Album Review: Beyonce, Renaissance

Beyonce

Renaissance (released July 29, 2022)

Goodie Mob warned us in 1998 and it’s only been downhill since.

Music has always been a reflection of modern culture, and over the past decade specifically – an era defined by pessimistic themes, digital clapbacks and a thick cloud of pessimism – I guess it’s no surprise that fun, energetic dance grooves have been replaced by dreary VIBEZ.

For instance, I’ve heard they’re remaking the House Party film series. I can’t even imagine what a 2022 House Party is – just a bunch of kids in separate rooms on their phones tweeting misery and trolling people who criticize albums they love.

Sounds like my inbox.

But never fear, Beyonce is here to make music fun again!

Correction: Drake is here to make music fun again!

Spoiler: He failed.

Last month’s Honestly, Nevermind was a ridiculously rushed LP that attempted to get the jump on the coming summer dance music craze but made a total mess of itself, replacing the genre’s trademark vibrant energy with mush-mouthed vocals and beats straight out of your dentist’s waiting room. But hey, at least he can fool the children into thinking he started the dance trend, so mission accomplished.

To be fair, reintroducing disco-inspired production to an audience that has been on an endless diet of trap tropes for 15 years is a herculean task for any artist.

But never fear, Beyonce is here to make music fun again! And she’s much better equipped to bring vibrancy to music’s current monochrome-colored landscape.

But y’all know what they say about the best laid plans…

If the Twitter rumors are true (and when has Twitter ever lied to us?), Beyonce’s long-awaited seventh studio album, Renaissance, is the first part of a three-album series that will celebrate a specific subgenre of music. First single, “Break My Soul” set the tone – a defiant house hit that celebrates freedom on the dance floor, as well as freedom from that raggedy job that stresses you out.

If you weren’t feeling the pulsating production of “Break My Soul,” it may be hard to journey into Beyonce’s mirror-ball-shaped time capsule. But most of the time it’s worth the trip.

Bey confidently marches out of the gate to the beat of “I’m That Girl,” with the Beyhive boss lady declaring that “all these songs sound good cuz I’m on that ho.” The affirmations continue with the knocking “Cozy,” which urges listeners to be confident in their own skin. Expect that one to be a staple on the catwalk. The six-minute “Virgo’s Groove” is equally inviting, sounding like a trip through the Milky Way on a starship built in 1975. Everybody’s wearing silver and wearing go-go boots, cuz that’s how you impressed extra-terrestrials in the 70s.

However, Renaissance‘s greatest strength is when Beyonce moves beyond disco templates and puts her own stamp on the sound. “Church Girl” is the greatest example of this, merging soul samples with raucous production for a totally different experience. The hard hitting production and infectious coo of “Alien Superstar” are an equally good look. She’s not following the house-music archetype, these are her own blueprints.

Again, if dance isn’t your thing, never fear. Abrasive lyrics aside, “Cuff It” is a breezy, summer cut that’s the closest we’ve been to Bey’s 4-era in a very long time. Same goes for the soulful “Plastic Off the Sofa” – and let the record show that when Renaissance’s tracklist leaked, I told y’all this one would be the winner. You can’t have a song named after your grandma’s living room set and fail.

Unfortunately, the Renaissance‘s foundations start getting pretty shaky on its second half. Remember what I said about the best songs here being a modernization of the 70s disco sound? Many of the cuts on the second half are way too close to the original mold, feeling a bit too cookie-cutter in the process. “Heated” and “Thique” have catchy production but never hit the next level; Bey even sounds strangely lethargic on the former. “All Up In Your Mind” has a solid hook … and that’s about it. Feels like the concept still needed to be a bit fleshed out. And even though we’re blessed by the presence of Grace Jones, “Move” feels more like an outtake from Bey’s “The Gift” album than something fresh and new.

I wanted to like “Pure/Honey” more than I did, mainly thanks to the Earth Wind and Fire influence on its second half, but the first is nothing special. Thankfully, the Donna Summer-inspired celebration “Summer Renaissance” ends the album on a slightly higher note.

Now before the BeyHive starts stinging me death like Macaulay Culkin in My Girl by screaming “U dOnT uNdErStAnD tHe ViSiOn,” trust me, I do. Rochelle Jordan’s Play With The Changes is an exceptional modern take on the house genre. Renaissance, on the other hand, is only brilliant in fits and starts – sometimes it excels in putting a creative new spin on a cherished sound, other times it’s too cut and paste and the results are hollow. Some of the better songs are also held back by needlessly coarse lyrics that don’t fit the vibe of the production.

Renaissance is filled with good intentions and having an artist of Bey’s stature putting the spotlight back on the art of dance is a great first step. But we’re not quite there yet.

It could be worse, though. It could be Honestly, Nevermind.

Best tracks: “Church Girl,” “Plastic Off the Sofa,” “Cuff It”

3.5 stars out of 5