Lemonade; previously a refreshing beverage, now a worldwide phenomenon.
It seems Beyoncé has a love for all things fruity - first she was drinking
watermelon, and now she’s turning lemons into Lemonade. I for one will never
look at a bottle of Sprite the same way again.
It’s no secret that I am Beyhive af and that since Lemonade's
release on April 23rd, it has been wowing people all over the world. Beyoncé's newest album is (and this is so hard to say) honestly my favourite of the
six masterpieces she has released in her many years of slayage.
If you’re looking for an unbiased review of the album, I’m afraid you won’t find it here.
If you’re looking for an unbiased review of the album, I’m afraid you won’t find it here.
From being a disappointed 12 year old losing on Star Search to the being a multiplatinum recording artist that can sell out stadiums in seconds, Beyoncé
truly is a force to be reckoned with and coming along the journey with her has
been truly rewarding.
Like her previous self titled album, 'Beyonce', Lemonade gave us a truly personal,
emotional look into Queen Bey's life, something she is usually fiercely private
about.
Beyoncé is not shy when it comes to experimentation and on
this album we see some of her bravest experiments to date - with Daddy Lessons
having a huge country feel to it and Don’t Hurt Yourself having a huge rock-y vibe. Bey definitely switched
things up this time around, expanding on her genres and the kind of content she
is giving to her fans.
As a Beyoncé Stan it’s easy to listen to a new album in a haze
of euphoria and miss entire points and incredible harmonies, but I’ve been
listening non-stop since it's release, and think I am finally back to a normal
breathing pattern to be able to give a clear step by step through the album.
You ready?
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PRAY YOU CATCH ME |
The song opens with a haunting single beat rhythm and monosyllabic
riffs. Gospel vocals take you through the journey that is praying to catch your
other half doing you wrong. This is the first of many tracks on the album that show
us Beyoncé’s vunerable side. Softly sung, a low tempo song - perfect to listen to
in the bath when you’re pondering life. The song ends with a poignantly placed
“What are you doing my love?”.
BEST LINE: "Nothing else ever seems to hurt like the smile on
your face"
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HOLD UP |
This song will have you bopping from start to finish, with a
calypso reggae beat throughout and feel good lyrics that most can relate to. It’s
hard to see this summer without this song being played at every BBQ and on every
radio station. In the video Beyoncé proceeds to destroy a neighbourhood with a seemly
calm smile on her face, and if that doesn’t say crazy then I don’t know what
does. Hold Up also contains one of the finest diss verses I have ever heard,
with a tear down from Beyoncé seemingly towards her husband where she tells him
that nobody would have wanted him if he hadn’t “made it out the streets."
BEST LINE: "Hold up, they don’t love you like I love you."
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DON'T HURT YOURSELF |
Here is where the album really starts, this is just the
kind of new stuff we’ve all been looking for from Beyoncé. A raw, edgy & in your
face record from somebody usually so polished and poised. The song simply screams that she is her own boss, and that if you hurt her; you hurt yourself.
With
the mention of Malcom X came a cut away in Lemonade the movie of Malcolm X
speaking about black women being “the most disrespected in America”. Produced and sung with Jack White, lead singer and guitarist of The White Stripes; this song has a distinctive rock style which I am in love with. It’s fantastic
to see Beyoncé appreciating and experimenting with different genres, and it
seems that she’s slaying them all? C’mon Bey , give somebody else a chance!
BEST LINES:
“Who the fuck do you think I is? You aint married to no
average bitch boy.”
“This is your final warning, you know I give you life, if
you try ta shit again you gon lose your wife”
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SORRY |
Okay now this is hard to say but I think this is my
favourite song on the album. It's badass, it’s catchy, it’s in your face, it’s
unapologetic and Beyoncé is literally telling Boys to fuck off because she’s
not interested and totally not sorry about it - I mean? The song has a feel remniscient of Single Ladies (but hopefully not as annoying, soz queen). There have again been a lot of comparisons between 'Sorry' and Beyonce's previous work, highlighting her growth over the years.
Character development pic.twitter.com/qMzsD4m3wY— Common Gay Boy (@CGBPosts) May 1, 2016
| This song is a feel good anthem, maybe not in the way Single
Ladies was but definitely in the way of making women understand their worth and
that it really is okay to “tell ‘em boy bye”. This song is different from the
rest of the album in that it is a real eclectic mix of vocal styles, Beyoncé
reverts from a hip-hop style of singing to low tempo ballad from one
verse to another. This gives the song interesting depth. Beyoncé
however doesn't forget to remind you that there are serious feelings behind the
badass message, with the song ending on us questioning who Becky with the good
hair is. |
BEST LINE: “Suck on my balls, pause I’ve had enough”
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6 INCH |
This song reminds me of Partition, and is the perfect collaboration
for The Weeknd to have worked with Beyoncé on. The low growling vocals and
fast paced ‘rapping’ from Beyoncé matched with The Weeknd’s unique style gives this song
a cinematic feel, a song that could easily be used in the backdrop of a major scene.
Six Inch is a sexy song without being explicitly sexy,
mapping out the success of a powerful women and what got her where she is.
BEST LINE: “Six inch heels she walked in the club like nobody’s
business”
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DADDY LESSONS |
It’s fair to say that this country bop from Bey surprised
everybody, but I’m not mad at it. A song poignantly about her father who as the
world knows doesn’t have a very happy relationship with his daughter. However Bey sings about how he “taught her to be strong” and "raised a solider".A cutesy catchy song well placed in the
album, between the hard hitting ‘fuck you’ songs at the start, and the much more
forgiving songs to come.
BEST LINE: “Yeeeeeeehaaaaaw!”
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LOVE DROUGHT |
This song really shows the vulnerable side of questioning a
partner. It sounds like a conversation with a loved one, where you’re accepting
their faults and their wrong doings but not forgetting that you’re in love and that
your love is strong enough to move mountains. This song is incredibly easy to
sing along to, even if reaching for those high notes Beyoncé so effortlessly
sings can make most sound like a screeching cat.
BEST LINE: "But you my lifeline, think you tryna kill me? If I wasn’t B, would you still feel me? Like on my worst day? Or am I not thirsty, enough?”
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SANDCASTLES |
An incredibly emotional song about the rebuilding and
appreciation of a relationship even through the struggles. Beyoncé plays the
piano throughout!! Only showing how much of a talent this women is. Her voice
is raw and full, Beyoncé even kept in some voice breaks keeping the feel very
authentic, emotional & sounding very much like a live performance.
BEST LINE: "What is it about you, I can't erase Baby?"
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FORWARD |
James Blake, a personal favourite of mine; collabs with Beyoncé on this song and provides his usual haunting vocals as he and Bey sing about forgetting
the past and looking towards the future. Like the visuals for Freedom, Beyonce teams this short song with shot of mothers holding photos of the children they'd lost to police brutality. Another nod to the Black Lives Matter movement and a beautiful message of moving forward with hope for better. Following up songs about previous
hurt, this song really ties in with the overall message Beyoncé is going for.
When life gives you lemons, you make Lemonade.
BEST LINE: "I love you more than this job, please don’t work
for me."
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FREEDOM |
A song with a huge gospel influence, and an incredibly
powerful message. Visuals for this song included mothers of those
that have died at the hand of police brutality in America in a powerful attempt
at spreading the message that Black Lives Matter. Beyoncé stands on the stage in
front of the mothers and sings about freedom and what it truly means in a pure,
raw performance, cutting from the normal song to her acapella rendition. The song
has heavy soul influences you feel every time you listen to it.
BEST LINE: “Imma keep running cos a winner don’t quit on
themselves”
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ALL NIGHT |
A classic love song, the visuals portray many different
kinds of love from LGBTQA+ to the love of a family. This ballad is one you can
easily sing along too while also an emotional look at the true meaning of love - “true
love never has to hide”. I applaud Beyoncé for showing many types of couples
and families loving each other in the visuals for this song. It was refreshing and
incredibly heart-warming to see. All Night is catchy, breezy, easy to enjoy and is a beautiful penultimate song for the album.
BEST LINE: "They say true loves the greatest weapon to win
the war caused by pain”
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FORMATION |
The final song in the album is a shoutout to the haters. Beyoncé
is simply stating that she doesn’t care if you don’t understand her art because
in her words: “I slay”. This is a classic
strong women anthem, showing off her attributes and her power; which I for
one am so here for. Formation is catchy - probably the one you’ll hear
most out in the clubs.
BEST LINE: "You know you’re that bitch when you cause all this
conversation."
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