#16 - Beyonce
Albums Included in Rating:
Dangerously In Love (2003), I Am…Sasha Fierce (2008), 4 (2011), Lemonade (2016)
How much do I like my favorite track on the album? 14.4 points
Crazy In Love (Dangerously In Love)
The lead single on her first solo album. I remember people being absolutely blow out of the water by this when it came out. This song has been blowing my mind since 2003. And I am tempted to just leave it at that. The backing track would be something I'd listen to on its own. The background vocals? Amazing. Minimalistic. On point. Love every part of it. The harmonies on sprung and I don’t care who sees. Just awesome.
If I Were A Boy (I Am…Sasha Fierce)
Man. I am not a sucker for lyrics, and this song just says "Jordin, you gotta listen to the message". Simple backing track unlike most of Bey's stuff, lets her voice just shine in all of its painful glory. Beyonce proving to any of us that thought we could sing her stuff well says oh sorry I'm upping the game. Those "Better Mans" towards the bridge...man. MAN. So good.
Love on Top (4)
Another entry on the list of "feels like a movie in a song" there's something multi generational - at least musically speaking- about this song. You get the 60s movie vibes, the 70s stevie wonder vibes, the 80s/90s r&b vocal harmonies. An absolute screamer. The growls that she does repeatedly in this are just *chef's kiss*
Daddy Lessons (Lemonade)
Definite New Orleans celebratory vibes. Absolutely love the call and response usage. Classic. Amongst many on this album. Takes us straight to the bayou - yeah I said bayou even though she says Texas. And for a celebration.
How did/does this album influence my own taste in music overall? 14.4 points
Beyonce inspires my taste pretty regularly. R&B, Pop, Rap. She has it all in her stuff. And her collaborations also create interest in people I wouldn’t normally have heard about.
Does this album hold up since its release? 13.8 points
Beyonce’s stuff is timeless. She continues to stay above the fray, and consistently puts out hit, after hit, after hit.
What percentage of the album do I listen to? 7.15 points
The classical tale of “lots of bangers, lots of skippers”.
What did/do the critics think of this album? 7.25 points
Critics are polarized on some of her earlier works, but then in a more “time heals all wounds” approach they are able to see the historical significance of her works. I mean, it’s hard to knock the importance of the Dangerously in Love album 20 years later when it launched her solo career to the stratosphere.
What is the sentimental value to me of the album? 13.6 points
Early Beyonce was released at my most impressionable times.
What was the artists involvement of the production of the album - songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, uniqueness? 13.6 points
Beyonce is super hands on in the production and songwriting process. Overall, her albums carry a pretty significant uniqueness quality. No instrumentals from her though…
Overall Rating out of 100 points = average 84.2 points
(Dangerously In Love = 81.8, I Am…Sasha Fierce = 82.9, 4 = 81, Lemonade = 91.2)
Perhaps more than any artist on this list, Beyonce has reinvented herself over and over again. Each album is distinctly unique, with the only common thread being her voice itself. The fact that she is able to create stand alone stories with a different sound on each album is a marvel all itself, and the fact that they are undeniably great is another level of artistry. Seriously though…if you didn’t know anything at all, never heard of Beyonce before, and listened to Dangerously in Love and Lemonade back to back, would you really even know they were the same artist? I doubt it. I will probably catch some heat here for not picking Renaissance, I just firmly believe it’s not her best work. Lemonade is and will be until she surpasses it. I said what I said. Had Lemonade been a solo entry on this list, it would have clocked in at 8.
