But in a world so dark and ambiguous, instead of needing the blunt, stark political messaging of Lemonade, we need an escape! And with Renaissance part one, Beyoncé is taking us to the club. After her lengthy hiatus from solo work, I wasn’t sure how Beyoncé would top her previous album. Renaissance is a sonic thrill ride from start to finish.
‘Beyoncé is taking us to the club.’ Photograph: Mason Poole ‘In a world so dark and ambiguous, we need to escape’ Lemonade was an angry album and it had so much to say, but Renaissance is repetitive and, frankly, too try-hard. Parts of the album sounded like a good girl trying to be bad to fit into the crowd. There’s no emotion and it’s a paint-by-numbers album when it comes to the lyrics. Renaissance does not sound like it came from an authentic place. It’s the first time in years that I felt like Beyoncé had run out of things to sing about. Lemonade was a more interesting record than Renaissance.
James, 32, Melbourne ‘Lemonade was a more interesting record’ My favourite track after a couple of listens is Cozy – it’s fresh and cool and sounds like someone so at home in their skin. It’s hard to compete with her self-titled album and Lemonade, and it doesn’t have the same emotional sucker punch, but who needs to be put through the wringer every album? It’s so fun and playful – she’s doing new things with her voice the songs are looser and longer. I love that it brings together the danciest elements from her back catalogue and mixes them with legendary dance anthems. In Renaissance, I love that she’s giving us an hour-plus of the crazy aunt Beyoncé (I nearly fell off my chair at “tig ol’ bitties”) that has always been there, but hasn’t been foregrounded before. I truly became a superfan with her album 4 (although can’t claim Beyhive level). I’ve been a fan of Beyoncé since my partner gave me a slowed-down, burned DVD of Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) so that we could both learn the dance back in 2009. The album artwork for Renaissance ‘It’s so fun and playful’
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