Renaissance
by Beyoncé

Shortlisted for album of the year at the 2023 Grammys. The winner was Harry's House by Harry Styles

Renaissance is a work born from extensive research into the origins of disco music in the not-so-distant past, while also incorporating equally significant rhythms, such as in *Alien Superstar*, with its industrial sound leaning towards European dance floors. Spanning 60 minutes of music, the album embodies an altruistic journey to the dance floor, carrying a revolutionary spirit. Her best!

From Tamthebam 01/24/2024 21:18 | #301454

I admit I'm not a huge Beyonce fan but I really enjoyed this album. It is not as good as Lemonade but I would rate it as her third best behind both Lemonade and her self titled album from 2013.

From ilovelctr 12/23/2023 13:33 | #300613

If not for the cringe-worthy and failed Bayonetta impression in Alien Superstar, it would have been a better song, lol.

It's only Cuff It and this one that I could remember after listening to the record. The whole album's an attempt for going artsy that went south.

Having more formality than substance and entertaining tunes is a ubiquitous plague that ruins the production value of this record. Pure/Honey and Energy are quintessences in that regard, the former of which samples the famous Thundercat beat HA! in the vogue/voguing dance community dominated by gay and queer dancers. But I feel taken aback by the lack of soothingness so I would defo listen to HA! when given the two for choosing.

From Goliath 10/07/2023 17:21 | #299399

A prime candidate for a possible future chart of funniest album covers of all time.

Beyoncé’s focus on albums is to be appreciated. Many major artists only make them as vessels for singles, but “Renaissance” is a cohesive, flowing tribute to club music from the 70’s to the nineties. More than just being the sound of a club, it has its structure. Pulsating rhythms will blend from track to track like a DJ’s set. The blending is always immaculate, even when the songs are occasionally uneven in quality. Above the club sound is a record about confidence and fierce sexuality. While it can be absolutely powerful on tracks like “Virgo's Groove”, more often than not, it feels limited. The lyrics rely on a lot of the same imagery and verbiage. After a while, hearing Beyoncé talk about how great her body is and how rich she is takes out a lot of the subject’s mystique. Flaws and all, I do think the record achieves its goal of being the spirit of the nightclubbing on a wild night.

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Why did Pitchfork put this at #1?

From ExTeaSea 11/05/2022 20:06 | #291074

It's no Lemonade but it's pretty cool, especially the back half. It all flows together nicely like an endless dance club night out haha. Have been to a few haha, dancing in public isn't for me but I can see the appeal. They could literally just play this entire album and it'd be about the same as the nonstop dance music in your average club haha.