Beyoncé Knowles-Carter rose to prominence in the late 1990s when she joined the group known as Destiny’s Child. Since then, the American singer has built a career marked by several successes, establishing herself as one of the greatest artists in the music industry of all time. However, it will be necessary to wait until 2016 for Beyoncé to deliver the best album of her career to her fans and audiences around the world: ‘Lemonade’, whose construction, from its pre-production to its arrival on streaming services, makes the praise of black culture. and female empowerment in an impeccably immersive way and in an amalgamation of diverse musical genres that made it a necessary and memorable release for years to come.
A priori, it is curious to keep in mind that the disc is entirely visual; although the powerful lyrics, masterfully crafted by the singer in collaboration with important names in the phonographic sphere (including The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar and James Blake), go through days of struggle and days of glory and save her beautiful and applaudable legacy , the music videos they do not work as separate productions, but as an extension of something innovative and renewing at the same time. After all, it is precisely here that Beyoncé opens the door to declarative songs in R&B, soul, jazz and folk, historically dated genres of Afro-descendant culture that found unique expression when they been marginalized in American society, well, forever.
The visual aesthetic, for example, says a lot when we limit ourselves to the “Hold Up” and “Training” videos. The former, in a delightfully contemporary fashion, brings in the lead singer as Oxum, Yoruba water goddess of love, sensuality and fertility – well, it’s no surprise the artist says in the chorus “they don’t love you like I love you”, starting from a very personal scope for an incredible universality that has already proven itself right up to its musical identity. The song, in turn, features delicious reggae beats, in addition to making clear references to the bands that influenced it to build the CD itself – like Soulja Boys. Perhaps here, Knowles-Carter opens space to explore vocal timbres without any artificial weight, fluidly oozing in emphatic and emotional subtlety.
Already “Formation”, in search of elements of avant-garde R&B, bubbles with images and sound references that come to life and lead us into a history erased by white egocentrism. It’s here that the singer once and for all embraces her legacy of “my father, [do] Alabama; my mother, [de] Louisiana”, in addition to insisting with delightful sarcasm on the multiple conspiracy theories that have emerged in recent years to deny the importance it has brought to the appreciation of African-American culture. In other words, the track in question reaches levels of perfection that sarcastically scream “I’m proud of who I am.”
Enjoy watching:
In any case, these are not the only compositions that attract our attention – quite the contrary: we can clearly see Beyoncé’s efforts to transform each of the productions for which she is responsible into a discourse of “more love and less hate”. , without losing the force of his soliloquies. Well, it’s no wonder she samples all the people who have inspired her in her life, including her own grandmother, Agnéz Deréon, and her husband Jay-Z’s grandmother, Hattie White. (as well as names like Malcolm X and Frank Ocean, the latter with whom he worked several times). The first track, “Pray You Catch Me”, is a deconstructed ballad that reflects the pangs of an aching lyrical self, once again shifting from the particular to the universal.
Going through even more cynical arrangements with “Sorry” and much-welcome obscurantisms with the gem “6 Inch,” Knowles-Carter reaches another climax on his album with “Daddy Lessons,” which is unlike anything we’ve ever had. heard until today. With the song in question, the singer sets expectations for her own sound, starting with the early days of jazz to cultivate fertile ground for the insurrection of a Texas country that praises, as the title advocates, the lessons her father taught him. “He told me not to cry; my father said “pull”, repeating the refrain over and over to find the strength to continue; all this included in a paradoxically nostalgic and modernized scope.
As “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” come together in a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end – primarily focused on lying and the reconciliation that follows – “Freedom” returns with an almost gospel vibe, marked by a energetic chorus that goes all the way to meeting hip-hop’s own instrumentalization, including the delineated beats of a young high school band, branching out their messages of praise for current generations. Lamar, who is instantly recognizable as he transitions from the second to the third act just before the final chorus, adds even more dynamism to the track.
‘Lemonade’ is simply necessary. A new and hidden perspective of a history that has been repeated for centuries and which, more than ever, reflects the importance of “knowing yourself”. As the main premise of this masterpiece already reaffirms, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade; well, that’s exactly what Beyoncé decided to do.
Note per track:
1. Pray you catch me – 4.5/5 2. Hold Up – 5/5 3. Don’t Hurt (feat. Jack White) – 4.5/5 4. Sorry – 5/5 5.6 inches (with The Weekend) – 5/5 6. Lessons from Dad – 5/5 7. Love Drought – 4/5 8. Sandcastles – 5/5 9. Striker (with James Blake) – 4.5/5 10. Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – 5/5 11. All Night – 4.5/5 12. Training – 5/5 13. Sorry – Original Demo – 5/5
