You know that evergreen Tiffany Pollard gif where she’s staring wide-eyed as the camera zooms in and yells “BEYONCÉ?” exclaims.
Sure, it may have come from an argument on a reality show, but it has become a symbol of excitement about our musical Lord and Savior – and today we are all that symbol.
Yes, Renaissance is hereand as Beyoncé’s first canonical solo project since 2016’s Lemonade and her first “conventional” solo album (ie released unsurprisingly, not-only-available-through-TIDAL) solo album in quite some time, the anticipation is quite a bit.
Over the course of her solo career, Ms. Knowles-Carter has mastered pretty much everything; from pop songs the size of a stadium to artistically ambitious, politically charged images.
And now the first chapter of what is going to be a three album project has landed; across the horizon and into the ears of fans as the high-camp disco horse she straddles the artwork.
Renaissance promises dancefloor-ready liberation, but does it deliver? Does it live up to the hype and the almost impossibly high bar that Beyoncé has set for herself?
Let’s press play and find out song by song…
1. I AM THAT GIRL
With a sample of Tommy Wright III and Princess Loko’s Still Pimpin’ over a tantalizing bass wobble, we’re off – and as the tempo picks up and Bey spins “I pull up in these clothes, look so good,” it already feels great to have her back. Although it may sound a bit more subdued than what’s to come, I’m That Girl is a mission statement; a statement of the confidence and empowerment we will get in the next hour (“It’s not the diamonds, it’s not the pearls…I’m just that girl”). And the way everything fades to ‘let it go’ as we go into the last minute? Oh, things are about to go from. Girls, gays and them; do your stretches now!
2. COZY
If I’m That Girl is the song to get you ready for the club, Cozy is what plays as you walk past the bouncers, the crowd and to the bar. Trans icon (and beloved Drag Race guest judge) Ts Madison is one such example; a song that resists hardship. “Kiss my scars, because I love what they made,” explains Bey; later reaffirming on the chorus that she’s ‘comfortable in my own skin, cozy with who I am’. All this to a wonderfully filthy beat? Good luck trying to sit still!
3. FOREIGN SUPERSTAR
Category: sexy bitch. I am the bar’. Utilizing Barbara Ann Teer’s Black Theater speech, Alien Superstar is an amazing life-giving, ballroom-ready spectacle, and Christ, can you imagine the potential music video? The looks! The choreo! The sleep! It just has to happen. And the way it makes even a Right Said Fred interpolation sound really sexy? Witchcraft!
4. CUFF IT
Nile Rodgers is the guest of honor on this bright, copper-infused, timeless-sounding floor filler; all lush backing vocals and light, rousing instrumentation. Refreshing and intoxicating like a divine cocktail, it will – I suspect – only get better and better with each listen. Focxy Cleopatra lives on!
5. ENERGY
The transition to this song is so seamless that you might not even notice it happened. Part interlude, part track in its own right, it’s a less than two minute treat that will perfectly gird your loins for the almighty hit to follow. Rapper BEAM is on top form as Bey drops some of the album’s most memorable lines (“they Karens just turned terrorists”) and as it picks up momentum towards the end, Big Freedia enters the chat and it’s finally time for it. ..
6. BREAK MY SOUL
There was a lot of driving on this track when it dropped as the first single, and oh well, it delivered. It’s somehow even more exciting here, in the context of the full album – the most radio-ready, pop-skewed stunner of the bunch; and now just as exciting as the first game. A fist-in-the-air ode to standing strong against societal clowning, it’s an almost timeless, instantly known hit that will almost certainly be heavy on the “Best of the Year” lists in December. Consider my wiggle released!
7. CHURCH GIRL
As we all gasp after Break My Soul, a sample from Clark Sisters’ Center Thy Will slows the pace down a bit – but don’t get too comfortable. Within a minute, the beat has dropped and Beyoncé has offered up lyrics that will inspire many a pre-nightout Insta caption: “I’m warning everyone, soon as I get in this party, I’m gon’ let go of this body.” , I’m going to love me.’ The glorious juxtaposition of heavenly backing vocals and instructions to ‘drop it like a tit’ makes for a – yes, I’ll say it – truly religious experience.
8. PLASTIC OF THE BANK
The atmosphere of the production here is absolutely sublime – Beyonce sounds like an angel in her upper register, basking in luscious percussion, a sunny guitar and an irresistible bassline. It’s arguably the record’s most relaxed moment to date, and even this one it’s impossible not to get involved. Red hot.
9. THE VIRGO’S GROOVE
There’s been a (divisive!) trend in pop music lately where stream-chasing bops are made as short as possible; seemingly to take advantage of volatile attention spans and generate more plays in less time. But Virgo’s Groove is the perfect antidote to that: at over six minutes (!), it’s in no rush and no bar is wasted. A strong contender for the best vocal performance on the album (that last moment? I’ve taken off), it bubbles like a glass of expensive champagne; every last drop, every last note to savor. An inevitable fan favorite.
10. MOVE
‘Get out of the way’? Yes Madam! Tems and Grace Jones (Grace Jones!) are ready for these call-to-arms: “When the queen come through, part like the Red Sea,” Bey instructs. And even I, a lanky white man with exactly zero rhythm, feel like I can set the dance floor on fire. It’s really – and I mean this as a big compliment – just sounds like sweat.
11. HEATED
Listen here to a beautiful tribute to Beyoncé’s late Uncle Johnny, one of the main inspirations behind this entire project. “He was my godmother and the first person who introduced me to much of the music and culture that inspired this album,” she wrote in an accompanying message. The sheer DRAMA of the outro is the star attraction here, and it’s absolutely delicious; which proves – just minutes after that angelic twitch on Virgo’s Groove – that there’s probably nothing Beyoncé can’t do.
12. ETHICS
We’re in the trap for the first minute or so, but – oh! – there’s a great ace-and-switch. Soon we’re back at the ballroom in the early morning hours, and this is Renaissance at its sexiest; packed with lyrics that will accompany many a thirst quencher all summer long.
13. EVERYTHING IN YOUR MIND
Another gag-worthy transition takes us at the waist to this scruffy gem; begging for slo-mo dancing, strobe lights and sultry looks for the camera. What initially made me think ‘hmm, maybe this is one of the filler songs’ soon made me gag to the nearest, damp, shoebox-sized city club at 4 a.m. A slow burning serve.
14. AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM
Hands up if you saw the track listing and thought Beyoncé was back in explicitly political mode for this one? Not so! Taking its name from the Kilo Ali song it samples, it may not be as loud on first listen as the rest of the Renaissance, but it’s still a catchy, energetic song with a confident vocal delivery that is simultaneously impressive, cool and barely sweating .
15. DARK/HONEY
Listening to this intro is hearing God. No, cross that – listening to a certain part of this song is hearing God. Yes, this is it, folks – this is it! The masterpiece likely to be an unshakable staple of Pride playlists for years to come; pay tribute to Moi Renee, Kevin Aviance and MikeQ & Kevin Jz Prodigy along the way. It’s a beautiful tribute to the black queer culture that inspired her, but also a masterstroke in its own right. In its run time of just under five minutes, it seems to reinvent itself several times, and every part is a triumph. Number of the album? Maybe!
16. SUMMER RENAISSANCE
Oh, did you think pop albums ended with a wail? Tendency to be front-loaded? Did you tend to run out of steam and slide a little low-key ballad at the end? Not Beyonce! Beyoncé casually ends Renaissance with two of the album’s best tracks, and this titular closing – which references Donna Summer’s I Feel Love – is the perfect climax to the entire record; a hands-aloft, wind-machine-trigger, confetti-canon-wetting anthem that will keep us dancing until the last second. When she asks for “applause, applause,” she really needs a fucking standing ovation.
Well, consider me exhausted.
Renaissance isn’t a short album – and after 62 minutes, some may wonder if one or two songs could have been thrown overboard to make it a bit more concise and punchy.
But, as is Beyoncé’s standard, every last syllable, every last note, every last word is thought out and executed with precision: Renaissance is the big, blockbuster, energetic album that this blazing hellfire of a world desperately needs, and the how sooner his songs can be heard on dance floors, at parties, at gigs, in bedrooms, in cars with the windows down, in dressing rooms, and hey, even in the aisles of supermarkets, the better.
And think about it – this is only part one of three!
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