described that way. Fearless as well. The lyrics feel very personal and raw. There is also a lot of sexual energy, but it seems like it is on her terms, which matters. Probably want to skip this one in the presence of minors though, due to the graphic nature of some of the songs. Standout tracks for me were Haunted, XO and Heaven.

This album has a handful of bangers and is entertaining throughout.

257/1089 what is your aspiration in life? XO, Blue and Drunk in Love are some of the best songs ever made idc, i remember the rollout for this album and just falling in love with some of these songs. XO especially is the epitome of 2010s poptimism imo just a really great album, Beyonce is just *that* good XO and Blue are forever faves 91/100

Maybe, one of the most overrated acts in history.

Not for me, but a few really good pop songs in here. 2.5/5

27 - Beyonce - Beyonce - Rating = 2 Beyonce has such a sound that is hers. Distinct vocals with an urgency and production behind it with her soul and energy - sexy and topical and she’s just a star. Pretty Hurts is a nice level-setter to start. Opens the first couple songs with a talking intro… Haunted is pretty much a repeat talking rap… crooning comes in… not so much. Drunk in Love featuring Jay-Z is a big song for her… starts really slow… to much spoken-vocal… no hook… why is this a big song? Jay-Z doesn’t help it. Blow has a bit of a dance glove but sort of cheesy. No Angel is sort of boring / it’s a sound but not that interesting. Look… I’m skipping through a lot of this because I already know where it’s going and it’s not what I want. Not offensive, her voice is great… it’s just never something I’d choose.

I listened through most of this and didn't really feel connected to the music. It just all seemed the same, slow jam, sexy thing over and over. It wasn't bad, but it just felt meh. After chatting with someone else they suggested watching videos and that this album was meant to be a visual experience on top of the music so I watched some of the videos. That did increase my enjoyment and connection to the music. I also was able to get a little more into the lyrics and songs. It helped to pull out the female empowerment and more relationship topics she was including in her songs. She is absolutely beautiful and stunning. I am not sure I am have going to be a true Bey fan but I can at least appreciate that her talent.

I love what a deep dive this is into the female experience. There is so much power and beauty and fierceness in being a woman, and she just brings it all out there. From ridiculous beauty standards to love and jealousy to empowered sexuality to becoming a mom, this was an impressively produced journey through her soul. The song are very layered and lush. She really is a queen. Favorite tracks were Pretty Hurts, Haunted, XO and Flawless. Spotify only had the video accompaniment for a handful of the songs, which I was bummed about. I'll have to look up the rest of them some other time, but the videos that were there really did add to the power of those tracks.

This is 1 star better than I expected, I generally can't stand modern pop, as it's generally just light keyboards and thin fake drums. Add on a diva doing all sorts of vocal gymnastics just to prove she can (whether or not the song needs it) AND then add some cheap sex raps. I'm out! When this first song started, I grit my teeth and girded up for a really annoying hour. "Pretty Hurts" has most of those foibles listed above. Yuck! But when I stuck with it and heard some of the other tunes, it was a bit better than I feared. "Haunted" is pretty cool. "Haunted" by Poe is a far better song and album though. "Drunk in Love" lowers the overall rating as it is a typical representative of the horror show that is modern pop. I've never understood for 1 second how anyone thinks jay-z is a good rapper. He's freaking annoying! I'm not anti-rap. "Some of my best friends are rappers!" :) But jay-z just sucks. I shouldn't have come back for another listen. Everytime I listen, I like it less. Let me call it a 2 because I know some people dig it and apparently she's influential somehow. If nothing else than being a good marketer and businessperson. It's just not for me.

Ég fíla Drunk in love og Blow mjög vel. Hitt er fínt en skilur minna eftir sig.

Not the worst pop album I’ve been subjected too. The guest appearances keep this ticking over

If the Taliban ever capture me, this is what they play to torture me in my cell. This is absolute trash

8/10 – Very Good

I think the comments about this being a production of many writers raises an interesting point about “artists” and what they produce. I’m undecided but open to hearing this album in its entirety and seeing how it lands first… I mean I can never get enough of ‘Drunk in Love’ but otherwise, largely unmoved or taken by the other tracks. Kinda okay enough and not much depth. Polished and contrived, but okay. Expected to be a bit more impressed tbh or better hooks in something that is so pop centric 🤷🏻‍♂️ not only lacking this, but what is there feels very underwhelming and empty. ‘Partition’ got something but still kinda meh. Surprised by how underwhelmed I am and a real lack of bangers or quality.