BEYONCÉ

I confess I'd never listened yo Beyonce before this, and you know what? She's really good. Pretty much every song (ok I only listened to disc 1) had me going. I get it now. Album cover: A-. Simple and gets the job done.

Enjoyed this way more than I expected to. Will it make me a Beyoncé fan? Doubtful.

alot of explicit

Mm. I think this is one where I hafta blame my expectations. Like, as far as I've seen, this is supposed to be the bestestest Beyoncé album **ever** forever and ever. I'd always assumed it'd be LEMONADE, but, no, it's the one she surprise dropped in 2013. And I'm just wondering, "Is it actually that good, or are people still being blindsided by its release method?" And it **is** good, don't get me wrong. But the greatest Beyoncé album of all time? I don't have enough context to really answer that, though I feel I'd still fall back on LEMONADE. And is it really that amazing? Eh... I won't say "No," but it just didn't hit that level where I can fully agree. Like, I know what a 5 for me sounds like, and this just ain't it. Beyoncé's got the voice and whatnot for a 4 at minimum, but I just didn't find that certain intangiable element that'd make me 5 it like the rest of my group. Just how it goes. (Also, even if I did, "Mine" would still be boring. Take that, Drake—I guess.)

Sexy, sensible, slay queen energy

While I’m a poptimist through and through, Beyoncé has always been an artist who I wish I liked more than I do. Her strongest work – outside of Destiny’s Child’s entire discography – is either her debut (which I like because again, I adored Destiny’s Child) or Renaissance (which came out after the latest edition of this list, and will most likely be included in a future revision). There are many great Beyoncé albums, but there’s no such thing as a flawless Beyoncé album. Normally, it’s her ballads that ruin it for me. Some attempts are better than others, but a piano and adult contemporary vibes don’t flatter her. Sure, maybe they’re commercially flattering, but she needs bass, she needs off-kilter grooves, and she needs either a DJ or a funk band behind her, preferably with other vocals to play against. It’s why “Single Ladies” slaps, it’s why the bridge on “Say My Name” kills, it’s why Renaissance gave her another career renaissance that went beyond music critic circles and the Beyhive and had tracks that were actually played in public, from the club to the coffee shop. From a History of the Album Era™️ perspective, Beyoncé’s Beyoncé deserves to be on this list, if only for its unique release method. I was an avid browser of hip-hop blogs at the time, and knew “Bow Down” (later retitled “Flawless”) was getting praise and chopped and screwed remixes, but the album release was still shocking. And I remember listening to it when it dropped, and liking it. Yet as the years went on, I rarely revisited this album, and almost barely remembered it, aside from “Flawless” and the meme of “Drunk in Love” with lines about surf borts and eating cake. Its recent retrospective praise on lists like Apple’s Top 100 made me wonder why I overlooked it, so a relisten was overdue anyway. Instantly, the first half really had me thinking I’d lost my mind for not remembering this better. “Pretty Hurts” is not my favorite flavor of Bey, but god, does she slaughter you with that hook, and I think the dynamics give her a lot of space, to her benefit. Then “Haunted” kicks in and we start to get into the album proper – a moody yet groovy take on 2010s sounds, sultry yet tell-all, filled with the mystery of wearing sunglasses around the paparazzo. Sometimes it’s more dance (“Blow”), sometimes more electronic (“Haunted”) sometimes straight R&B (“Jealous” and “No Angel,” the latter written by icon Caroline Polachek!!!). Most often, it’s 2010s hip-hop with dashes of Houston rap embellishments, especially on “Drunk in Love” and “Partition.” The former has aged a lot better than I expected, if only because Jay’s verse isn’t the worst and their chemistry saves it; the latter, on the other hand, is the album highpoint, and debatably the best song not only on the album, but of Beyoncé’s entire career – solo, as a feature, or with Destiny’s Child. And throughout, the vocal snippets flesh out themes that, while celeb-obsessed, at least communicate a theme. And then there’s the second half of the album…Truthfully, the cracks start to show on “Jealous,” but they really become evident on “Rocket,” which reeks of a mid-tier Miguel song because, well, it is exactly that. Then there’s “Mine,” which I can stomach as a 31 year old woman who was starting college when Take Care was released, but the song’s Drake-ness™️ is still an issue. And here’s where I come in with my biggest critiques of this second half: A.) this half is overpowered with feature artists, which makes it feel like B.) all these songs are not Beyoncé songs, but songs meant for the feature that have Beyoncé added on, which is bad because C.) all of these features are very specifically 2013, which D.) makes those songs feel extremely 2013. None of them are bad – all the features are great songwriters – but none of the material here is their best work, and that forces Bey to drop down to their level. Why aren’t the features at the top of their game here, for Beyoncé?! This run from “Rocket” to “XO” is tolerable and still good, and saved by the immaculate “Flawless” (which is lesser than the “Bow Down” demo, but that’s splitting hairs). And then my age old issue comes back, this time with this new problem of features with the Frank Ocean cut. From here on out, it’s ballads, it’s somber, it’s sophisticated. And I have to ask….Why? It’s so tonally and thematically out of step with the rest of the album. In many ways, it feels like ending a break up novel with a loving reunion; it feels saccharine in a way that makes me roll my eyes as a listener. So while I don’t hate this second half, I also don’t adore it; it’s more a casual like, a respect, a don’t turn it off but also I’m not going to flip it over. But the whiplash between this and the immaculateness of the first half confused me. How on earth do I rate a record that feels like 2 separate albums that I have two differing opinions on? (If I’m being pedantic, though, the Platinum Edition’s bonus tracks give me exactly what I want again, and would elevate this to a 5-star if I counted them, but that’s not the album proper, so no more words, except that “7/11” still slaps.) This album made me reassess my own rating system, where I would argue all my 4 stars are great, 60-70% loves that I would own on vinyl, and spin nonstop because the bad songs are sprinkled throughout. This album has a clear dividing line, and I had a hard time thinking about what that means – do I like only half the record (3 stars) or is the weighted enjoyment enough to elevate it higher? And what if I still enjoy the back half, just not as much as the first half? I also had to not let opinions on this site influence me. Looking at how grossly low this album is rated and some of these reviews, it was hard for me to not just give this a 5-star rating and say shut the fuck up, weirdos. This album is also in my wheelhouse for genres I enjoy and eras I lived through, so I also had to accept that my harsh criticisms are coming from a place where I want more, not less. And would I feel better about being harsh if there were more Beyoncé albums on this list? As I looked at my past ratings and revisited some albums, though, I realized that Beyoncé’s Beyoncé is 110% a personal 4-star album. It’s very good, I would own it, and while I don’t think it’s flawless, I wouldn’t turn off even the bad songs. It’s just harder for me to see it as that because all the weak songs are on one side, not sprinkled throughout, so it’s harder for me to praise it, but also harder for me to deny how much I adored Side A. This might be a line in the sand for me between a 4-star and a 5-star – above Sign O The Times, neck-and-neck with After the Gold Rush – and I still really, really, really like it. But it has too much holding it back, and I doubt I’ll ever get over those elements to elevate it higher. But I’m also so glad to have rediscovered it, because now I know how much I do enjoy it, and can replay the parts I adore frequently.

I’m a huge Beyoncé fan and a few years ago I got all her CDs to listen through in car rides. I really enjoyed this particular album and I’m not sure if I would have when it came out with the visual album and all that but I liked it. She always had something fresh on her albums and this one felt like she was reclaiming some power which was great.

Somehow I don't think I'd heard this album in full before now. I know some of the big hits, like "Drunk in Love" (great but the Jay-Z verse kinda sucks) and "Partition" (fantastic song), but most if not all of the rest was new to me. And, yeah, Beyonce delivers. Enough bangers on here to tide me over. I'm still not a huge fan of Beyonce - she's definitely talented and makes a lot of great stuff, but sometimes I'm just not that interested. Still, great album, glad we got it. Favorite tracks: Partition, Haunted, Heaven, Blue, Drunk in Love, Jealous, Superpower. Album art: Beyonce. It's bold, memorable, and boring as hell. 4/5

Var helt ait

As a Houstonian for over thirty years now, I believe I'm legally obligated to write a lengthy review of this album. I don't have a lot of experience with Houston's patron saint, but I'm pretty sure I listened to this album a few years ago when I was working through Rolling Stone's best albums of the 2010's, but I haven't revisited it since then. I did check out Cowboy Carter a few weeks ago, and I intend to revisit it soon. I may lose my Houstonian card for saying this, but I've always found Beyoncé's music to be fine. Outside of "Schoolin' Life," (that song is on my workout playlist because it is a J-A-M) I don't really seek out her music a lot. I think she's a great performer who's certainly cranked out some hits, her projects are inventive and ambitious, but I'm just not big on R&B. As for the album at hand, I'd compare this to The Beatles' White Album. This album is massive, its overall sound is an evolution of Beyoncé's sound, and the lyrical themes are massive as well. But unlike the White Album, this album is much more cohesive and not weighed down by a bunch of weird shit. The explorations of feminism and black feminism are really powerful, and as a white guy, this album is a reminder that women, and especially black women live a completely different existence than I do. Beyoncé dives deep into motherhood, beauty standards, sexuality, and her own personal insecurities, and she weaves her own personal experiences into these topics expertly. I really loved the overall sound of this album, especially the use of more electronic elements that allowed this album to explore the pop music sphere really well. The more upbeat songs were fantastic, and the production work here creates a sound that's incredibly accessible and enjoyable to listen to. What kept this album from being a five-star album for me was the slower songs that relied on more traditional R&B. Those songs weren't bad, but amidst a slew of songs that relied more on traditional pop music, they kind of stuck out like a sore thumb, and were kind of a drag on the pace of the album. I really didn't care for the over six-minute tracks "Rocket" and "Mine." It probably doesn't help that I don't care for Drake. Overall though, this album is really good, and it's a big moment in Beyoncé's career and popular music.

When did Beyoncé really become Beyoncé though?

Powerhouse of a record aimed at a taget audience that I am clearly not part of.

Though Beyonce isn't my style of music. She has absolute kicks when it comes to musical talent. Beyonce exudes power and lust through the whole album. Shit slaps, I can still enjoy it deeply.

Suprisingly good! Some adventurous decisions made for such a pop superstar. Slay

Great

I love Beyoncé’s music! I think this album has some bangers and incredible slower emotional songs that she’s known for. Since this album came out, all three albums that she’s made are better than this one but this is still a strong 4!

I can't believe this album is over 10 years old at this point of listening! It feels like a world away from when it was released, with many of the singles released now absolute classics. This album was probably the first time Beyoncé was able to assert her full artistic freedom served as inspiration for the album's dark, personal subject matter, which incorporated feminist themes of sex, monogamy, beauty standards and relationship problems. Best: Drunk in Love Worst: Rocket Note: Spotify had the deluxe album I only listened to the songs from the original album. 4.5 Stars

Love this album. It feels very personal and vulnerable. It was ahead of its time.

I've never listened to this album before, "Drunk in Love" is probably the only song I'd heard prior. I love the dark, clubby vibes on some of these songs, especially "Haunted". All of the instrumentals are top notch, as expected for an A-List artist. And Bey is obviously an incredible vocalist. It's a solid album, though not every song is my cup of tea. It loses me a bit after the first few tracks. Favorite tracks: Pretty Hurts Haunted Drunk in Love Blow

Beyoncé is one of the best singers of all time. Undisputed talent. I hadn't heard most of the songs on this album before and I like almost all of them, love a couple of those. I read the production page on the wikipedia and if anything I wish I was a part of it. Multiple worldwide talents coming in and out to co-produce a song or 2, all in a 40 bedroom mansion in the Hamptons. On and off the track Yoncé knows style and class. Favorite song: XO 8/10

It's sort of weird to rate a Beyonce album. Her albums feel like such massive productions, rather than being the work of one artist. It's great, however. Lots of depth to the album. The music is great, and her voice is incredibly powerful throughout 4/5

fun

listened to again still a really strong record

I enjoyed it. 4

Drunk in love best horny song ever. Blow is a close second. Rocket! What a great track!

Solid pop album, really takes you inside the mind of a strong, powerful, confident woman

This felt like two different albums. Both could be great in their own right, but together they felt somewhat unfocused.

Some of the songs are mid but the ones that aren't are great. You already know Beyonce slays. - 8/10

To be fair, she did wake up like this

While this isn’t my favorite Beyoncé album, she is a generational artist whose popularity and influence will live on for decades

Heard this one before. Love Beyoncé to death.

A clear cut above the competition both in terms of voice, performance and ambition, Beyoncé by Beyoncé has a clear theme and concept - female sexuality and empowerment - and delivers consistently. The album feels like a response from the feminine perspective to Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, unabashed and unashamed of its sexuality. And although a few tracks drift - the album suffers from an expectation that r and b / hip hop albums must run at least an hour - with this album, Beyoncé really comes into her own as an artist, whose talents would only be further enhanced on subsequent and even more significant albums.

pretty hurts - 10/10 I Haunting - 9/10 Not a fan of the other songs

Such great production and performance. Almost her best…

I remember the day this album came out. A major surprise. The first time I heard an album while watching the visuals simultaneously. I still picture the videos when I hear the songs. She changed the game with this album.

This is a great album. I’m surprised there isn’t more from Beyoncé’s solo career on this list.

This is a pretty decent album. You can definitely hear the influence of other music popular at the time (some of the rap rhythms, some dub-step sounding elements).

3/4

Geeatness

First album listen for Beyonce - such a solid production and great tunes. I'll want to listen to this more to appreciate.

Amazing when you understand what she’s trying to say

"BEYONCÉ" is the fifth studio album by American singer Beyoncé. The album's music combines contemporary R&B with electronic and soul music. The album was released as a complete surprise which changed the days albums are released from Tuesday to Friday. I did not know that. It is a visual album with each song accompanied by a short film. There are dark feminist themes of sex, monogamy, beauty standards, relationship standards and criticism of capitalism. Multiple producers were involved. Commercially, the album hit #1 in the US and #2 in the UK and had wide-spread critical acclaim. The first song "Pretty Hurts" starts out with a speech in which Beyoncé proclaims her aspiration in life to be happy. Pulsating keyboards and a snappy beat. Beyoncé's strong and beautiful voice comes in. The music and vocals then soar. The song was written by Sia, Ammo and Beyoncé and originally intended for Katie Perry or Rihanna. Their loss. A high pitched voice begins "Drunk in Love." Beyoncé states that she's been drinking and thinking. Swirling keyboards and somewhat a ballad but also has a hip hop feel at times. Jay-Z comes in midway through. Lust and love. The first half of "Partition" is hip hop. Beyoncé rapping. There's a break and the music comes back with a heavy electronic beat. We're in clubland. This is an interesting trip. The first single "XO" opens in a controversial way with a sample from NASA public affairs right after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Wobbly keys then begin the music. Beyoncé's echoing vocals. Beats come in. This is a love power ballad. The music builds throughout with more electronic elements added. The album closes with another love ballad in "Blue." This is more of a simple love song. Piano and subtle electronic beats and synths. It's good to end of a positive note. This album is quite a listen. Every song does feel like it's own story. Dramatic. Great production. Some songs are easy to listen to with a chill and R&B/souful feel while others take you to the dance club. Elements of hip hop are also ocassionally present. It's quite easy to see why she's a superstar; the music is well-produced as mentioned but Beyoncé's voice takes it to the next level up. This is a good place to start if you have no idea what "good" and relatively current popular music can be.

Maybe too produced for my taste, that being said it sounds like a couple million bucks. Sounds like a summer blockbuster movie.

I mean, it's Beyoncé

Rich and diverse music with excellent vocals

4.0 - Impressively dynamic - this one starts with some huge, stadium fillers ("Pretty Hurts", "Drunk in Love"). Then, Beyoncé goes into X-rated territory with "Blow" and "Cherry"). She gets a little dark and introspective in the middle ("No Angel", "Jealous"). For me, the album's highlight is "Superpower", the amazing collaboration with Frank Ocean.

Gros retour au lycée j'aimais trop pretty hurts et la chanson avec chimamanda ngozi adichie... Son nom crie Tumblr (fin elle a fait plein d'autres travaux aussi mais vous comprendrez) Gros flashback des vines sur ces chanson en 2016 J'arrondis a 4 pour pas donner tj les mêmes notes... Plutôt 3.5

Ooooh ça m'a débloqué des souvenirs : -J'étais fan de Pretty hurts, je l'écoutais en boucle -7/11 passait dans mes premières soirées

Je suis surpris, mais j'ai vraiment bien aimé. Alors que j'écoute jamais sa musique. C'est pas la meilleure bande-son pour jour à Zelda, mais c'était cool.

Wow, sounded great on a home stereo. Rather dig her brand of feminism. It's more than a little distracting that the object of her un-self-conscious adoration is such a d-bag, but life's complicated. The music on the album is superb if I tune out the context.

I’ve heard this before. It slams.

This album surprised me. I didn’t think I would like it but the whole album works. Each song is unique and fits together.

Not in my regular listening but it exceeded expectations to be honest

I was in my final semester of undergrad when this album dropped unexpectedly and I remember how much of an event it was. Beyonce was seemingly freeing herself from her curated persona into something that was more feminist, unapologetically black, and more in control of her music. This, from one of music's biggest stars, was huge at the time. This album takes influence from hip hop, classic soul, R&B, and pop and blends them together well. The first half is the strongest and most interesting but overall the album is cohesive. I will point out that despite the persona altering nature of this album, it was written by committee.

It seems like the commercial impact of this album might be even bigger than the musical impact. I guess Beyonce released this with no promotion and it was pretty much out of nowhere. She also released music videos with each song all at once, so it was a full production that no one was expecting. This is also the same year she performed in the Super Bowl, so she really was clicking at this time. I'm a casual Beyonce fan at very most, and this album actually doesn't have a lot of her more recognizable songs. Drunk In Love was the only one I think I really knew before. She tackles a lot of big topics on this one in a very blunt way. I think this is pretty clearly a strong feminist stance, and she does not shy away from explicitly sexual themes. Like that's a good bit of the album. There is a song called Blow. It's about exactly what you'd expect it to be about. I'm probably never going to be a huge Beyonce fan, it's a bit overproduced pop music for me, but honestly I liked it more than I expected. It's at least real and there's a few softer songs that show off her talent. Jealous was a winner for me, I liked this one a lot, and the Frank Ocean song ("Superpower") is also great. Not my favorite thing ever, but I'm confident saying that it's a very good album from one of the few true modern stars at her peak. Favorite song: Jealous Other: Pretty Hurts, Drunk in Love, Partition, XO, Superpower, Heaven 11/7/23

OH my goodness. Having only ever heard singles from her + Lemonade, I always thought she was great but holy shit this album was so interesting. Her vocals are fantastic, and I love the whole live sorta feeling to this album with all the clips in the beginning of songs, production was fab with tons of interesting choices sprinkled all over, no song structure was predictable and it was groovy as heck. Also, was profusely sweating during some of the more sexual songs. I had no idea Beyoncé could make me feel that way. If I hadn't had a sexual awakening already this one would be it. Very good album.

Great album, not my favorite genre but to notch songs for at least half. Well revisit a few of these songs. Great singles and solid features. Remixes are dancey This is an easy 4 for me

Used to always listen, not so much these days.

7.5

enjoyed it

Disc sorpresa en més d'un sentit. No només va ser editat sense advertència prèvia; també en el seu so mostra una artista més madura, disc que actua com a punt d'inflexió de la Beyoncé més comercial dels seus primers discos a l'autora d'un r&b molt més complexe, negre i profund dels treballs posteriors. 'Drunk in Love', 'Pretty Hurts', 'Partition'... són només algunes de les mostres més punyents, i se situen entre els seus millors assoliments en solitari

Too many male manipulators on this site that can’t even acknowledge a legitimately good album by an incredibly talented artist.

Beautiful voice, catchy tunes, haven’t listened to much Beyoncé before but I must admit I kind of dig it. The biggest dissonance is just reconciling that these love songs are about Jay-Z. I guess he should be congratulated for giving ugly dudes confidence that it could happen for them.

- Blow is a banger - Really good pop album

As someone who grew up hearing many of her singles on the radio, this was my first time listening to a Beyoncé album in full and I was pleasantly surprised The production on this is amazing Very ahead of it’s time The way Beyoncé morphs her voice to express emotion on here is really great Will definitely be listening to this again in the future Favourite tracks: Haunted, Blow, Partition, Rocket, Mine, Blue

okay yeah, beyonce is her own category

This was really fun! I can’t believe I hated this!

Why does beyonce make me feel like a hot bitch

I’ve listened to surprisingly little Beyoncé and I’m not sure why, though this one was pretty great. Fun, varied, incredible production, great vocals. Giving four but borderline 5 star album

Personal and yet so novel in sound. Culturally iconic

This is a perfect explanation of why she's known as Queen B. Infectious, soulful, and unflinching in its examination of feminine sexuality.

HL: "Drunk in Love", "Mine", "Superpower", "Blow", "Ring Off" (bonus track) Less enthusiastic about: "Partition", "XO" hindsight 20/20, I appreciate this whole era a lot more than I did back then. Not to disown all the Bastille, Imagine Dragons, Lorde & Lana Del Rey I was hearing at the time, but there were some clear blind spots in what I chose to listen to. m.A.A.d. city, Yeezus, Channel Orange and now this, all releasing around my senior year of high school only for me to basically tune it out, then decide 10 years later that they're actually very good "Drunk in Love" is the one thing I knew about this album before today, which still holds up. Though I can't handle this level of maximalism every day, with the smorgasbord of guest producers, singers & songwriters threatening to overload the project, it's also a great snapshot of 2013 for that reason. Disturbingly, one of my favourite songs heavily features Drake, and Pharrell's slick nu-disco (wHiCh wAs tHe StYlE aT tHe TiMe) rarely sounded better than it does in "Blow". While some tracks sound very of their time (“Pretty Hurts”), others feature a mildly experimental sound that aged pretty well (“No Angel”, “Haunted”) July 18, 2023

Molto interessante, molto esplicito, ma "fatto bene". Non da 5, ma molto indeciso... 4 1/2

te amo beyonce 8.5/10

3.5/5. Not really for me, but it was good. I don't really have much else to say.

Intro Track Pretty Hurts, Fantastic intro everything about this song is outstanding one of the best intros to an album I've heard, imo hasn't aged the best its not milk bad but maybe like canned fruit (0.8) Haunted - Fantastic song, talks about the process of making music which has become boring (0.7) Drunk In Love - heard clips but never full song, great song about getting drunk and fking lmao, Production is so good and mixing is perfect (favorite jay-z verse ever, its so fun) (1) Blow - my mom would not allow me to listen to this song, eh its whatever, not a fan of the sexual parts it makes me unconfutable as lame as that is, not a fan of the production as well sounds like a Disney sitcom intro OH WAIT BEAT SWITCH alright second half slaps first half is a snooze fest but second part going crazy still not a fan of sexual noises im sorry i know im lame (0.4) No Angelz - Boring YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN (0) Partiton - Iconic ass intro, YONCE ON HIS MOUTH LIKE LIQOR BANGER RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (1) Jealous - bro...... holy shit (1) i listened to it again Rocket - ooooo i like intro, bro jay z got it like that wtf isn't he like ugly asf damn i hate ugly successful people still a banger (0.8) its just a bit to long, felt like if they cut out a min and half this could have been perfect Mine FT Drake - WAIT THIS IS HEAT, first drake intro was straight gas, oh yea these hoes harmonizing now, drakes solo with that effect is so good. Drake is so ass now its great to hear when he was in his bag, GASSSSS NIGGA RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (1) asap rocky influence crazy ima have to bring the score down only asap can do it as good as he does drake verse is great tho. (0.9) XO - damn this shit got me in tears dawg holy fuc, seems like it would be a finale but it isn't this shit is gas tho (1) i needa get a girlfriend to post this song on my insta story ong Flawless - I pledge allegiance to the flag of Beyonce states of America and to the republic of which it stands one nation under Beyonce indivisible, with Beyonce served to all. ALLEN FOR THREE BANG (1) Superpower - Frank Ocean (AKA the pretty boy ong he pretty) alright slower song good change of pace, i was expecting a bit more frank sad its a cool song not close to the past couple songs but still alright (0.6) Heaven - damn bro just fucking damn (1) Blue - GOD STOP IT PLEASE I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY (1) i wanna be held to this song man. (i consider this to be the album deluxe songs are cool tho) final thoughts extremely talented artist I feel like this is the album Beyonce became the Beyonce we know today the households name Beyonce, this album holds very well in 2023 with each song fitting together so well. It also starts of pretty well but ends perfectly blue will forever be the greatest album closer imo. going into this review I knew a couple of these songs but going back and listening them in order and learning about how the rollout and drop was its crazy that this lived up and stands as one of Beyonces best albums and possibly one the best albums in the 2010's FINAL SCORE 10.2/14

I hadn't listened to this once in a few years, so this was nice to revisit. "Pretty Hurts" and "XO" still remain my favorites from this album, although "Drunk in Love" is melodically so so catchy. I don't know if I necessarily enjoy this album more than her earlier works, but it's solid considering I don't listen to this type of rnb-tinged pop too often.

When we are tasked with the question of when the paradigm shifted in popular and musical culture, I think it is safe to say that when this album unexpectedly assimilated itself into the fabric of... well, everything. I remember when it came out and being as surprised as everyone else. No one saw it coming. Beyoncé had literally changed the game. I'll be completely honest here: this is my first time listening to this album and I can understand why it was and is an utter gamechanger. Literally everything is on here, right there for the eventual "memeification" ("surfboard", "I woke up like this", etc.). But the most important thing here is the music and, man, do Queen Bey and her collaborators deliver. From wall-to-wall bangers to effective detours to the downtempo, BEYONCÉ was the moment where Beyoncé became the auteur, the gold standard, the be-all end-all of pop music. Nearly ten years on, this is the monolith to hang all hats on. Salute. Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Drunk in Love, Blow, Partition, Rocket, Mine, XO, ***Flawless, Superpower, 7/11, Drunk in Love Remix, Ring Off, Blow Remix, Standing in the Sun Remix.

I'm supposed to say this is overrated, no I think it's great! I think it's about 5000% cheesier than I remember it being when I was 20, haha. The drums do not hold up at all. They feel very very silly. The production and the general through-composed, interlude-heavy tracks, especially in the front half, are really like catnip for me. It's some aspect of what shaped me musically. Honestly people say this is pretentious but I like when pop artists are this ambitious and are trying something real. The lyrics are super weak in sections, haha. But this is really really good in sections, and it's not all formula. 4/5 I appreciate the ambition

Good pop album. Beyoncé definitely knows pop, but it's just my thing. 3.5 stars.

Listened Before? N Pretty good. I loved the backstory of how the album was recorded with all writers and producers living with her and Jay-Z. Great stuff. The albums sexual themes are in your face which was unexpected as well. Solid work. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Drunk In Love

Pretty boombastic sound, great for stadium-filling epics. I wouldn't class myself as a huge fan of either artiste or genre, but there's no denying Beyoncé's talent or appeal. Good stuff

I deeply respect Beyonce but I never actively choose her music to listen to. Doesnt quite click with me, but then again I am very much NOT the target audience and thats ok. Her newest album is the only exception.

Damn. Thoroughly original, memorable and enjoyable. What struck me most was how creatively each song was structured, even if the record was little too long. A great record.

Ok. A whole album of Beyonce is a first for me. The full rapturous entertaining package. So much more than an amazing voice, and evocative of power, desire, luxury, pleasure, empowerment, and yes, this music is all about her. She fill the shoes. We are never in any doubt of Beyoncé Knowles obvious talents and full assets. Its music from a whole fantasy land into which to project. An empowered and dignified deity is here on her terms to entertain, command our adoration, the central focus is her enchantment supported by a suprisingly slow and very carnal beats and rhythm. It's like she is slowly strutting through the room at all times, as she does on stage, controlling the beat, holding us dripping with the rapture of a luxurious, heavenly nightclub-come-boudoir, steamy with the pheromones as she holds us all in anticipation for a jouissance on her own creation. She is control at all times. Quality stuff.

Pretty good. Although I didn’t feel like there was any song that really jumped out at me as THE track from the record. But, I’m probably not the target audience anyway. 3.5/5

reminds me of being 14 :)

A redefinition of R&B for the next millennium. Maximalist, layered, complex, emotional.

Frank Ocean + Ye feature, automatic 4 atleast. tho ngl some of the earlier songs in the album were not it.

BEYONCE????

The moment when Beyoncé Knowles became BEYONCÉ and firmly secured her place in the musical pantheon. Unafraid to express her sexuality, fully confident in her talents as a singer and ambitions to be an accomplished woman, she offers a beautifully realized sonic odyssey.

This is a good album but too uneven. If everything was like Pretty Hurts, I'd be all over it - that song is Beyonce fierce, passionate with a great lyrical message. Partition is also fierce, in a "I run this" and "yes ma'am whatever you say" way. She just commands respect on it. Haunted is different, but still cool - sultry. Then there's all the songs where she's trying to be explicit and/or sexy. Drunk in Love doesn't work for me - they lyrics are honest but she actually doesn't say a lot (just repeats stuff). Unlike Partition, it feels like she's submitting to a man because Jay-Z seems to have more lines in his 1 minute feature (it's like a 14 year old talking about how much she loves her 22 year old boyfriend). Blow, however, is what that song should've been. Damn - sexy as hell and funktastic. Jealous is also powerful - great lyrics, anyone in a relationship can relate (and the backup singers really make the sound). Heaven and Blue have very different themes than most of the album but they're touching. A few too many bland or forgettable songs (No Angel, Rocket, Mine, Superpower). But yet just when you're ready to write her off, she brings it back with songs like XO and Flawless. They're just big tunes that grab you. So all in all, much respect for what she did here. But what rubs me the wrong way is, is there no shame in having 50 different people be part of an album? Where is the pride in having something be yours? As Michael Jackson was seeking his opus he eventually got rid of Quincy Jones. This is supposedly Beyonce's opus and while she had a lot to do with the lyrics, she gave up so much artistic creation to collaborators. It just feels a bit like cheating.

This listen came after I listened to Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 album, She’s So Unusual from the list. One thing I can say is that pop music has changed a lot in 30 years and I didn’t expect to like this album as much as I did. Beyonce definitely came into her own with this release. Her voice is amazing. Tracks like “Haunted”, “Blow”, “Partition” and “Rocket” made a strong impression with "Haunted" being my favorite on the album (great video too) . There were moments on the album that didn’t click with me though. I don’t know what Jay-Z was thinking on “Drunk in Love,” but his appearance on the track took away more than it added to the song and “Flawless” kind of just annoyed me. Overall though I though it was a great album and I look forward to checking out Lemonade and Renaissance as well.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would. The lyrics of much of the first half were the main issue I had with the album - I'm all for female sexual empowerment, but from Drunk in Love to Rocket I just wanted to tell Bey and Jay to get a room (Jay-Z: "Your breasteses is my breakfast." Sigh). That said, the music and production are excellent and she has an amazing voice. Don't know if I'd go out of my way to listen to it again, but I wouldn't mind listening more, so I'll call it a 4. Tracks that caught my ear: Haunted (very cool track - also a good spot to acknowledge the visually stunning videos she made for every song on the album), Partition (more sexy-time lyrics, but I like the music), Mine (really like the drum track), XO (anthemic), Flawless, and Heaven (what a great line "Heaven couldn't wait for you. So go on, go on home." I saw some people say it's about a miscarriage, which hits hard, but she says it's about her mother's friend. If it is about a miscarriage, damn that hits you in the feels). Nice ending with Blue - it made me want to go hug my kids, even though they're not so little anymore.

Unexpectedly varied. I like the bravado in the lyrics, the dark electro-trap beats, and the restrained vocals compared to her hits from the mid-2000’s.

versatility queen, lots of bangers

Hey miss carter

Quite possibly Beyoncé's best record. There's a great mix of styles here and she really shines as a songwriter and vocalist in pretty much any genre she wants. Also the production is killer There are a couple of songs I'm less keen on (particularly Blow and Mine) and it it a bit over-long in that sense. However otherwise it just has banger after banger - the four singles and No Angel are all top-tier Bey tracks- so it's hard to let that affect the overall enjoyment of the album

I mean what can I say, it’s Beyoncé.

beyonce is one of those artists that i have always wanted to explore, and i'm thrilled to get the opportunity here. the album is autobiographical at times, which is fitting for a self-titled album. including those audio clips of her childhood/past was a brilliant choice. not to mention, "***flawless" includes such an important message--the spoken word verse!! i love owning and celebrating sexuality via "partition." it's so empowering. "pretty hurts," as the album opener, discusses happiness and beauty standards. beyonce works hard to cover some important topics here. for someone who can sing as she does, it's a shame there's so many produced sounds. i wish her voice was allowed to stand more on its own. regardless, her voice is beautiful here. but i suppose with the produced sounds, the album is full of a lot of fun. as a side note, it's fascinating to see how many of these songs have a cultural impact!

Nathan Rabin once said (https://www.avclub.com/volume-7-july-2001-1798220509) : The theme of most of Beyoncé Knowles’ hits, as both a solo artist and the lead singer of Destiny’s Child (otherwise known as “Beyoncé and two random women in the background”), can be reduced to “I’m awesome. Fuck you.” It's hard to argue too much. Beyonce, she is awesome. I think Lemonade is her masterpiece album, but I can see how this album was an important step leading up to it. Collaged from bits of her own history and a patchwork of collaborators, it has her distinct vision all through it. There is a change in this album as the thematic material becomes a bit more personal and the vision more sophisticated than just crushingly great pop music. This more sophisticated approach really reached a peak on Lemonade, which is an amazing masterpiece record. I think this S/T record has some really great singles, but the album tracks are where some of the really interesting meat is.

That's good pop.

When Beyoncé became Queen B. So many hits on this album and definitely one of her top 2

I don't think it's fair to refer to Beyoncé as Janet Jackson 2.0. First of all, the sequel is rarely better than the original and secondly Beyoncé is way more talented than Ms. Jackson (if you're nasty). As a straight noob in his 60's who's only known the singer as Foxxy Cleopatra, my Beyoncé experience was nothing short of surprising. This girl has got some pipes and the beats, song ... errr music(?) backing her up is intelligent, creative and full of life.

The range of collaborators Beyoncé worked with on “Beyoncé” (and on “Lemonade” after this) is quite impressive. I thought the Destiny’s Child album on the list was hurt by an excessive amount of songwriters, but I think it works to a more positive effect on “Beyoncé.” Less overpowering themes, maybe? But it was so interesting to see that Beyoncé worked with (among others) Sia, Drake, Frank Ocean, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, Timbaland, Boots (a guy I’d never heard of but the tracks he produced stood out on the album), and Caroline Polachek (I previously had no idea she was in Chairlift or anything about her career before her recent solo work). Sometimes Beyoncé’s vocals completely fit the track, no matter the style, like the rap “Ghost” and traditional R&B on “Rocket.” Other times great tracks with the potential to diversify her music are squandered when the vocals don’t match up, like on “No Angel.” But whether it clicks or not, Beyoncé’s collaborators and producers often have their styles clearly evident, like with Drake on “Mine,” Tedder on “XO,” and Timbaland on “Partition.” I think all of those actually generally work though. The misses on “Beyoncé” are few, which makes for a pretty enjoyable album even though it's generally not my style. Then I listened to “Lemonade” too, and I liked it as well. Maybe even more? Maybe Beyoncé is my style?

Not quite my thing, but I can’t deny that this a very well performed and produced album.

kinda good sometimes

A very good if not “classic” Beyoncé album in the sense that Lemonade is. For me this was one of the first albums we heard that was purely fun and no actual work to listen to which sometimes in life you just need. Rocket, Flawless, Partition are all great. Not the best performance by Jay z, drake, or Frank Ocean but their guest spots are all enjoyable. She really is a great singer.

1/6/22, BOP

https://www.labnol.org/internet/music-taste-linked-to-intelligence/7489/

première fois que je l’écoute en entier et pas deçue

This is the 3rd R&B album from 2010s I've been assigned this month, but this is by far my favorite. The background behind the album is pretty remarkable. No leaks, no hype. An album drops out of nowhere with a music video released for each of the 12 tracks, turning this album into a visual experience. Only one of the most famous musicians alive in our modern age could pull something like that off. Taylor Swift would pull similar stunts years later. She moves away from her traditional side into experimentation, taking on a wide variety of influences over the decades into both her music and accompanying videos. Meanwhile, her lyrics cover themes related to accepting her identity and finding her ambitions, whether related to being happy, breaking from the music industry norm, or seductively pleasing her lover. The production is perfect. I found little to no hiccups. They take all sorts of risks, and I'm constantly surprised with each song. Of course, Beyonce's a remarkable singer. I don't really care about these things much, but she has superbly admirable control of what her voice is capable of. Songs like "Rocket" demonstrate how fluid she can change characteristics of her voice in a continuous stream. "Pretty Hurts" sets up the themes we explore in the rest of the album, taking an introspective dive on Beyonce escaping from public perception and exploring her identity and creativity. It's a hit and great way to entice both new and old fans. "Haunted" adopts the dark electric synths of Lorde. "Drunk in Love" reminds me of her early work with Sean Paul mixed with a modern hip hop beat. I really enjoyed the chorus and Jay Z's contribution. Who knew he was obsessed with cake and anime? "Blow" appears inspired by the fun 90s R&B acts of TLC, Mariah Carey, Janet's Velvet Rope with a sound reminiscent of 80s post-disco (e.g. Pointer Sisters). "No Angel" is chillwave and reminds me of FKA Twigs with the high register and pauses. "Partition" sounds crunk, especially in the middle, but apparently I'm the only person who thinks so. It feels heavy and dark, her raps are impressive, and I enjoy the intersection of the high-register chorus. It's one of the more complex songs, composed of several phases that don't sound like they're from the same song. "Jealous" is one of the least interesting tracks, sounding like standard R&B pop, but the production is spot on. "Rocket" is neo-soul, another standout. Impressive vocals, changing tempo, range, and style continuously. It's compared to Prince and D'Angelo, and yes I can agree with that in the song's ambitions of power performance. I'd also say it has the style of D'Angelo and the funk and energy of Prince. "Mine" is one of the weakest tracks. I was afraid Drake was gonna screw it up, but with the exception of a few annoying effects, it was pretty solid. Forgettable though. "XO" is another hit and a fan favorite, one of the cheerier tracks. It has a ton of hooks, but personally, I think it's boring. "***Flawless" is trap and contrasts strongly with the previous "XO." Haha this is the type of music people hate with a passion. In the middle we get force fed a tedX about feminism LOL. It's solid and coherent, and I absolutely love the second half. I'm really impressed the way the lines roll off her tongue. "Superpower" is my first time hearing Frank Ocean's voice, and damn he sounds exactly like Prince. If you told me this was Prince... well, I'd say "didn't he die?" but he actually died in 2016. Ocean's face is derpy as hell though. Beyonce's voice gives off Mariah Carey vibes. I like the open atmospheric samples in the background. This song begins our melancholic closing to the album. "Heaven" is slow tempo R&B, one of the more boring tracks, but definitely the most sensational about a lost loved one. Glad this one is near the end but not the last one. "Blue" is a personal favorite of mine I don't see talked about. I love the bittersweet ending of the album. I'm obsessed with her vocals, especially in the "chorus" part. The samples remind me of those Youtube lofi tracks. The mood reminds me a lot of Taylor Swift's Clean on 1989. Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Drunk in Love, Rocket, Baby

Why is Beyoncé so horny?

Yesh it's pretty good 👍

2013. Flawless, Drunk in Love

This isn't my usual type of thing at all, but gotta admit it's slick as hell. Beyoncé is undeniably talented, and I'd probably get more out of it if I gave it more listens than the 2 so far. Fave track - "***Flawless" - the intro was kinda irritating but the rest of the track was captivating. Great stuff!

Beyoncé tiene un rango musical y artísitico amplísimo que debo aceptar. Todo lo que viene en este disco está sumamente bien hecho en todos los niveles de producción: calidad de la voz, arreglos, instrumentaciones, todo. Eso no significa que me encante. Hay rolas demasiado R&B-escas que no me encantan, hay otras en las que hace un "grito de mujer afroamericana enojada" (en Flawless) que no me gusta ni tantito, pero hay otras que son pop del mejor hecho: XO, Blow y Rocket (anuma, hablando de cohetes, esta prende la mecha). En fin, no es el disco que traería conmigo a todos lados, pero veo que es una muy buena obra. PD. No escuché más que las 14 del disco original. Tampoco estoy para echarme casi 3 horas de 40 rolas cuando contamos todos los extras.

Niet onmiddellijk een gigantische Beyoncé-fan. Maar met dit album begrijp ik goed waar de fanbase vandaan komt. Het is krachtig, open en gevoelig.

Pretty decent but not my style. Objectively good work though.

Not long after listening to Solange's R&B album "A Seat at the Table", I got her older sister's self-titled album. It's tempting to compare the two, one minimalist fused R&B and the other electronica fused R&B. But nobody wants to be compared to their sibling, so I guess won't. Beyoncé's surprise album is a surprise indeed. Mostly because this isn't what I personally expect from someone who gave us "Single Ladies", "Halo", and "Listen", among others. This is a so-called "alternative R&B" album. The sounds and the productions are so jaw dropping-ly gorgeous. It perfectly captured the personal, the sexual, and the feminist aspects of this album. I love how the electronic and synth elements are utilized. However, the album seems to have an unconventional structure. It's not bad, but because of this, there are minimal hooks in this album. After a while, it losses its steam, and it becomes somewhat monotonous. Still, it was a hella good listen. I'll definitely come back to this, perhaps I'll even watch the visual part of the album to maximize the experience.

Beyonce, she is awesome. I think lemonade is her #1 classic album, but I can see how this album leads up to it. Collaged from bits of her own history and a patchwork of collaborators, it has her distinct vision all through it.

It's an impressive pop album, pulling from an extremely wide range of genres including vocal music, trap, 90s R&B... Both very horny and very jealous. Takes a lot of risks while maintaining a poppy catchiness. Beyonce is, obviously, an impressive vocalist, though I don't know if I really like the guest voices here (I typically like Frank Ocean and Jay-Z, never been a big Drake fan). Favorite tracks: "Mine", "Pretty Hurts", "Drunk In Love", "Heaven", "***Flawless"

I related to this right off the bat. It's aimed at females, but it also resonates with fathers of daughters. Pretty Hurts sounds like a club song, but it's way better than that. This is apparently a visual album, so I may have to check that out too. The album proceeds beyond beauty and infatuation and gets deeply sexual, which again is a celebration of Beyonce's femininity. Flawless is like a precise commentary on self confidence and worth. Heaven and Blue are a perfect ending to an album like this. This is truly an album tha tells a story. She uses all the tools in her arsenal to entertain, but also engage us in her story of a woman coming of age, developing, combatting hate, letting power and self-worth prevail ultimately to persevere tragedy and evolve into a mother of a daughter.

Fantastic album, love Beyonce but hadn't listened to this record yet.

Someone needs to get me a Rabbit Test because I'm pretty sure Queen Bey just got me very pregnant.

Iconic

The next baby boom will be attributed to this albums release

SURFBOARDT

Jay Z is a lucky man

She's like the Voltron of all the divas that came before - Aretha, Madonna, Mariah - but also, like, a little Prince, a little R&B, a little gangsta rap. She's bad ass. This is not really my go-to genre of music (and I won't pretend like Beyonce was aiming for the middle-aged, straight, white guy audience) - still, this album is a work of art in many senses. Vocally, she's clearly talented. Even though some of the songs don't really have consistent melodies (they're more stream of consciousness almost), it's still interesting to listen to. And, she was clearly going through some shit in her life while recording this - and I was impressed with the honesty and vulnerability on a lot of the tracks. In summation - I'm not sure I "liked" this album, but I enjoyed listening to it and respect it. Credit where credit is due.

7/10 good album, most of it holds up in 2021 but I think there are a lot of cuttable songs

8/10. Had some rather slow sections/songs, but started and ended strong enough. I can see why people like Beyonce, but I don't see her becoming a personal favorite. The bits of "No Angel" that are super breathy and she halts after every word reminded me forcibly of Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle.

Sounds good, if sometimes overproduced. 8/10

Some deeply sexy songs on here, but it isn't as good as lemonade imo

So sexy. Apart from the bland bits. Rated the deluxe version so i could listen to the flawless remix again. Beyonce is a great singer and her rap is on point. -1* for the dull balad type songs. When she's hype, the album is amazing.

I thought Lemonade was the best Beyonce album but now I've properly listened to this one it sure has competition. Amazing, wonderful, there is nobody like Beyonce

very enjoyable rnb

Excellent album de la part de Queen B, n'en déplaise a robparmentiere, adorateur de musique de merde. Ce petit plaisantin n'a en effet relevé de cet album que la briève apparition de son chanteur de merde favori, le denommé Sampha. En effet, il est vrai que l'on peut retrouver Sampha pendant quelques secondes dans le fond sonore, supplier l'auditeur d'écouter son album de merde. Je vous retranscris ses paroles ci-dessous: "S'il vous plait, achetez mon album, ou au moins essayer de l'écouter sur Spotify" dans un français parfait. Cela ne prend pas, nous ne lançerons pas Sampha et attribuons a Beyoné la note de 4/5.

Mad sexy. I didn’t vibe with every song on here enough for it to get a 5, but the sheer creativity, personality, and honesty on this record is astounding.

It's not music I would seek out, honestly I don't know much about Beyonce's career at all and I'm fine that way. But the album was quite good, I liked it! Good variety of song styles too, and also sooo horny haha!

I’ll admit I’ve never been the hugest fan. I respect what she does but the amount of writers and producers who put each song together is crazy to me. I really enjoyed this album more than expected though. Was happy to check it out. Love the production. FAVE SONGS: “Haunted” “Pretty Hurts” “Drunk In Love”

Was surprised by how much of this I already knew and actually liked given that I'm not big on her music

This album grew on me as I listened to it. At first, I wasn’t enjoying it at all but by the time I got about halfway through I was thoroughly vibing to it. It’s definitely one of the horniest albums I’ve ever listened to and shows why Beyoncé is called the queen. Fav songs: drunk in love remix, jealous, XO

Never thought much of her but this was actually a decent album, great combination of pop, r&b and hip hop styles

thicc layered rnb rap pop

I got the itunes LP that followed this, Lemonade, after a zillion critics said it was the best release of the year, but it didn't really hold my attention. This one I like. The production is complex and captures many different moods. They get quite experimental at times with samples and some nice dark synthy bits. Beyonce has a velvety voice, the guest singers and rappers spice things up nicely, but she is still the center piece. The lyrics are mature and personal (sex with hubby, for example). Compared to the recent 1001 offer by that other female pop icon whose albums we don't buy (Madonna) I think Beyonce's release is deeper, more rounded and a greater accomplishment (even if you leave out the short films that apparently come with every song).

We love beyonce

my first Bey :) 2014...was listening to a lot of Sara B, so...this is pretty pop for me, even now i think. I'm not sure how well the audio dialogue works here. now i know timbaland was fairly involved in this really contextualizes it. hate that drake track. ryan tedder wrote XO 🥰 needed to relisten to no angel after seeing Polachek on the cred. (don't really feel it) will listen to some Solange and Kelly R for some supplementals - the Kelly album is too meh for me. now Solange, i had a feeling she's easy to love. 2016 album is my jam

BEYONCÉ does not quite reach my threshold for a 4-star album. But I want to elevate it from the average stuff I put in the 3-star bucket. Good production and no filler track.

because i'm a broken person i have a hard time appreciating glossy, expensive, and frankly *talented* pop music when i can instead listen to some clanking, lumbering, uncomfortable song that makes you work for the relief of the melody. basically what i'm saying is that beyonce isn't someone whose music i had ever had any real impulse in pursuing, assuming it to resemble her earlier pop career. i guess all this time she's been making surprisingly exploratory neo-r&b that sounds like if if you gave carpenter brut some ketamine. i don't know how this happened and i don't know why i was unaware of it before. on a lot of levels this is really not my thing, and i wouldn't seek this out but it's kind of the ideal outcome of exploring music outside of your wheelhouse; this is not an album for ME and yet it impressed the hell out of me.

Big beats with heavy bass. Good intro clips and rap interludes. Strong range demonstrated with vocals and styles rap, soul, r/b. Impressive features and remixes on platinum edition. Pretty hurts, drunk in love, Jealous, flawless, heaven, ring off

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

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

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

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.

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,

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

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

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

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.

some bops. kind of boring

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

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

Decent listen but nothing particularly compelling.

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

Todella korkeatasoista tuotantoa

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Some good songs, but fine on the hole

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

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.

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.

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.

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

influential, v dirty

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Yeah this playlist is fun but i wouldn't rate it more than a 3.

Lemonade and Renaissance are better

I will fully admit that Destiny’s Child is one of my all-time favorite girl groups. And Beyoncé was manufactured to be the star. When she went “solo” that star factory went with her and just exploded. So while this is highly polished by committee pop music…it’s good. This album isn’t my favorite Beyoncé work - both her earlier and later albums eclipse it - B’Day, Lemonade, Homecoming and Renaissance all come to mind. Probably not one I would have included on the list. 3.5⭐️

Too long, apart from a couple of tracks nothing special

I have not really listened to much Beyonce beyond a few singles that I could not avoid. expectations were not high - but I quite enjoyed the epic/ edm pop stylings of some of the tracks and there was less RnB flavours than i was expecting. Particularly liked Haunted, Mine and Superpower. Not sure would rush back but would certainly not turn it off.

You're pretty much assured of at least a basic level of quality with Bey, and this album is no different. Whilst it may not equal her career highs there are a number of of tracks her that are more than good - 'Pretty Hurts' is a great opener and it's good to see her speaking out for the flat-chested, especially when she was not at the back of the queue (i.e. she has ample breasts). A selfless lady. I feel this touches on some of the self-image and 'be yourself' messaging that's admirable, but it's also quite preoccupied with saying how excellent her buttocks are (with which I don't disagree), and working things slow on other things (vag n penis) - like "let me sit on you" or "put it in your face". At all times Bey remains flawless herself, in spite of some lyrical fails and production shenanigans. Some pounding tracks feature to go with her self-promoted pounding buttocks; and the quality bar is at a good level. It stops short of her later album highs (probably), but was a very reasonable listen.

Beyonce is a pop robot created by corporate blowhards. This was pretty good. Raunchy

Wahrscheinlich das Beyoncé Album dass ich am meisten mochte bzw. den Release als einzigen wirklich wahrgenommen hatte. Würde 3-4 geben (heute wahrscheinlich nur ne 3). Die Musikvideos hatten mich sehr geprägt und ich hatte XO, Flawless, Partition, Pretty Hurts und Drunk in Love auf jeden Fall damals auf meinem Handy

Oh it's her Madonna album. The one where everything is about sex and sex is a metaphor for something else. It's one of those albums where you aren't sure it's a mile wide and an inch deep OR you just don't get the point. Maybe it is just about the sex. Some of the songs didn't feel like they started until halfway over, and not like a prog rock tune. Also I would have liked them to bring her vocals out on a few songs. I swear she was in the backseat on a couple of them. It's not a bad album. I'm doubt I'll ever listen to it again but it does make me want to listen to some of her stuff from before and after this album. I'm not who this album is for though so I'm sure some is lost on me. Alright I talked to a friend who is a huge fan she said this album has videos that go with it. So that explains the weird songs doesn't start right away part. Weird to do it that was on the audio album but what do I know.

I’m not 100% certain what I expected, but I’m 100% sure it was 20% better than that. First of all, for better or worse this is what a 5 million dollar record sounds like. It is sonically very clean and mixed perfectly for what it is. The low end is warm and present and the detail in the textures is clear even at low volumes. As far as the songs themselves I think I anticipated more songs like “Rocket”, modern R&B hip pop (sic), and less like “Haunted”, interesting and not purely centered on the vocals. I don’t think I’ll run to listen to this again in the near future but I’m glad to have listened to it.

This was a nice surprise. This is a well produced album with lots of interesting drum programming, catchy hooks, and great vocals. This isn’t exactly in my musical wheelhouse, but, all things being equal, it’s a pretty good record.

Derivative for many who followed

"Modern" R&B is really not my thing. That being said, I found some good stuff on here. Just not enough to move this above average. 3/5

I've never really been fond of Beyoncé, not a hater just never been drawn to her music and this self-titled doesn't really change that, it's fine good pop music 🤷‍♂️

Beyonce spilte en stor rolle i å gjøre lydbildet på 2000-tallet forjævlig. Jeg gikk derfor inn i denne skiva med en stor klype skepsis og en børse ladet med ett-tall. Men det begynner egentlig veldig bra...? Velprodusert pop! Det faller litt fra hverandre noen spor inn i skiva og veksler mellom egentlig ganske (kanskje veldig...?) bra og ganske forglemmelig. Men det er pop-cursen, innit? Hvor CDen er singlene og oppimot en time med bonusspor. Her har de vært litt rausere med fordelingen. Kanskje en halvtime med god pop paddet til å vare i overkant av en time.

Syns Lemonade er en helstøpt skive, og skjønner at denne plata var en slags overgangsplage på veien til den. Syns poplåtene er ganske bra, særlig de tre første. RNB og ballader syns jeg derimot er skikkelig kjedelig.

Confesso que não sou um apreciador da obra musical de Beyoncé. Até gosto de algumas músicas. Dito isso, esse álbum me surpreendeu. Ele tem uma pegada hip Hop mais evidente em algumas faixas e o punch me agradou. Tangzu Wan'er 2 - Bass Editon.

Vamos cerrando la semana con la grosa de Beyoncé. Disco mayormente intimista en comparación a otros más hiphoperos o bailables. Decir que es sexy es una obviedad: todo lo que hace y es esta mujer lo es. Hasta mañana

Some great songs, some very mid

Reviewers saying this is music made by committee or not sure why this is on the list need to listen to other pop/r&b from this time, whatever you think of the quality (I'm so-so) it is a fairly unique, highly acclaimed and commercial record that was doing something different to the consensus style at the time. What other quality do you need to be on the list?

Partition and XO are nuts. I don’t know if I’m necessarily the audience for the rest, and that’s ok.

Not bad and easy to listen to. I felt like I kept waiting for a real energy punch to come through that never did however. The production felt very underwhelming, and Beyoncé herself felt incredibly, almost too restrained despite an otherwise strong overall performance. Good, but dragged a little too much for my taste. Top tracks: Haunted, Partition, Heaven

Supposedly this album is R&B, but it's more Soul than R&B. Whatever the genre, while it's technically and vocally superb, I thought that the album was a bit boring, apart from "Partition" which was more akin to the Beyoncé I like.

Hmm

Beyoncé, alright then! I have a fairly strong bias against this sort of massive production, multi million dollar pop music, so I'm listening with some reluctance. Pretty good though...Beyoncé is undeniably talented and in control of what she's doing. The lyrics are a lot more provocative that I had imagined, and pretty funny in places. As for production, in places it almost, almost tickles the part of my brain that trip-hop does, or the better parts of mid period Madonna. So it's good, and I can understand why she is a superstar...its just another one that's probably not for me.

Це було непогано. Я не розумію такої шаленої популярності Бейонсе, тому була дещо упереджена. Обкладинка альбому нагадує блекпінк і це напевно я можу сказати про весь альбом. Від нього нема вайбу справжньості, це виглядає і відчувається як комерційний продукт, але хороший комерційний продукт. Цікаво, що найбільше мені сподобалися менш популярні пісні

Beautiful voice but as usual her albums have a couple songs that I love and the rest fails to hit the mark.

Har ikke hørt denne siden 2013, likte den da og liker den nå, men tydeligvis ikke nok til å høre på den oftere. Blir vel 13 år til neste gang. Sterk 3'er

Wasn't sure what to expect going into this album. It was better than expected. Some of the songs were quite good, but overall I still feel like it's a bit overindulgent and over-long. Tighten it up. This doesn't need to be over an hour long. 3.25/5

Pretty Hurts - 3.5/5 Haunted - 3.5/5 Drunk in Love - 3/5 Blow - 3/5 No Angel - 3/5 Partition - 3.5/5 Jealous - 3/5 Rocket - 1.5/5 Mine - 2/5 XO - 4/5 ***Flawless - 3/5 Superpower - 2.5/5 Heaven - 2.5/5 Blue - 3.5/5 Imagine having nearly 30 or more people work on an album and it comes out... only slightly above meh? R&B is not my specialty and I honestly prefer the singles than the albums for Beyonce. After listening I don't really understand the hype behind the music itself as I know she's a pretty good performer. Guess she's not for me then. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Partition, XO, Blue

Nothing stood out as really liking or disliking. I would have graded as 2.5 if possible. A slightly below average listen

As much as I really don't like the styling of this album, it's surprisingly cohesive. I do think Beyonce is overhyped, substantially, but like I said previously, I don't love this style. Is this album bad? Not by any means. Would I willingly listen again? Not by any means.

Self titled, wonderful production, a true superstar team of creators.

Some great songs here but overall not really my thing.

There’s a lot of bangers on here and shows who Beyoncé was. There was just some songs I wasn’t vibing with or didn’t enjoy as much.

2000s queen

Probably won't revisit this. It's good.

Some bangers and some bad ones- they kinda cancel each other out. Fav gotta be “Drunk in love”. This is a 3.5 for me

Beyoncé’s self-titled album isn’t bad; it’s just very much not for me. A lot of it centers on monogamy, with lyrics that start out playful and intimate before swerving hard into far more explicit territory than I was expecting—an experience that made me deeply grateful for my earbuds. I didn’t hate it, but I’m also confident I’ll never feel the need to revisit it. That said, I will be carrying Jay-Z’s immortal line, “Your breasteses is my breakfast, we goin’ in,” with me for the rest of my natural life.

Beyoncé's magnum opus is by and large a testament to her horniness, not that there's anything wrong with that, but at over an hour, the subject gets a bit stale. Beyoncé, what do you like to do when you're not a) having sex; or b) being angry with your man? Read anything interesting lately? Watch any good TV shows? On the bright side, a focus on fucking keeps this from being the overwrought and ponderous album that something so ambitious could have been. Beyoncé generally keeps things light and funky. There are a few stabs at social commentary about image and being comfortable in your skin (most of which ring false when you realize how image-conscious Beyoncé is) but mostly, she's here for a good time. Content aside, the real star of this album is the production, which makes for an interesting and diverse listen, although maybe not enough to sustain everything that's here. It's a long enough album even without the Platinum Edition additions, and I felt it was losing steam by the end. I feel like shorter songs would have made the differences stand out more, but even as is, it's an engaging experience.

This album obviously has iconic moments in it and viral sound bites and was THE moment in 2014 when it was released. The songs just all go on for way too long for me and lose the plot. It's not a bad album, and I love pop music. It just loses me a bit due to how circuitous it is

Good production and a great performance. Can hear why she is the star that she is.

It was well-produced, but plastic. It was uneven, in that there were some good songs and then there were some cringe songs.

Catchy, great voice, didnt finish unfortunately (tired from work🥀) 6/10

Pretty hurts- good melody, productions done well kind of a banger Haunted- more vibey, production again is great really like this one Drunk in love- heard before, it’s fine but overplayed, prefer the other two over this track Blow- head bopper, good fun pop song, very bubblegum, THE KEY CHANGE fire No angel- weird dissonant vocals at the beginning, kinda just felt thrown together Partition- the “beat drop” is bad at the beginning, there’s moments I like in the song but I think for it being a song that I know people love it’s at the bottom for me so far Jealous- vocals were just like a flat line, wasn’t a huge fan of this always felt there was gonna be a pop and nothing Rocket- got that 90’s R&B groove, like the ascending riff going into the chorus. Yeah this is a classic 90s Beyoncé destinys child vibe Mine- like the piano and vocals, good change up, would be a great night time drive song, drake being a feature works really well. Some of his best songs are with this vibe and beat. XO- I’ve heard the John Mayer version before this and I still like his more than this one. This track is good, but the beat is honestly too much for the lyrics imo. I feel like the lyrics ask for a slower tempo and more attention. Flawless- I like the speaking parts in this, but song overall is kinda forgettable Superpower- shoutout Frank, sadly forgettable with the other tracks in the record. Nothing in it stood out, aside from Frank Heaven- sad song, if you’ve lost someone close, it could be a tough listen but great song Blue- good song, like the vocals, cute to have that moment with her daughter at the end of the song

I like her current stuff better. This is v of the time. A lil too horny for me imo. Fav songs XO and blow

It's not for me. 2.5/5

Favorite track(s): Drunk in Love, Blow

I mean it's alright like...

110126 10:44 3.5

This album is like finally breaking free from your alcoholic father an overbearing mother to live your own life. Your Dad is a deadbeat. He drives a towtruck for a living, but he only shows for work every second day, because he'd rather be down at the strip club drinking whiskey and soda while perving at women who are disgusted by him. Your mother, also prone to a midday drink or two, had dreams of being a model when she was younger, and projected these dreams on you. When you were younger, she forced you to learn the baton, recite the declaration of independance, and starve yourself so you can fit into a leotard. She made you pierce your ears when you were six. But now you are older, and you have met someone who can take you away from this life. His name is Trey, and he works part time as security down at the dog track. You run away from home to live with him in his caravan, which is sitting on cinder blocks. Free from your oppressive mother, you live a life that you have learned from your alcoholic father. You abuse dugs and alcohol while Trey abuses you. But you don't feel like you deserve any better so you just continue down this self-destructive spiral.

This was a welcome change from indie rock/classic rock. None of my favourite Beyonce songs are on this album so it was also good to hear some 'new to me' stuff.

Overall: 6/10 I've never been a huge fan of Beyoncé, but she's had a few big hits in the past that I really love. That didn't stop me from being a little upset when this popped up. I don't know why, but I had no interest in listening to this. It's pretty good actually. There isn't a ton of variety in the actual music, but Beyoncé has an incredible voice and she gets pretty vulnerable in the lyrics department. There's also lots of songs about how big her ass is and I get a kick out of how silly that is as a lyrical concept. Overall, it's a decent little album and gave me a little bit more respect for Beyoncé as a musician. Fav Song: Superpower

I am a sucker for good modern pop, but this just wasn't that. Nothing was bad and it wasn't offensive, but nothing spectacular for me on this (including Drunk in Love)

real diversity of sound i wasn't expecting. favorite song is Blow

Rating: 7/10 The self-titled Beyonce album is kinda a weird one in her discography. It doesn't really have any smashing hits you would find in her 2000's output, and as far as artistic statement goes, she would follow this one up with two even better albums, her magnum opuses in my opinion. But nonetheless still a great mid-career release for her. Amazing bombastic production as always with Be. A great few tracks in the opening only leading to a bit of a lull in the middle before finishing stronger again. I don't think the album ever gets as good as it starts with Pretty Hurts and Haunted but that's because I really like those songs

"finally some good fuckin food" after the last few 6.5/10

Such mixed feelings. Mostly fun, and way better than the low overall rating that it has here, but on the other hand it's got Drake on it, and it features my least favorite musical instrument, "My Adorable Child."

I feel like she has nothing to say and when she finally did on ***Flawless, it was just a bad song and feels so contradictory to the 4+ slut anthems that played before. Im cool with slut pop n stuff but I'd prefer it have an underlying message or theme if youre going to parade being a strong woman otuside of sexual energy.... Just not for me. Drake's verse sucked. Frank Ocean was here and thats cool but it didnt elevate the song. Favorite Songs: Drunk in Love (Remix>>), Partition

It's a decently good Hip Hop / RnB album. Not really my genre, but I actually like some songs and can appreciate the craft of other songs. Some tracks feel a little over-endeavored IMHO. Yeah, the woman can sing, no doubt. But I've heard better from her and better in that genre from other artists. 3/5

The album's sound is pretty fresh and cool for the first few songs, it's got that weight and power to it but it left less of an impact as it went on

Great quality and production. Just doesn’t speak to me.

Decent album. Well produced, maybe over produced though. Her voice is great, I just wasn’t blown away by anything on it.

Just not really the groove for me, it's hard to criticise this too much but I just won't be returning anytime soon

I was actually talking about this with a client recently. I GET why Bey is popular, and I'll give her credit for how culturally significant she and her work are. and, regardless of my interest in the music itself, she knows how to put on a show and definitely works her ass off in that regard, which I deeply respect. her music isn't for me, but I get why other people dig it so much.

Not my favourite album of hers

It's not bad but a bit dated

Wow - - she shows why she is Queen B

Frothy, pleasant. Unfortunately, none of the songs have ever really embedded themselves in my psyche. The album also suffers from a bit of filler/bloat, which repeat listening really accentuates.

There is clearly talent here, but honestly, I don't really get the fuss.

Another artist I want to like more than I do

Beyonce finds so many ways to say she is horny on this record and that's entertaining. 3 stars

Far far too long Not as good as solange But pretty good Blow is funky, good tune

I just can’t get into her.

One of my many heretical opinions.

A highly rated and regarded Beyoncé album. I don't listen to this much pop from the big names of recently. While I admire the production, the guest artists, the audio samples, and Beyoncé's vocals, I'll need to listen to it much more in order to admire it more.

I’ve always followed Beyoncé at a distance. Occasionally I’ll dip in and like a song. But just as occasionally I’ll hear something that I’m left baffled by. Like I do enjoy a lot of this. But sometimes it’s just noise and unpleasant for me. 3.5/5

It’s funny how years latter I still can’t get into B’s discography. I find most of the songs here a bit bland and repetitive. I was surprised to find I liked some of them though. “Blow”, “XO”, and “Ring Off” are really good! I loved “Flawless” as a teenager. I much more prefer Lemonade as an album, but I see why this one is so well loved.

infelizmente me parece bem datado. electro r&b eh doideira. tem algumas que são até bacaninhas, mas parece que falta algo... não sei. eh bem balanceado em músicas ruins e boas, bem mediano memo, deixa um retrogosto meio ruim. vou dar 3 pq sei que ela pode fazer melhor tá ligado

A good voice can't really cover up formulaic writing and production. I don't hate this, but I struggle to see the reason for the almost religious fervour Beyonce induces in her fans.

If I speak I am in big trouble.

A decent pop album! I didn't dislike it by any means - granted I might not actively seek it again, but no complaints and I thought it held together way better than the destiny's child album we had :)

This probably could edge into 4 territory for me depending on the mood. It's close. Beyonce just doesn't speak to me, unfortunately.

On average, I prefer those Beyonce songs that have a strong hook or compelling melody. I don't especially like the songs that move into hiphop. Beyonce's music always has a vibe, but it's not really *my* vibe. (I do think she's kind of amazing even if a lot of her music isn't for me.)

haunted, partition, flawless, 7-11

I'll start with top level production value. Not my jam. Good voice and feel.

I’ve never purposefully listened to a Beyoncé album but it was fine

I didn’t know anything from this album except the one John Mayer covered and I only have heard his version. This is another album I’m questioning the significance of relative to the list. Obviously, Beyoncé should be on this list because of her cultural impact but what makes this album absolutely exceptional?

Interesting spin this one. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Funny how much trap influenced the pop scene at the time. It's well produced and all that. Did not "like" it per se, but didn't have particularly adverse feelings either. And I did actually like certain parts. It's a threeeeee

I dont like Beyonces music. Im not the target doesnt speak to me but I can objectively say it is well produced and she can really sing she has pipes. Having said that I actually kind of liked this album cause it was more gospel oriented and less pop driven. It feels more real and a better reflection of her amd her background