BEYONCÉ

So I listened to the album two times. Once by the standard streaming version and again watching the visual companion film. From what I can conclude, Beyoncé really likes sex. In all seriousness, some of y'all are just bugging calling it hair-dressing salon committee music. This might be showing my age (and my hometown, 🤟) but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Even in the tracks where I questioned the production choices, I still felt that there was something to get out of each track. It might be too mainstream and shit, but I mean, I think this album is here for a good reason. I'm no Beyoncé Stan and I know this record changed the industry. It was a surprise drop in the middle of December, a move no one had really thought of up to that point. She had the nerve to drop it on a random Friday with videos and all when the standard was Tuesdays. That's why all the albums drop on Friday now. From an industry impact perspective, this makes sense to have it on this list. There's also the fact that this album fully transitioned Beyoncé into a visual icon. She was already iconic before this (she did the fuckin' Super Bowl) but being able to pull this off cemented her as an artist by all means. Then, Lemonade pushed that further into more honest grounds (it should be on this list too). One last thing I will say is that I think it's really funny how Jay Z is all up on his wife and watching her get all sexy only for him to go and fuck that up. Alright, I like this album. I'm young, I'm from Houston, fuck off (8/10, 5/5 on this scale)

I really didn't like this, it's left a really sour taste in my mouth. Should this artist be on this list? Yes. Should this album? No.

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

I tried to come in with an open mind to this. I can’t stand pop music and this album hasn’t changed my mind. I could’ve easily gone my whole life without listening to this garbage

MY QUEEN!

There are songs I like by Beyonce, but most of the ones on this album are not ones that grab me. Favorite songs: Blow, Flawless Remix

Rating: 3.5/10 This was a slog to get through...

Started so strong and then just faded

I felt dirty after listening to this. Talk about a vapid, soulless and overrated album/artist.

The fact that this is at a 2.86/5 is atrocious. No it’s not some sort of incredible masterpiece, but it deserves some level of recognition for what it did for the music landscape as a whole. Y’all ever pull your heads out of your asses long enough to notice that shit doesn’t get released on a Tuesday anymore like it did back in your prime (RYM I love you, these insults are directed at the pricks who log on to 1001 and give this pretty alright album a 2/5)? Anyway this is pretty good yeah. Pretty hurts is a wonderful song, and there are a couple other great songs too, such as Blue and Heaven. I’d actually already heard this one but it still brings good memories. 7.6/10

Uninspiring and forgettable. Not a 1 because it wasn't offensive to listen to.

3.75 A little disappointed that so many of the reviews here seem dismissive of this, unwilling to engage, just because this is Beyoncé. This is a really good album, with incredible production that really sounds mid-2010s. That Frank Ocean influence jumps out of the record. There’s hits, there’s deep cuts, and Beyoncé’s incredible voice. I really enjoyed listening to this. I could have probably done with one less song about having sex with Jay-Z, tho.

For Beyoncé: I hate to be that guy who talks ill of more modern pop music…but this just really isn’t it for me. Overproduced to death, and it’s hard listening to this knowing that there were like 40 people credited with the songwriting of this album. Seems produced just to make money and hits. This is a great album if you want to listen to Beyoncé talk about having sex, though. Probably not many better albums if that’s your only rating system. However, the trio of Superpower, Heaven, and Ivy in the middle of the album stood out. Amidst all of the down and dirty tracks, I feel like these gripped me much more. I wish I got to hear more of that interspersed. But with what this album is, I can’t say I’m a fan. 3/10 for me today, sorry Queen Bee.

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 never understood the hype about her. A good dancer and singer, but the music is nothing special at all. I did like the secrecy around the release.

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.

Beyoncé Beyoncé makes a lot of fantastic music, and I was expecting to like this, but I found it to be pretty turgid - the self-serious, brooding, introspective lyrics themes translating into uninspiring music, feeling like a series of horizontal melodies either mumbled or belted out over flat, synthy beats that all feel a bit sub Kanye and, only 13 years on, pretty dated. There are a couple of good songs - I like Blow a lot, the nagging guitar and 80s synth bass are great, Jealous manages to deliver on its grandiose intentions and has a great vocal hook, XO is good - but they’re not enough to make a dent in the overall sense of flatness, or in the case of Drunk in Love some strong R Kelly Trapped in the Closet vibes. Haunted feels indicative of much of the album, it starts off promisingly, but starts to feel quite aimless quite quickly, discarding any moments of melodic interest for a more beat’n’vocals sledgehammer. Or there is something like Heaven, one of those beiger than beige songs that never seems to end. I wouldn’t profess to know her catalogue that well, but I have listened to a few of her albums on occasion and I think there are far better ones that this, particularly Lemonade, which I remember being very good, so it's a shame this Beyonce’s only entry on the list, as it doesn’t feel representative of her impact or quality at all. I’ll go 2. éé Playlist submission: Blow

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.

another modern RnB, I suppose it's ok, not my jam

Remember when we thought she was killing people along with Diddy? Good times. 5/5

#882. Beyonce makes music for people that don't like music. 2/5: a bit shit

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

This is just not my style but I did like a few of the songs

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

This is a no-skip album. One of the greatest ever made.

Definitely Beyoncé’s horniest album with blow & partition but damn it’s full of bangers. Couple misses (mainly No Angel) is keeping this out of a 5 for me. Fave songs: Drunk in Love, Blow 4/5

Anyone who thinks Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter isn't one of the greatest Pop stars of all time is racist, anti-women, and just plain wrong. Subtract one half-star because of Drake.

It's undeniable that shes got an amazing voice. If you can connect with that, all the power to you. There is a reason that Beyoncé is one of the biggest personalities in modern music, and it's in part due to the incredible vocal work she's capable of. Personally, I can't ignore the fact that this is structured as 14 singles strung together, nor the overproduced sound that has been focus-tested to the point of often being plastic, diluting so much of the artistry. This contains some great songs, but they are housed between decaying mall music and manufactured #YASSQUEEN anthems.

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.

Not many artists can make a pop record that stands the test of time, but Beyoncé showed here that she can.

This is a quite a dark album and feels like Beyonce's rallying cry to women everywhere to at the very least explore the way in which an inherently patriarchal society impacts their aspirations, expectations and sexuality. The audio clips included in the song give a pointed insight into Beyonce's struggle to be recognised as talented and successful artist. As a white man, this album is not really made for me. But it allows me to explore the way in which a marginalised group feels by the everyday actions of people that look just like me. And it doesn't feel great. A very powerful album, masquerading as a beautifully arranged pop album. It is easy to see why Beyonce is a global superstar. (3.900)

Every description of this says it's a "visual album," so it's unfortunate that half of it seems to be missing. Maybe that would provide better context to the music. In any case, 2/5

I'd probably rate this somewhere between 4 and 5, it is certainly not her best work. But to counter some clearly biased reviews: 5 stars for this iconic album.

Heard it before. Controversial opinion: not a fan of this era of Beyonce. I much prefer her earlier pop stuff or what she's doing now with different genres. I do remember this album being massive when it got released without an announcement but in terms of music I was never into it 2/5

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.

Not for me

Eh, I have heard that she can sing, but why are most of the songs in the album not showing that?

Derivative for many who followed

So disappointed with this. Self indulgent and rambling. It’s only because she has a great voice that it’s not 1*

If we were rating albums on relief felt once they were over this would score a strong 5*. Sadly for Beyoncé that's not the case. Banal, generic, over-produced. A solid 1*

"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

Bloated, self congratulatory bollocks

Album #82 Beyonce: Beyonce This is the second mid 2010s pop album from a world-famous pop star that I despised when it infested the radio as a youth, and never dreamed of listening to in its entirety. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Taylor Swift album, and I never quite had the same distaste for Beyonce that I had for Taylor, so I was cautiously optimistic going into this one. I quickly realized that I actually do not recognize a single song off this album, despite a lot of them having a large number of streams. The first two songs had me thinking that this may be an album where Beyoncé attempts to address societal issues and take her music a bit more seriously. But, as the late Norm Macdonald famously said, “My biggest problem is the hypocrisy”, for Beyonce seems to try and tackle issues that she herself propagates. On the first track, whose lyrics aside was a decent song, she sings about unrealistic beauty standards, while she herself is the very epitome of Hollywood artificial beauty. The second track sees her sing about all those poor people who work a 9-to-5 to get by, but the second she leaves the studio, she goes home to her mansion and billionaire husband. So those songs’ messages didn’t really land for me; however, they at least attempted to say something. After the second track, it seemed like Beyonce’s brain got tired of thinking and she instead just got really horny, because every other track on this thing is pretty much Beyonce singing about having sex and how fat her ass is. The amount of baffling lyrics in these tracks is insane, though I am too lazy to compile them. Also, somehow Beyoncé makes speaking in Ebonics seem like cultural appropriation, even though she is black. I get that this is meant to be an empowering, sex positive dance record for women, but I can’t help but find it absurd that Beyoncé is singing so passionately about making love whilst looking into the face of Jay-Z. It isn’t an unlistenable album, and there are a few good tracks, with XO being the only one I’d call a banger, but I doubt I will ever feel compelled to return to this one. Best Tracks: XO, Pretty Hurts, Partition Worst Track: Blow Score out of 10: 3.5

estaba obsesionada con este álbum cuando salió, incluso lo llegué a tener en una usb para escucharlo en mi carro cuando el bluetooth me fallara. revisitarlo completo fue grato, trayendo de vuelta los tracks icónicos que lo componen.

Pretty impressive pop/R&B record. More musical variety than I was expecting. Lyrical themes of sexuality, monogamy and feminism. Standouts are poignant leadoff "Pretty Hurts", highly sensual and funk-influenced "Blow", and hip-hop "7/11".

Garbage

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 🤷‍♂️

“Your breastesses is my breakfast” Poetry.

I'm not listening to Beyonce. Why promote mainstream trash albums that already get so much unwarranted attention? This isn't art.

Really expected better from Beyoncé, so many other artists it's hard to tell whether it's her music at all.

Nice album.

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.

Her har vi en popdronning som ønsker å lage et sammenhengende album. Det funker ikke helt. Det er vanskelig å lage ett sammenhengende og personlig album når albumet er skrevet av 500 personer og består av en haug enkeltstående låter som «sys» sammen med noen overgangsspor her og der. Poppen etter 2009 er ødelagt.

Flawless, indeed.

I think anyone who follows pop music and pop culture remembers exactly where they were on December 13, 2013, when the news broke that Beyoncé had just surprise-released a full visual album. Fourteen brand-new songs, each with its own music video, dropped without warning. On that scale, it felt unprecedented. It wasn’t just an album release, it was a cultural event. Beyoncé was born a legend. From the very beginning, it carried the weight of something disruptive and transgressive. It marked a clear shift in her artistry, darker, more intimate, more experimental, and far more self-defined than anything she had done before. It felt cohesive, intentional, almost like entering fourteen different rooms of the same house, each revealing a different facet of her identity. The album includes some of her most enduring hits, Drunk in Love, Blow, Yoncé, Partition, XO, and Flawless. They’re hit after hit, bold and instantly recognizable. But beyond the singles, there are deeper cuts that elevate the album even further. Rocket is lush and sensual. Superpower carries a subtle emotional weight. Heaven reveals vulnerability. And Jealous, which I personally adore, shows a raw emotional side that didn’t necessarily dominate the charts but adds so much depth to the project. This album feels like a statement. It’s one of those moments where Beyoncé fully demonstrated the extent of her creative power, not just as a vocalist, but as a curator, a visual thinker, a cultural force. It changed the way major artists approach releases. After this, surprise drops became a strategy. But at that moment, it felt revolutionary. For all of those reasons, I can’t give it anything other than five stars. It’s cohesive, bold, beautifully produced, and culturally significant. It’s a flawless work in its execution. That said, it’s not my personal favorite Beyoncé album. The three that followed, Renaissance, Lemonade, and The Gift, resonate with me even more. For me, Renaissance stands at the top, followed by Lemonade, then The Gift. But that’s a deeper conversation for another day. As for Beyoncé, five stars. Perfect in execution, immaculate in impact, and forever a landmark moment in pop history.

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.

I want to give a 2.5, but I didn’t *dislike* any of it. I just would not choose to listen to this again given the option. But it’s fine. “Blows” production gave me heavy Justin Timberlake vibes (Oh, he worked in it lol) BUT the lyrics kinda really weren’t it. Honestly I was surprised just how many of the songs on the album are sexual in nature. With these highly produced albums with multiple hands involved I kinda wonder how much input the artists themselves actually get though.

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

Beyonce is one of those over-hyped artists. While arguably she does have an amazingly powerful voice, it very easily becomes drowned out by the production on this album. Her vocal ability shines more on the softer and simpler musical parts (pianos, for example, like on "Heaven"). I'm not a fan of big and heavy synth beats, and rapping doesn't suit Beyonce. The lyrics were brutally honest about themes like the beauty industry, the difficulties of being a woman, and infidelity, while other songs were heavily sexual. l did finish the whole album but it was definitely not something I want to listen to again.

Some great songs, some very mid

Good album nicely paced with a mixture of styles. She has a great low range and needs to try a deep old school blues album at some point if you are reading Bey.

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?

Favorite Track: XO

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

Not my jam.

boring

I really thought I loved Beyonce's music because I've pretty much only listened to Lemonade (5 star album btw) and some of Cowboy Carter (3 star album with a 5 star album buried somewhere within). This is trash, though. This is the worst and most hollow modern music has to offer with occasional flashes of Beyonce's pure talent shining through the murk of bullshit. Flawless is the only song that I genuinely enjoyed here. I'm also a 40 year old white dude, so it was in no way made for me.

This was pretty boring. I don’t think it’s aged that well; it feels very much of its time, late Obama era, pre-“Spotify-core.” Kinda substanceless. I want to be kinder to it — I respect the hell out of Beyonce, especially the Homecoming concert — but I don’t see myself ever going back to listen to it.

“Beyoncé” is, well, a typical Beyoncé album: a great voice singing mediocre songs, accompanied by some random ringtones. I'm not too familiar with her recent work, but maybe “Beyoncé” is special because it was conceived as a “visual album”—whatever that means. If the idea behind it was to create music that doesn't make much sense without watching the videos at the same time, then it's kind of succeeded: The songs on "Beyoncé" are not exactly bad, but largely pointless to me.

I'm just not a fan of the music so to put an hour and half album of music I already dislike yeah I can't do it. Could probably do 30 minutes top of this. 1 star not for me.

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.

not enjoyable

Product, made because of money, not passion, inspiration, the desire to create, or love for music.

Seductive and entrancing

Listened to and from work. Didn't watch the visual version. I am certainly not the target audience for this album but I can certainly acknowledge the importance and the weight of it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially Beyonce's vocal range and mastery of a variety of styles throughout. I'm so torn between 4 and 5 stars but I think on this occasion I'm going to round down.

Vrij nietszeggend, had verwacht wel een hit te herkennen. Maar prima voor in de achtergrond

Very sultry

Hmm

I love Beyonce's huge disco hits... crazy in love and the one about the ring. But this album didn't have them and I felt like i was listening to her personal diary if being happy and successful. Did I miss something? Is she being ironic? Where are the huge hits? Not impressed

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.

Talented lady. Not my cup of tea. The duets are fucking awful.

Beyoncé I didn't know you like that... vocally talented to another degree 8.1/10 4/5

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.

overproduced pop drivel.

The Good:… The Bad: Ego… The Ugly: album name = artist Seriously… I understand that there are people who view her as the beehzzneehzzz. I don’t. As the first track starts, having to listen to another one of them oh so creative skits… fucking ego crap I am so sick of. So yeah, stop pretending that this is the best that’s out there, and stop wasting my time… 1* out of pure spite

Fuck Me: The Album by big brand pop artist

Wow I'm kind of shocked to see this one on here. I have to admit that though I'm sure I've heard a Beyonce song somewhere, I can't recall what it sounded like or name even one song. Part of the problem I have this this right off the bat is that if you look at the credits section on Wikipedia, you need to change the battery in your mouse at least once before you're done scrolling through all the names. And only like 3 or 4 of those people are credited with playing real instruments. This is basically the definition of manufactured music and music made by committee. You can tell she has a great voice but I feel like it's really a shame that the music she makes sounds like this. It could be so much better. I would love to hear a more soul/jazz album from her, I bet it would be amazing. Should this album be on the list? Well something of hers certainly should be, I am definitely not the one to decide if this is a better choice than any other album she's done. My guess is that you could pick one at random and it would be fine. As it is, this is totally not something I am interested to hear more of. I was definitely bored with this well before being halfway through. Adding a star because she does have a great voice, though used in an unfortunate manner. 2/5

It’s Beyoncé!! Second album in a row over an hour and this one was MUCH better. Really enjoyed this album. Couple songs that weren’t my favorite but some good bangers.

Stopped at Blue because it's current 23:30, but great album. Reading while listening to it was very enjoyable, Beyonce does wonders with her voice, puts the emotion where and when it sounds the best.

I expected to hate this. I did not. I didn’t like it, though. But how much didn’t I like it? And do I take off points for it being manufactured pop, which is essentially why I hate pop? Yeah, probably. That and I eventually had to skip through songs.

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

Klare ikke

Her gikk æ inn med positiv innstilling, men herregud så dårlig det e! Kordan kan verdens største popstjerne, med verdens største budsjett, lage verdens kjipeste album? Kleine teksta, og helt utrolig kjedelig instrumentalt. Hør på pianoet på Heaven! Ka i faen skjer???

Kjeder meg i hjel. Hundre låtskrivere og femti produsenter for å lage forglemmelige sanger med navlebeskuende tekster.

I wasn't really into this album. It was interesting how dance-focused the first half of the album seemed, but overall it's not an album I would likely listen to in its entirety again. 2.25/5

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

Listened to the single version of this because I genuinely cannot take 1.5 hours of this. It's basic and grating and I did not enjoy it.

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

It's overproduced pop, I don't believe any of these songs come from the heart. Everything is a calculated attempt to appeal to an audience without a creative spark. The references to sex are especially transparently aimed at sex-positive people with a vaguely feminist sheen, but not enough to be overtly (and unsellably) political. All that said, it's not a terrible album, it's too manufactured and polished to be actually bad, the people who made this knew what they were doing and the final product (emphasis on product) is more than fit for purpose.

Highlights: Drunk In Love, XO Lowlights: Haunted, No Angel, Partition, ***Flawless This album does nothing for me. Beyonce has her hits for sure and a great voice, but this album is just meandering and boring. Very disappointed. If this list gets updated again, I wouldn't be surprised if Cowboy Carter replaces this.

For everyone hating on this, are you really that pathetic, pretentious and consider yourself so different? Beyonce deserves a spot on this list. She is massive and one of the most important artists in music right now. Sure, this album has a lot of fillers, but you can't deny the fact that she has to be on this list. In fact, this is called 1001 albums you have to listen before you die, not before you kill yourself. For all the stupid people here, go listen to Elvis Costello and shut the fuck up. That being said, Beyonce sounds incredible as always, but some of the songs on this record are just fillers. The production though is amazing and it really defined the sound of that era.

Блять что это Чисто за продакшн бал

no sir, i didnt like it.

The first two songs weren't bad, but then everything else after that was annoying. The lyrics just aren't good. The songs get boring. The singing is PHENOMENAL, but I wish she had writers that could right good songs.

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

That moment when Beyonce turned from one of popstars to an actual interesting artist in my eyes...

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.

This didn't do it for me. Felt a little overproduced and the song writing was lacking. I'm guessing this was a fairly big swing to do something different, which i commend, but it falls flat for me. 2/5 Won't listen again

Some great songs here but overall not really my thing.

i didn’t know that Beyoncé was so bad, goddam it. the beats are just repetitive and you get tired of listing to it pretty fast.

You had to be there (college during the Obama years).

Good singles, the filler sucks

No es mi tipo

Top 3: 1. Haunted 2. Pretty Hurts 3. Blue Least Favourite: ***Flawless

its beyonce. five stars.

Very good! I was surprised when it went into Prince territory, but I liked it.

I can definitely see why people like Beyonce, but just not for me. She's talented, but it's a shame that all of the songs on this album were shit. Difficult listen.

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.

Not even gonna bother.

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.

Sigh... I just don't understand why this music is so revered. This album is all about sex and the music leaves much to be desired. This just ain't my bag baby.

boring pop album

wayyyyy overhated people just hate to see a woman succeed

Vacuous nonsense to be forgotten.

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.

531/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Didn’t like this album at all, sounds like bunch of mess put together into one album, would not listen again

I love this album with a lot of songs that are classics now. The sound is more mature and the theme more sexual but like how she sounds. The featuring are kind of a let down except with Jay-Z.

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

Yeah this was a no.

This album is brilliant. My exposure to Beyonce has been through her performances, which are heavily choreographed. It was good to experience just her voice, and now I get it.

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

Don't get the hype.

What a bop

Enjoyed pretty much every song

fun to have a newer album, good vibes Pretty hurts and XO my faves

ze zingt alsof het haar niet interesseert... mij interesseert het alvast totaal niet... plaatje van dertien (of zelfs vijftien) in een dozijn... en waarom is dit genoemd naar Beyoncé, die maar het kleinste radertje in het geheel van schrijvers, producers en whatevers is?

It's not for me. 2.5/5

Favorite track(s): Drunk in Love, Blow

I mean it's alright like...

The production sounds like mid-career Kanye and the vocal performances are enjoyable. Unfortunately I don't believe a single word in any of the numbers on this album. This is commercial pop packaged to appear real and I'm not into it at all. Also, Drake sucks.

I was really happy to see a woman on this page after so many days of listening to men in the 60s/70s trying to sound cool. I focus my personal music taste on female artists. I am only familiar with her hits and her most recent album Cowboy Carter, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going into this. Note: I watched the whole visual album for this. God is certainly a woman. I truly was not ready for just how sexual this was going to be. About six songs in a row, all at the front of the album, just about as explicitly about sex as you can get. It was a little fatiguing, but I still had fun and enjoyed them. Blow and Rocket were my favorite of these hyper sexual tracks. I thought the back half of the album was more enjoyable for myself personally. The songwriting is strong and I really enjoyed the subjects she explored. Beyonce is really good at creating a mood with her music. She sets a vibe sonically and lyrically that always comes across so clearly. Vocals were very strong, of course. She really has such a beautiful feminine tone. Production goes pretty crazy. So many ideas are explored and fully fleshed out. It's primarily R&B but also has that pop influence that makes it appeal to a wide audience. I think Beyonce's best moments here are stripped down with layered vocal harmonies. No complaints about mixing; it really feels like a labor of love. This is certainly one of the stronger, fully formed ideas I've listened to so far. The quality and the effort really stands out and she certainly accomplished what she was going for. I don't think this is quite a 5, but pretty close. Not much I enjoy more than seeing a beautiful woman confident in herself and serving absolute c*nt. It also makes me happy that a bunch of men watched this and got uncomfortable with that image and rated it low. Some of y'all just can't handle a confident woman, and I'll gladly keep this for myself. 4.3/5.

Let me guess, all the comments are talking shit.

Found a lot of this to be a bit self-indulgent. The 'hits' are decent enough but a lot of random crap in amongst them doesn't do it for me. Prefer Beyoncés older stuff to this. 2.5/5.

110126 10:44 3.5

There was a lot on this record. Plenty of attitude, and some of it was a bit crass. What was really missing were catchy melodies. I felt like only 2 or 3 songs captivated me. The rest left me a little bothered and/or annoyed. 2 Stars.

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.

Not a fan of hers but went in with an open mind, hoping to learn something new. But it didnt really do anything for me.

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

Not bad at all.

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)

The worst part of this album was having to listen to Drake. Absolute banger otherwise. Can't believe I've been missing out on Beyonce all these years. Heaven and Pretty Hurts are my favorites.

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

Not my bag

Name another sprawling artistic opus that's this horny. It makes Purple Rain look like Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (Yet Jay-Z still cheated on Beyoncé a couple years later.) I'm here for both the horniness and the electro R&B, though this album is a little too much of a good thing for me. Standouts are "XO," "Jealous," and "Pretty Hurts," along with "7/11" and "Ring Off" from the platinum edition. The extra tracks also hearken back to days before Kanye and Nicki Minaj lost their minds.

I never choose to listen to Beyonce but everytime I do I'm entertained and impressed. Believe it or not I'm not sure I'd ever heard any of these songs before except maybe drunk in love. Mine is pretty cringe-y. Jealous is pretty great. All that said, this is extremely good, but I can never get too into albums where it's created by a committee well into the double digits.

Great Beyance classics. Good listening, probably wouldn't own it.

I expected to hate this, but I didn't. What I do hate is, that on youtube it's all videos with long intros. it takes the flow out of the album. Favorite song: blow.

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."

Ew.

Earns her billions.

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

Why everyone be hatin' on Beyonce and pop music? Old farts ya'll are!!

Didn't enjoy it.

Beyonce beyonce

Really solid album

Classic Beyoncé album with radio hits I remember from my childhood like Drunk in Love and XO.

Buen disco. Bastantes bangers. Horny af de una manera que no me esperaba. Jay-Z es el mayor sinvergüenza de la historia por tener a la piba escribiendo un disco entero sobre follárselo para que luego le pusiese los cuernos. Se merece cada segundo de Lemonade. Me animó bastante el hacerme la cena. Debería escuchar más Beyoncé.

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

Got through an hour before I gave up. thought I would enjoy it when I started, but it never seemed to end. Too long

OK, I get it, she's a superstar, everyone loves her, blah blah. But I only tolerate Beyonce, I've never found her music particularly inspiring. Her sister, IMO, is way better and completely overshadowed. I won't deny she writes well, probably has some good production game, but like I said I tolerate her nothing more.

Bland snd overlong.

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

Extremely overproduced.

We wooookee up in a kitchen sayin "how da hell did this shit happen?" oh baby. low key liked "Mine" too haha

- I don't fuck with celebs who won't boycott Israel. - As you know, she’s got a great voice (except the high notes on No Angel… I hate hearing people try to sing outside their range). - Felt like this had a lot of filler, but there are a few bangers. XO was great. I also liked Heaven and Blue. I expected more bangers for a super produced pop album. It just felt very background music, and there were tracks I definitely disliked, like, 7/11 and Flawless (except for the speech). I mostly didn’t feel anything when I listened to this, and it didn’t make me want to dance, so I can’t see myself ever reaching for it. - I keep seeing people say that this is empowering, but I don’t feel that - it seems mostly centred on men and the male gaze.

I’ll admit that I rolled my eyes when I got this album. After listening to it, I felt pretty silly about that. This is a fantastic record by an absolute boss of the business. Queen Bey sounds amazing throughout the record, and the production is top notch throughout.

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

This is a pretty good pop record! I really liked it.

Sorry, I can’t do this.

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.

It’s great, but the hype is still a mystery to me.

This had some bops.

Gotta give it 5 stars or the missus will have me. Also is my favourite of hers to be fair. Don't love when she goes a bit rocksteady but still slightly better than Lemonade. Irritates me slightly that despite my years of record collecting, this is the most valuable record in our shared collection.

Not my favourite album of hers

It's not bad but a bit dated

Wow - - she shows why she is Queen B

threw this on at my 9-to-5 job to hear "all these people workin' 9 to 5 just to stay alive" beyonce net worth: $800 million hey, fuck you!

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.

First Listen; 4; I can tell why this album is catchy and well liked. It sounds good, the songs are well produced and diverse, and Beyonce is obviously a talented vocalist. It's still really not my kind of music though and it's not something I would come back to listen to a whole album, but certainly enjoy listening to singles.

Just couldn’t get it. I respect the artist but not my cup of tea.

There are some eras of Beyoncé that i like but this wasn’t really one of them. Also I accidentally listened to the platinum version so it felt about 30 minutes too long and i had to listen to drake :/

beyonce!

..

Lots of classic Beyonce on this. Not my favorite album by her but I think it mostly holds up.

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

At the beginning of "Pretty Hurts," I could swear I heard the voice of Mel Brooks ask Bey her aspiration in life. It turns out that was the voice of Harvey Keitel--Mr. White, himself. Of course, Bey replies "To be happy." That is also my aspiration in life, which is why I never want to listen to BEYONCÉ again.

absolutely bonkers. while i'm someone who doesn't listen to ms. knowles casually, i am someone who has watched several hours of video essays about her. ms. knowles, as an artist, is endlessly fascinating because she's a businesswoman first and foremost, and it's because of her business savvy that she's able to create such visionary work. also, her music is pretty great too!! i kept on having to check what year this album came out as i was listening to it - some of these tracks i recognize and can place chronologically, but others sound like a synthesis of pop / electronica sampled from the years 2008 to 2012. after some cursory research i saw this album was labelled under the electro-r&b genre, which makes a lot of sense to me of where it originated sonically (specifically thinking about the track haunted here, which, to the surprise of no one, was my #1 highlight from this album). i liked this album a lot more than i thought i would, and my opinion going into this album is the same coming out: it's a shame this is the only beyonce album on 1001. not even getting into the visual album aspect (which i feel like i could write another 500+ words about, but i'm already behind on album ratings so i won't), this album carries a grandeur (to use an antiquated early 2010's term: epic-ness, perhaps??) that's difficult to refute. like, ms. knowles knows what she's doing here, right!! she knows how to make great music - i don't really care, otherwise, if this was hyper-engineered in a lab and has a superficial common denominator (read: mass appeal without risk) re: feminist messaging. highlights - haunted, drunk and in love, blow, no angel, partition, mine, xo, flawless

Just not for me.

Predictable and programmed. I’d love to hear the real Beyoncé.

I went in thinking I got some great r&b which maybe in there but most of all I’m excited to have finally find a new album to have sex to , having overplayed the weekend 10 years ago

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

Flawless. Neat that Caroline Polachek has production credits on No Angel. Tons of great producers here.

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

I just can’t get into her.

Guess who's jealous of Adele... 3.5/5

One of my many heretical opinions.

Highlights: Rocket, Blow. In a nutshell: "baby, let me blow your mind" Beyoncé is an album is what you’d expect from a mainstream pop artist with writing collaborators, multiple producers and has a brand/reputation to maintain: obscure alliteration (eg rhyming shit with equivalent), familiar (ie predictable) vocal range, synth beats. However, what sets this title apart from Taylor Swift’s albums from this era is the lyrical content. I was anticipating fourth wave feminist lyrical themes, which I got. I was not expecting a sex jam on this album, which I was impressed by. This doesn’t change my mind about one thing- I would still add Lemonade to the list. Overall: 4/10

Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 🆔⬛〽️ Production: 🎛️🧼💸 Music: 🫧♻️☣️ Ratinng: ⏹️(⏹️)/5

a gold standard for pop. Beyonce nails it. Not much else to say, you'll definitely find something you'll like here if you're a Queen Bey fan.

Damn, so Beyoncé and Jay Z are fucking huh

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 would call Beyoncé the most pretentious pop artist, but unfortunately Taylor Swift exists. I believe that she puts a lot of effort into her work or whatever, but what’s the point of talking about it so much when you have a team of over 100+ people, infinite budget, and the output is literally nothing special. This is not the worst r&b/pop album I’ve heard. Most songs are just pretty uninspired and boring (and too drawn out) but not offensively bad. I like Haunted and Partition, but that’s pretty much it. Just another corporate album produced primarily by financiers instead of artists. Not unlistenable and well produced, but there’s little to find here in terms of artistic value. 5/10

Great voice—and certainly not unlistenable—but a little one-note in theme & probably has some of the worst Disc 2 B-sides I’ve heard in my life.

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

The inclusion of this is an insult to every real musician on this project. A team of writer's make songs for her to come in and sing only to be overproduced and edited. Considering the level of production and amount of writer's, it's amazing that this album isn't at least catchy and listenable.

Beyonce is a horny mom who wants her pink skittles eaten. Good for her.

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.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Added a few tracks to my playlist. She has such a soothing voice.

How do you rate somebody that is clearly, objectively very good at something you really don't enjoy? I can't be giving her a one star but I can't stand this kind of music and I'll never be consciously listening to this again.

Eh. Overproduced modern pop. Interesting that there was nothing here I really recognized. I'm also surprised this is the one album from her that made the cut. If Lemonade was here my guess is we'd be getting at least a 6 outta me. 4/10

pior que eu tentei deus sabe que eu tentei escutar esse inteiro mas beyonce é uma das poucas divas da geração passada que não me desce de absolutamente forma nenhuma

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

I don’t get the hype.

Nah. 2/5

Another excellent example of a pop star having such an over-inflated self-worth that they cannot be bothered to trim their album down to a tight 45. We didn’t need all these songs. 2 stars

Superior to the likes of most pop stars, Its still not very great

Beyoncé has an incredible voice. There is no questioning her talent or presence. Unfortunately, this album just did not do it for me. Beyoncé feels far too long, and I really struggled to stay engaged from start to finish. There are moments where the production is interesting and the ideas are ambitious, but overall it drags. The pacing makes it feel heavy, and too many tracks blend into one another without a standout hook or spark to pull me back in. I can see why it was culturally significant and praised for its surprise release and visual concept, but purely as a listening experience it felt like hard work rather than something I wanted to revisit. Favourite track: Jealous. The most listenable and emotionally direct for me. Least favourite tracks: Haunted and Blow were particularly difficult to get through. Album artwork: Simple and effective. Clean, bold and probably one of the stronger elements of the whole package

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.

What an overproduced mess this album is. Turns out having about 10,000 writers and producers on an album can mess with its cohesion! Sprinkled in are elements of disco, soul, and R&B, but the dominating sound is hip hop, which in my opinion doesn’t suit Beyoncé’s talents. She has a hell of a voice, let her sing! There were only two songs on this behemoth that let her show off her vocal talent; the rest were a lot of talk-rap over complicated beats and showy production. Dangerously In Love (2003) or I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008) are much better albums suited for this list, and it’s stupid that this was the one Beyoncé album the author chose for the list. He’s not good at evaluating pop music (but loves having 500 British bands from the 1960s on here!). Also, a second ‘fuck you’ to the author for going with the Platinum Edition of the album, making it a bloated 93 minutes. 2/5

I would never besmirch the good name of Queen B but personally I prefer Lemonade.

This was ***Flawless.

If I speak I am in big trouble.

Aika skeidaa oli tämä levy ja kun tämä oli ensikosketus Beyoncé:n musaan, ei tää herättänyt yhtään mitään intohimoja. Tasapaksuja, mitään sanomattomia biisejä...

While not among my favorite Pop performers, and someone I missed most, if not all, of her catalog somehow (yes, even over the radio, in film, etc.), this is undeniably a solid Pop album entry.

Important caveat, I have a bias against music that is more about the performance than it is about music. I also have an aversion to the celebrity culture than emerges from music that is as much a product of industry promotion as it about the actual songs. When you use >30 writers and >50 production technicians to create an album, it will never feel personal. The fact that the album was largely created when a bunch of celebrities met at “camp” retreat--read mansion in the Hamptons--is a bug, not a feature. Despite my biases, I tried to give this album an open-minded listen. I’ll admit that I liked this album a little more than I thought I would. There are some good songs here, but great songs? I’m not sure about that. I’m glad that I listened with my throw away account (something it took me an embarrassingly long time to pay attention to with this project). I found nothing on the album particularly moving or interesting.

Nice production and a great voice, but the songs dont really grab me in the way I expected from /Beyonce

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 :)

I think Renaissance is her best album but I love this too

Wat saai

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

Beyone'i repertuaariga olen pigem põgusalt enne tutvunud. See album on kõvasti tumedam ja alternatiivsem, kui ma oleks oodanud. Suur temaatika on muidugi seks. Siin on palju võimsaid lugusid ja produ on uskumatul tasemel. Mitut lugu saadab ka provotseeriv muusikavideo, mida tasub kindlasti vaadata, see on albumi kuulamisel eriline kirss tordil ja minusugusele inimesele annab võibolla sisu paremini edasi kui muusika sõnad. Iga lugu kuidagi eristub teistest. Isegi kui album on peaagu poolteist tundi pikk, siis vaheldust on siin piisavalt, et ma kuulan huviga terve kogemuse läbi. Ma avastasin siit ka, et John Mayeri "XO" on kaver Beyonce'i originaalist. Albumi pealkiri "BEYONCE" on igati õigustatud. Siia albumile pole muusikat pandud pelgalt muusika väljalaskmiseks, vaid see on Beyonce'i kui artisti suur eneseväljendus ja peegeldus tema tolleaegsest olekust.

So many bangers on this joint

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.)

Terrible

haunted, partition, flawless, 7-11

This album drives me cray cray... På en dårlig måde. Rå P3 oplevelse. Sangene er ikke dårlige, de er bare ikke den oplevelse som jeg er ude efter.

Jeg forstår det ikke

Imposible de escuchar. Deberían rehacer el disco entero porque un remaster no soluciona los problemas que tiene. No vale la pena romper parlantes y auriculares por esto.

Wow, I didn't expect to actively dislike this as much as I did.

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

This may have been the first Beyoncé album I’ve listened to in full. I didn’t realize how horned up she is! Tons of great tracks on here, and it is a pretty good blend of sensual and soulful. Best Track: Blue (feat. Blue Ivy)

The undefeated Queen of Pop

Great album! I haven't historically been a Beyoncé fan, but this album rocked. My team at work was psyched as well when this came up

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

I have always been fairly neutral towards Beyoncé but I've also never really listened to any of her music voluntarily. I liked it well enough.

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?

Honestly, nothing that bad about it but I think I'm just into her singles over an album experience.

Big banging songs

I don’t understand the hating on modern pop. All said, Lemonade would be the better choice

What can one say? Beyoncé can't be touched. I'm not a huge fan personally, but it's easy to see how she dominates the pop charts. Her voice is unique and powerful, and the jams are original and fresh every time.

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

Not sure why everyone is calling this country, it is not!

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

There's some good stuff, but quite a few misses. The fact that this is specified as the re-released Platinum version (with the 6 extra tracks) helps because all the remixes are a level up.

Ok

I’ve been on a run of truly awful albums. My last five probably average 1.1 rating. Disenchanted.

This thing is built like a skyscraper. A feat of architecture and collaboration. But I'd never have as much affection for a skyscraper as I would a cozy cottage.

I went in with an open mind but it was just abysmal. It was an amalgamation of everything I hate about modern pop. Even the big singles I remember hating at the time. Her vocal style is just so cheesy to me. It ruins even the couple of songs where I kinda enjoyed the production. Rating: 1.4

You're telling me 40 people were needed to make this album? Yikes!

Surprisingly good, not my type of music at all but a good example of it

The QUEEN

It’s ok. To be very honest not too catchy for me. Her runs are pretty good. Good production and arrangement. Overall an ok album. A bit too long.

hella hits on this album, probably the best remixes ive heard on a disc 2 set, and just absolutely raw talent. Mrs. Carter knocks it out the park here.

I’m fairly certain this is the first time I’ve ever listened to a full album of Beyoncé’s. Very sexual, very empowering for women, and has a couple bangers. It’s not my favorite album I’ve heard on the list but it also wasn’t bad at all. I’m somewhere between a three and four but since there’s no Crazy in Love or Single Ladies on this album I’ll round down.

After the first song "Pretty Hurts" I thought that this album would be a deep message about the female experience in a world that that puts so much emphasis on looks. Instead, this is one of the most sexual albums I have ever heard. It goes from saying that living up to others beauty standards is painful and that you should just be happy with yourself to I'm the sexiest person in the world. Not upset by that. Just not what I expected after that start.

I like many Beyoncé songs, but I had never listened to a full album before this. When I first looked up this album, I didn't recognize any of the songs. Now I understand why. I like many parts of many songs, but I don't think there's a single song that I really liked as a whole. Her singing style occasionally annoys me and I could do without all of those random vocal runs. 3/5 I find it wild that I gave a Christina Aguilera album a 4 but a Beyoncé album only a 3. Favorite song off the album: the remix of Flawless with Nicki Minaj (mostly for Nicki)

This album and its surprise release in December of 2013 were the moment Beyoncé became the untouchable cultural icon many people still consider her today. That status is, to put it lightly, completely and utterly overselling Beyoncé as an artist. Sure, she is a great singer, but the music is just above average Pop and R&B. More interestingly, there was no build up to Beyoncé attaining this position. Her previous two albums were recieved in a lukewarm fashion and this one was hailed as some kind of masterpiece pretty much out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad album, it is her best in my opinion, and nowadays is not as obnoxiously overrated as its inconherent follow-up Lemonade from 2016. The good moments here a pretty great, like the very (very) 2010's sounding "XO", to the heart-wrentching miscarriage lament "Heaven", but for the most part this type of R&B melodies (if you can call them that) do not stick with me. For some reason, this released seemed to have tricked everyone into thinking something that simply isn't true. At the time, it almost tricked me too. Key tracks: Pretty Hurts Drunk in Love XO Heaven

Not my cup of tea but not a bad album