BY KAYLYNN DAY
Contributing Writer
With no promotion, advertisements, or even the slightest fair warning, the infamous Mrs. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter released her fifth studio album, the self-titled Beyoncé. Social networks flooded with the news of the album’s release on iTunes during the early hours of December 13. Beyoncé included 14 new songs as well as 17 music videos. Setting the bar as high as only Beyoncé could do, the release of this visual album set the music world ablaze. With features from industry heavyweights like Drake, Frank Ocean, hubby Jay-Z and even daughter Blue Ivy, Beyoncé came out swinging and made sure to let everyone know that the Queen had returned and that she was here to stay on her throne.
Overall, the album itself is flawlessly perfect, and, in my opinion, some of Beyoncé’s best work in a long time. The vibes given from the project are very grown and sexy, almost as if Beyoncé was trying to resurrect her sex symbol image (which in my eyes, she never lost!). After becoming a mother, she took a break from the music scene for a while, making outsiders think she would go for a more conservative style in her upcoming projects. And although she “took some time to live her life, don’t think she’s just his little wife!”, Beyoncé was secretly working on her surprise album the entire time. She made it clear in several interviews that through this album, she wanted to show women around the world that they didn’t have to lose their sex appeal simply because they became mothers or were getting older. With this album, Beyoncé showed us that she hadn’t lost it, all while teaching us a thing or two from her book in the process.
“Drunk in Love,” featuring Jay-Z is, to me, one of the best songs on the album. Both Jay and Bey got a little risqué on the track, making sure to both set the record straight that they are still madly in love and “drunk in love they be all night.” The track is a club banger to say the least, with a beat you can’t help but dance to, and a chorus you have to belt along with even if you didn’t want to. The song is a fun and sexy anthem for lovers around the globe, and one that you can be sure will get heavy radio circulation. The video for the single makes the track even better, showing a very happy Beyoncé on a secluded beach, showcasing a laid-back choreography routine. The visual for the song of course had a special appearance from Jay-Z, and seeing the two in action together showed exactly what it meant to be “drunk in love.”
Although I am a fan of the album in its entirety, “Ghost/Haunted” is my least favorite track. Having more of a techno beat and vibe, the track is more of a “filler” in my eyes. The song revisits Beyoncé’s more “pop music” driven days, and is the one that can be easily skipped while playing the album. Although, like much of Beyoncé’s music, if you listen to the track a couple times, you will find yourself signing it over and over again. Yes, it is one of those disgustingly catchy songs that you don’t really like, but that you know every word to. The song, in a sense, “haunts” you, and like Beyoncé sings in the chorus: “I know if I’m haunting you,
you must be haunting me.”
With this album, Beyoncé was on a mission to reclaim her sex appeal, and “Yoncé/Partition” showcases that down to a T. Through the track, Beyoncé introduces us to her new alter ego by the name of “Yoncé,” who is a little more grown and sexy compared to her previous alter ego, “Sasha Fierce.” With a little help from Yoncé, these two songs combined are hands down the raunchiest off the album, which sparked a little controversy along the way, causing critics to have “Yoncé’s” name “all on their mouths like liquor.” “Yoncé” is the more fun and flirty portion of the track, having a more hip-hop feel to it, while “Partition” is the slower, more sensual of the two, but takes the cake for being the more provocative. With that being said, this track is not one you want to listen to around the kiddies, but also one you don’t want to miss out on hearing. It’s something fun and flirty for those times when you just want to get a little down and dirty.
Overall, I would give Beyoncé an 8.5 out of 10. The album is great quality and it’s easy to tell the amount of hard work and dedication that went into perfecting it. It’s obvious that Beyoncé hasn’t lost her touch, showing her competition why she’s called the Queen. Beyoncé is now available for purchase on iTunes as well as in stores. This project can easily be argued as the best album of both 2013 and 2014, and is not one you want to miss out on.
