"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". These words are an apt way to describe Beyonce's latest album LEMONADE, which is also a reference to the old saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade", or simply; make the best of a bad situation. And that is exactly what Beyonce has done here; in fact, LEMONADE is easily Beyonce's best, most artistically solid album ever.
Now, I'll be honest and say that Beyonce's music has never appealed to me. Her early albums were just too squeaky clean and 'fabulous' for me, and her last album, while a step in the right direction, featured some kind of corny lyrics that just rubbed me the wrong way. But, LEMONADE sees Beyonce honing in on a single concept and executing songs that, for the most part, contribute to said concept. The concept being that of a relationship in the aftermath of infidelity, and how the woman in the couple deals with and resolves it.
The album opens with the quite and painful "PRAY YOU CATCH ME" which seems to detail the moment when she overhears her husband talking to the other woman, and you can feel the pain in Beyonce's delivery, which really sells the emotion of the song, and kicks the concept off perfect. The following track "HOLD UP" bids for an explanation from the cheating party and the track "DON'T HURT YOURSELF" explodes with indignant fury.
The entire album, save for the last track "FORMATION" all add another piece to the puzzle, which really helps sell this album as an entire album, instead of just a vehicle for singles, like so many of Beyonce's other albums, in my opinion. LEMONADE is proof that even the biggest, most noteworthy singles artists can release an album that not only has a strong, thoroughly though out concept, but also have singles that will still climb the charts, seeing as how this entire album is sitting in the Top 100 as of the time I am writing this review.
However, despite how great I think this album is, there are moments that I think are certainly less than stellar. For instance, I really didn't care for the track "6 INCH" and (this may gain me an army of haters) I absolutely cannot stand the track "FORMATION". I get it, it is a very empowering track, and I love that aspect, in fact, my major gripes are all music related, as I just cannot stand the instrumental on this track; it is just so fractured and sewn together, but not in an interesting or compelling way. I also think it is the wrong way to end the album, and I feel like the track "ALL NIGHT" would have been a much better closer.
But, despite that, I can't deny that this is an incredibly solid album from front to (almost) back. Even if you're not a Beyonce fan, I urge you to at least give this album a try, because pop music albums are rarely this consistent.
8.5/10
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