Ranking the Best Beyoncé Albums
We’re about two weeks out from the release of Beyoncé’s sixth album Lemonade and if you ask The Beyhive, Bey’s collective of rabid superfans, it’s Beyoncé’s greatest work.
Well, call down Staniel and Stanyella, Lemonade might be new and shiny but “latest” doesn’t always equal “greatest.”
Let’s set the record straight and rank Beyoncé’s discography from worst to best. Obviously, this list will only include her solo albums, not her LPs with Destiny’s Child – which were all pretty good, minus the candy-coated Bootylicious album. Ugh.
But as this list proves, even at her worst, Beyoncé is still pretty good.
6. Dangerously In Love (2003)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Baby steps. Bey’s first album was certainly crammed with successful singles — many of them still beloved today. But overall, the set felt uneven in places, with a couple of tracks sounding like they were resurrected from Destiny’s Child’s cutting-room floor. Far from ***Flawless but still a noteworthy debut.
Forgotten favorites: “Yes,” “Signs,” “That’s How You Like It”
5. I Am … Sasha Fierce (2008)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (read our review here)
Edd said: Bey’s identity-crisis era has always polarized fans. I’ve heard her double-disc set called her worst album by far, as well as one of her best outings. It’s certainly not a bad album (there’s no such thing as a bad Beyoncé album) but playing up the divide between her soulful R&B songstress persona and domineering diva antics doesn’t work as well as it probably looked on paper. There are some truly great efforts here, many of them are just clouded by inferior tracks.
Forgotten favorites: “That’s Why You’re Beautiful,” “Scared of Lonely,” “Ave Maria”
4. 4 (2011)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (read our review here)
Edd said: I swear I didn’t place 4 at No. 4 on purpose. At the time, 4 was Bey’s most mature work and quickly became the blueprint for subsequent albums. Forceful girl-power anthems, pleading ballads, pop hits that drag you to the dance floor — they’re all here. Bey tends to overextend herself vocally in a few places (actually, in a lot of places) but occasional screechiness aside, 4 was a step in the right direction.
Forgotten favorites: “I Miss You,” “Best Thing I Never Had,” “I Care”
3. Lemonade (2016)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5 (read our review here)
Edd said: And THIS is the moment my timeline gets trolled. But y’all gonna get this truth: Conceptually, Lemonade is a near-masterpiece, especially when you factor in the downright hypnotizing visual component. It’s some of the best storytelling I’ve heard in the genre in decades. But song for song, the album gets a bit uneven during its second half. Call it one of the better albums of 2016 but certainly not the best Beyoncé has to offer.
Forgotten favorites: This album is too fresh to be forgotten, so let’s go with underrated cuts: “Freedom,” “All Night,” “Pray You Catch Me”
2. Beyoncé (2013)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5 (read our review here)
Edd said: The infamous “secret album” literally came out of nowhere one night in December (right after ABC;s Scandal aired — Bey knows her target audience) and it landed with the force of a megaton meteorite. Not only did it rewrite the rules of album promotion, it became the quintessential Beyoncé album, marrying R&B, pop, hip-hop and gospel into one superb package. If there were any doubts about Beyoncé’s superstardom before its release, this was the album that erased them all. Still, there is one album that’s just a bit more complete….
Forgotten favorites: “Blue,” “Jealous,” “Pretty Hurts”
1. B’Day (2006)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: The biggest fault I have with Bey’s later albums is that she experiments with too many contrasting sounds. Sometimes it makes for a disjointed listen. That’s a mistake B’Day never makes, making it Beyoncé’s most cohesive — and consistent — album to date. While not all of the pop records hit the mark, the defiance of more traditional R&B cuts like “Irreplaceable” and “Resentment” and attitude that oozes from hip-hop inspired tracks like “Upgrade U” are some of the best songs Bey has ever recorded. B’Day might not get the hype but it’s Beyoncé at her best.
Forgotten favorites: “Kitty Kat,” “Resentment,” “Déjà Vu”
How would you rank Bey’s catalog? Here’s your chance to speak up – let us know below.
Interesting list. Similar but here’s mine.
6. Dangerously In Love
Honestly, singles aside, it’s a messy album, full of really undercooked, underdeveloped slow R&B snoozers that don’t really showcase anything the Queen has to offer.
5. I Am…Sasha Fierce
There are so many incredible tracks on this album, but there’s also Ave Maria, which is only one of a handful of missteps this two disc set has to offer. Mostly, it’s the album of hers that has “aged” the worst, since I was obsessed with it at the time of it’s release.
4. B’Day
This is when shit starts getting GOOD and it’s really hard to rank them. This album is great from beginning to end. Really not a bad track in the bunch. LOTS of underrated goodies on here, and it bops hard in a lot of places. Put simply, as Beyonce has gotten older and has stuff to actually SAY, this album can feel a bit, young? Juvenile is the wrong word, because it still slays, but I just prefer my Beyonce with more of a “voice.”
3. Lemonade
I agree with the above post. As a piece of work, as a storytelling vehicle, it’s brilliant. It’s also annoyingly short. The songs themselves are some of her most adventurous and feature some of her best tracks to date, but it’s too early to tell how well they will age. Still an incredible work of art.
2. BEYONCE
The surprise release to end all surprise releases. While lacking the “storytelling” aspect of Lemonade, the fact of the matter is, these songs are simply incredible, and paired with the videos, this is a MASTERPIECE of audio/visual media and such a grand feat.
1. 4
I have to wildly disagree with the review above. Her voice has never sounded better than on this record. She’s really reserved her vocal histrionics in these most recent albums, but here she was in full maternal/pregnancy (even if she wasn’t actually pregnant during the recording of this album) mode and her voice was so warm and full and raw. These songs showcase Beyonce the vocalist in a way no other album has. It also is her most timeless collection of music that I think will hold up best in 10-20 years.
1. Bday
2. Lemonade
3. 4
4. I AM…..
5. Beyonce
6. Dangerously In Love
OMG, I was just thinking really bad – right here from Brazil – about the best of Beyoncé discography. It was hard to ranking all of them six albums, but I was surprised we think EXACTLY the same! I loved Lemonade, but Beyoncé and BDay are the artist at her best. I really can notice a higher level after 4 in that list. Despite the great commercial performance of DIL and IASF, with many huge hits and stuff, these two works can be placed a little level down the four others. Loved the ranking!
6 – Dangerously In Love – This album was early days and doesn’t have the replay value that other albums do. Other than Crazy In Love, Dangerously In Love, Speechless, Me, Myself And I, Naughty Girl and Baby Boy this album is just meh for me.
5 – B’Day – It has a lot of hits on it, but it gets neglected by Beyonce too much nowadays (with the exception of irreplaceable and ring the alarm), and there was too much Jay Z on this one album… although I am waiting on that joint album from them both…
4 – BEYONCE – Game changing album proving Bey is the queen of any genre of music she wants, but after the third listen I got bored and now struggle to get through the whole album.
3 – I Am… – Smash Into You is my favourite Beyonce song, but Ego is also my least favourite Beyonce song so this album is mixed for me. It has iconic hits on it, and it made Beyonce the queen of music she is today, but it isn’t as good as 1 and 2.
2 – 4 – Mature, classy, fun, smooth… This album has everything, except one special ingredient.
1 – Lemonade – THE VISUALS. This album is political, emotional, proud and it shows off all of Bey’s talents. Rock? She can do it. R&B? She can do it. Ballads? She can do it. Pop? She can do it. Country? She can do it. The message behind this album is powerful and socially important right now and I haven’t gotten bored of any of the songs yet and I’ve been listening on repeat since it was released.
1. 4
2. BEYONCE
3. Dangerously In Love
4. B’Day
5. I Am… Sasha Fierce
I simply love Dangerously in Love! I think it’s almost as good as B’day. My ranking:
1. B’day
2. Dangerously in Love
3. Lemonade
4. Beyoncé
5. I am… Sasha Fierce
6. 4
1. 4
2. B’day
3. Beyonce
4. Lemonade
5. IASF
6. DIL
1. 4
2. B’Day
3. Dangerously in Love
4. BEYONCE
5. Lemonade
6. IASF
6. I am… Sasha Fierce
This has the least replay value of all her albums in my opinion. The singles were good but a little generic. The dual persona also doesn’t help at all. The I am… Side didn’t have enough soul and the sasha fierce felt like it was forcing itself.
Best tracks
If I were a boy, Single ladies, sweet dreams
5. B’Day
This is actually a pretty ok album. In my opinion it is just as good as her first album for the exception that her first album has much higher highs (and lower lows). The only thing this album doesn’t do for me is give Beyonce a chance to breathe. Although its clear she doesn’t need to, I just wonder what she could have done had she given herself more than 2 weeks to record this. Oh well
Best tracks
Upgrade U, resentment, irreplaceable
4. Dangerously in Love
Outside of Daddy, gift from Virgo, and that terrible interlude this is a pretty good album with amazing standouts (CIL, BB, MM&I, NG, BWY). Only issue is her voice was not as developed as it is now. You can also hear in some songs that she doesn’t all the way know what some of the feelings are. If Bey ever decided to record her first album it would be the shit.
Best tracks
All four singles and Be with you
3. Lemonade
I’m placing it at 3 because its still very new and I nees years to sit on this album. I love the experimentation. It works for her and for the first time she sounds natural with music outisde of her usual genre. However she misses in a few places. Vocally, I wanted more from her on sandcastles and I also wanted more on all night (its perfect though). I wish that the 4Beyonce had recorded Lemonade lbs. Never the less I love the record and hope the she continues in the direction. It suits her
Best tracks
Formation, all night, pray you catch me
2. 4
Amazing performance from Bey. Vocally her best effort yet. The only issue is that some of the lyrics in a few songs threw me a off a little bit but not too much. Honestly coming off the IASF era this could have been a massively successful era with multiple number 1s and millions sold WW. Bey just chose the wrong lead single. Had Countdown led this album I believe that Bey would be even bigger than she is now. (SN: Countdown is the quintessential Beyonce song. It has everything that is identified with her sound. Big brassy horns, bass, her voice is firing through those runs like a canon. Perfect song from Bey.) 4 sounds like a classic album. Has the most replay value than any album she has and it screams charisma. There are just a few issues I have for this album. The standard version doesn’t have dance for you, which is the best sex jam bey has recorded (sorry rocket), also Run The World (and I get what she was trying do) is terrible. Its too noisey and way to clunky. I agree on this album she did overdoing (a tad bit) but I wanted to hear her challenge herself. (Sorry for the long paragraph about 4. I’m just pissed she let this album go to waste)
Best tracks
Countdown, 1+1, miss you
1. BEYONCE
Secret drop aside this album is amazing. She speaks on so many topics and although it was sharp departure from the vocally adventurous four I still love the exploration in the lyrics as well as the production. I also love that she used her lower register more, it definitely added a layer that we had not heard from her before. Beyonce at her finest hour. A titan claiming her domain.
Best tracks
No Angel, jealous, drunk in love.
My ranking would be
1.B’Day…This album is the only one that I can listen to in it’s entirety over and over. It has the perfect balance of pop and R&B to make it appealing.
Favorite songs: Ring The Alarm/Green Light/Irreplaceable (this list is pretty hard to decide…I could go on..Freakum Dress Kitty Kat Upgrade U :P)
2.Dangerously In Love…When her solo career all started…this might be an odd choice for #2 but it’s just pretty memorable to me (for the most part).
Favorite songs: Crazy In Love/Naughty Girl/Dangerously In Love
3.4..Bey at her most mature. This was before her pregnancy but you could just feel that she expected it. It’s the album where she used her voice the most. She toned down on the pop hits and went a more contemporary route (which she should definitely do again).
Favorite Songs: 1+1/I Care/Party
4.Lemonade…the visual one. The album itself wasn’t as magnificent but what the made the album special was the visual. The visual empowered many and will probably be remembered.
Favorite Songs: Pray You Catch Me/6 Inch/All Night
5.I Am..Sasha Fierce…I call this a split album. I Am is my favorite one of the 2 since I prefer the ballads and slow songs but Sasha Fierce also has many memorable hits.
Favorite songs: If I Were A Boy/Video Phone/Halo
6.Beyonce…the surprise one. It suddenly hit the world one night. This one got hype mainly because of the release. While it’s a good album I find it highly overrated. The visuals were good but after Lemonade, this just looks ok. There are good songs but many overrated ones.
Favorite Songs: Partition/Haunted/No Angel (I’d replace No Angel with Bow Down if you consider that a separate song since it’s technically a part of Flawless)
1.Lemonade
A masterpiece. My favorite album of any artist.
2.Beyonce
Experimental, intriguing. Includes my favorite Beyonce song to date (‘Mine’).
3.4
A great album. There is no song I don’t like. Especially ‘1+1’ and ‘Countdown’ are phenomenal. It’s just not as great as the two above.
4.Dangerously in Love
I think it’s quite underrated. It has some of the best early Beyonce songs.
5.B’day
I like it but the songs are too similar and I can get bored when listening to the whole album.
6.I Am Sasha Fierce
There are some good ‘I Am’ songs and good ‘Sasha Fierce’ songs. But there are also boring ‘I Am’ songs and annoying ‘Sasha Fierce’ songs, so I never listen to the whole album.
6.- Dangerously in love. Apart from a few songs most of them lack of strength.
Favourite songs: Crazy in love, Naughty girl, Baby boy and Dangerously in love.
5.- I Am / Sasha Fierce. This album maybe contains the most succesfull songs of her career, such as Single ladies or If I were a boy, but personally I think it’s far from being her best one.
Favourite songs: Sweet dreams and Hallo.
4.- 4. This album has ones of her better songs but there are some songs that I don’t like that much, yet overall it’s a very good album.
Favourite songs: Rather die young, I care, End of time and Best thing I never had.
3.- Beyoncé. I didn’t like it at first but the more I listen to it, the more I adore it. This album explains so well why Beyoncé is The Queen.
Favourite songs: Drunk in love, Pretty hurts, Partition and XO.
2.- Lemonade. Just amazing, incredible, a piece of art. There is only one song that i wouldn’t rate at least 9 out of 10 and it’s Sandcastles. I could listen to this album over and over again the rest of my life.
Favourite songs: Freedom, 6 inch, Formation, Love drought, Don’t hurt yourself and Hold up.
1.- B’ Day. The best soul/r&b/hip-hop album i’ve ever heard. Each and every song in this album is a masterpiece, and I think is the most underrated album ever in the history of music. All of its songs (except from Kitty cat) could have been lead single.
Favourite song: Suga mama, Freakum dress, Upgrade you, Greenlight, Irrepleceable, Deja vu… all of them actually.
I. 4
II. B-Day
III. Lemonade
IV. I Am
V. Dangerously In Love
VI. Beyonce
1) Lemonade
2) BEYONCE
3) 4
4) B’Day
5) IASF
6) DIL
#6: I am..Sasha Fierce: Her weakest album by far full of starkly different/disparate sounds on the two CD’s that just didn’t match. I found the I am.. side to be dull and soulless listen overall, and Sasha Fierce had some annoying tracks but ironically had the best ballads (Scared of Lonely and Hello) over I am… I found it a confusing listen overall.
#5: Lemonade: Great movie and visuals, but the music particularly on the second half gets uneven. I can easily cut down the 12 tracks to 6 or 7. Pray You Catch Me, Forward, Sandcastles, 6 Inch have nothing on songs like I Care, I Miss You, Mine, or Jealous, and Beyonce has done reggae/r&b-pop better than on Hold Up on songs like Baby Boy and Countdown. I appreciate the album for Beyonce’s genre experimentation, but it was nowhere near as eclectic as BEYONCE or 4.
#4: Dangerously in Love: Me, Myself, and I alone trumps most of Lemonade lyrically/musically. Yes, it has its filler and yes, Bey made a better love songs/R&B album with 4 but its standout tracks are still incredible and timeless to this day (Crazy in Love, Baby Boy, Naughty Girl, Me, Myself, and I, Be With You, Speechless).
#3: BEYONCE: One of Beyonce’s best works ever. What a risk. The visual surprise album was incredible. This was the first time we saw Beyonce be emotionally naked in front of the listener. This was the first time we saw her vocally restrain from belting and emphasize mood over tempo in her R&B/pop, and art over performance videos. She discusses feminism, sexuality, bravado, but also her insecurities (both professional and personal) in such frank terms (Pretty Hurts,Ghost, Mine, Jealous). Another standout of this album (unlike DIL and IASF) is that the album tracks actually were far superior to the singles ( Ghost/Haunted, No Angel, Jealous, Mine) are far better than Drunk in Love, Flawless, and Pretty Hurts and will remain standout tracks and videos in her discography.
#2: 4: 4 is an incredible piece of work. It’s Beyonce’s “classic” album. Also contains her best and most creative melodies. Countdown and Love on Top and End of Time’s infectious hook come to mind. Even a song as heartbreaking as Best Thing I Never Had and I Care come to life due to the vibrant instrumentation and Beyonce’s belting. Compared to the Sasha Fierce album and the darker and more downtempo/trap R&B of BEYONCE, 4 just feels so full of life and love. It is one that will remain the fan favorite for a long time I suspect. Beyonce even looks happy performing 4 songs. It would be #1 if not for the clunkiness of Run the World Girls which really seemed like a Sasha Fierce re-tread and I Was Here which was an I am.. retread. Both tracks detract from the rest of 4’s vintage soul sound.
#1: B’day: This is Beyonce’s signature sound. The brassy horns, the pop/funk, the R&B belts, the ad libs, and of course, the signature girlpower in the context of a relationship message. B’day (in its original 10 track carnation) has incredibly underrated background vocals, and interesting melodies. Listening to the acapella of Get me Bodied and Suga Mama is a must. I love that Beyonce tried to incorporate live instrumentation back in R&B music with her Suga Mama band. People think rock is the only genre with musicians/band but back in the 70s and 80s, it was normal to see black bands (R&B/funk bands playing instruments like Rufus, Gap Bamd, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie etc.). This is the era Beyonce came into her own as a performer and it shows. She also stood her own as an artist and stuck by Deja Vu and Ring the Alarm despite the controversies. She also took it upon herself to do a video anthology. She stood by her work, and it was that resolve that later lead to her risk-taking and not following trends on 4 and BEYONCE. B’day also tells a story of a woman falling in and then out of love from Track 1 (Deja Vu) to Ring the Alarm and then to Resentment. It’s very similar to Lemonade in that regard (but an uptempo version), but also similar to BEYONCE with the feminist/asserting sexuality aspect (Suga Mama, Get me Bodied, Kitty Kat, Freakum Dress), and 4 with the strong vocals/raw soulful belting (Deja Vu, Resentment, Ring the Alarm, Suga Mama). It combines elements of Lemonade lyrically, BEYONCE thematically, and 4 vocally, along with the sound of her best song: Crazy in Love. It’s utterly perfect, and also a very underrated CD indeed. Singing hard on uptempos is not something most R&B artists can do. Only Beyonce can make a song called Freakum Dress a serious banger.
What a fantastic analysis. Great job.
oh my gosh… this is perfect i agree with your thoughts on 4 to the tea!! its my favirote beyonce album EXCEPT GIRLS!!!!!!!! i hate that song sooo much the album is like a 9.5/10 because of that song!
1.B’Day-Best Era. Solidified Beyoncé as a solo star.Visually and vocally her best era.First visual album.It was almost like Destiny Fulfilled part 2 just more uptempo minus Kelly and Michelle.
2.Lemonade-Beautful album from start to finish,her most diverse set.
3.Beyonce-Most experimental set to date.Best visual album.
4.Dangerously In Love-Debut album that’s aged well. Incredible first half, bogged down second half.Some of her best R&B songs.
5.Iam Sasha Fierce-The tour era gave us Beyoncé solidifying herself as a tour artist.Her most pop album to date. Should’ve been one disc.
6.4-Happens to be a general fan favorite,not mine. The vocals were a little harsher. The ballads were some of the most boring ballads.The first single didn’t match the album.It baffles me why people love this album. Minus some songs,I would’ve rather heard the original album she intended to record before scrapping it in favor of 4. It’s without a doubt her worst album and that’s including Destiny’s Child four studio albums.