Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Setherex
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Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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[imgsize 500x500]http://pitchfork-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/c ... 9%20PM.png[/imgsize]

"Lemonade"
Beyoncé
Contemporary R&B
April 23, 2016

01. "Pray You Catch Me"
02. "Hold Up"
03. "Don't Hurt Yourself" [feat. Jack White]
04. "Sorry"
05. "6 Inch" [feat. The Weeknd]
06. "Daddy Lessons"
07. "Love Drought"
08. "Sandcastles"
09. "Forward" [feat. James Blake]
10. "Freedom" [feat. Kendrick Lamar]
11. "All Night"
12. "Formation"

Streaming on Tidal
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Setherex »

About halfway through my first listen. This thing vibes.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

How is the album? Is it her best?
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Setherex »

babydoll wrote:How is the album? Is it her best?
Hard to say. I'll write some more extended thoughts about the piece as a whole later (including the visual portion), but at first glance, there is some very good stuff here that doesn't feel quite as cohesive as her self-titled. I'm not gripped throughout the album like I was, to an extent, with "Beyonce." At the same time, some of the music is a bit 'fresher,' in a sense, mixing a lot of interesting genres and production styles.

So it's comparable, from my view. But then again, I was never a big fan of Beyonce's albums up to "Beyonce." Only "4" has any re-listenable value to my ears, and it's light value.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Nick »

Looks like Rolling Stone just gave the album 5/5 stars. Not the kind of album I would've expected Rolling Stone to give a perfect score to, so my interest is somewhat piqued.

I've never really been a big Beyoncé fan outside of a couple songs though. "Crazy in Love" is a 10/10 pop song, and she has some other good to great singles, but as a whole I've never really gotten the appeal. I thought her self-titled album, which critics were drooling over, was just decent. I'll at least give "Lemonade" a spin.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by BleuPanda »

I'm not going to bother with Tidal again, so I guess I'm going to buy it. I guess that's the benefit of not releasing an album through spotify at release. If this album is as good as everyone is saying, I think Beyonce has proven herself as one of music's true megastars. Her self-titled definitely touched on unexpected topics and handled them really well, and what I've heard about Lemonade sounds promising.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by notbrianeno »

There's a lot of well-written articles and reviews about this album that say what I would want to better than I ever could, but believe the hype. This album is a landmark release for pop and R&B. The closest comparison I can think of is Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope, following up the sexual realization and exuberant self-confidence of their respective self-titled albums with an multi-layered, genre-spanning exploration of two dark nights of the soul.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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I say this as someone who's never been the world's biggest Beyonce fan: this album is brilliant. I've only listened to it once, but yes, definitely believe the hype. Musically and lyrically, this is like nothing she's ever done before, and it's incredibly powerful. Almost every track already sounds like an instant classic. When the next Mega-Critic update is posted, Lemonade is very likely to displace Blackstar at #1, and you know what? It may deserve it.

(Also, "Don't Hurt Yourself" is the best thing Jack White's had his name on since the Stripes.)
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

Is Lemonade that good? I didn't like Formation, so I need to know if all the songs sound like that before blind buying that album.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Harold »

babydoll wrote:Is Lemonade that good? I didn't like Formation, so I need to know if all the songs sound like that before blind buying that album.
None of the other songs sound like "Formation," really. It almost plays like a bonus track. For the record, none of the songs sound like each other, either - the palette of different sounds and genres is part of what makes the album so good.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Harold wrote:When the next Mega-Critic update is posted, Lemonade is very likely to displace Blackstar at #1, and you know what? It may deserve it.
Going to have to disagree with this one. This is obviously a great album, as was Beyonce's previous effort. But comparing this to some of the better albums released this year, "Blackstar" obviously included, seems absurd to me. Comparing this to anything in the AM top 500, an obvious analogy to placing #1 on MCC, is equally baffling.

Without going into too much of a review - which I don't think is necessary, everyone on the Internet has done this for me at this point - "Lemonade" is one of the most intelligent pop albums of the decade, perhaps the most intelligent. But I have a very difficult time believing anyone who truly believes this album is anything resembling 'perfect.' "Blackstar" is perfect, for its message, its music, its creation. Everything. Some of the albums on the top of the MegaCritic list have a very obvious bearing of greatness throughout to their name already.

This album has faults. The ballads in the middle, "Love Drought" and "Sandcastles" namely, are incredibly inspirational pieces of music that leave me detached from the wonderful flow that the album has elsewhere. And that plunge is probably the fault of "Daddy Lessons," an incredibly strange song to drop in the center of a tirade about love, marriage and the inspiration that women bring. I get the connection, but the sudden moment of country pop leaves me very sour.

"Lemonade" leaves me a bit at end. There's no doubt in my mind that poptimism is going to launch this thing to the upper echelons of the MegaCritic chart. But anything higher than ~7th place is going to leave me disappointed, a destiny I'm already set in my mind with.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Maschine_Man »

First off, is this Jack White singing on a anti-cheating song? HAHAHAAAA

Second of all, I just can't buy into the cult of celebrity Beyoncé insists on pushing.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Jirin »

93 on Metacritic. But still won't buy an album without hearing it first unless it's by one of my favorite bands. I hope to hear this.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Nick »

Just finished my first listen. I was a skeptic, but yeah, this album is really good. Her self-titled album left a lot to be desired, but this album does a whole lot right. It somewhat annoyed me that people were claiming her self-titled album was so "adventurous" when it was really just "somewhat adventurous for a pop star in 2013". But this album is actually rather adventurous. I mean, it's not the most experimental thing in the world. But it still dives into a wide range of genres, pop, R&B, rap, funk, weird ambient James Blake stuff, blues, and even country is found here.

That being said, the album is far from perfect. As Setherex said, there's a bit of a lull with the ballads in the middle. And ending the album with "Formation" is a bit of an anti-climax. Plus, most of the real adventurous stuff, the stuff with the real interesting production, mostly happens in the first half of the album.

That being said, it's among my favorites of 2016 thus far.

But it's really no "Blackstar".
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by mowino »

Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by PlasticRam »

I'm not feeling this :?
I feel like that
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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mowino wrote:Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Setherex wrote:
mowino wrote:Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
Not necessarily so. Blackstar was huge news. All Lemonade can be assured of at this point is a good chance of winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Nick »

Setherex wrote:
mowino wrote:Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
Lemonade probably has a lock on a top 10 placement on the aggregate EOY lists. But Blackstar has a lock on top 5, maybe even top 3. Even if Lemonade places higher on megacritic (which it might), there's no way it'll place higher come EOY time. Remember, the bulk of Blackstar's reviews were published before Bowie died. It sucks, but let's not kid ourselves here, Bowie's death is going to propel the already high initial acclaim Blackstar got to some stratospheric heights in December.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Setherex »

babydoll wrote:
Setherex wrote:
mowino wrote:Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
Not necessarily so. Blackstar was huge news. All Lemonade can be assured of at this point is a good chance of winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Bar a looming Beck album steamrolling over the horizon :mrgreen:
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by BleuPanda »

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Blackstar would be higher if critics reviewed it a few days later. Bowie's death certainly changed the way we collectively interpreted that album. Lemonade will probably overtake it on MCCh based on Metacritic right now, but Blackstar's actual critical impact is nearly impossible to measure until end of year lists come out.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

So now that it's number one on the Mega-Critic Chart, should I just go ahead and buy it? I seriously did not like Formation and am not sure I want to waste $20 bucks to just listen to it.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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babydoll wrote:So now that it's number one on the Mega-Critic Chart, should I just go ahead and buy it? I seriously did not like Formation and am not sure I want to waste $20 bucks to just listen to it.
I like "Lemonade" a lot and I think "Formation" is probably the worst song. The rest of the album is pretty eclectic, so if you don't like one song it's a good chance you'll like some others.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Nick wrote:
babydoll wrote:So now that it's number one on the Mega-Critic Chart, should I just go ahead and buy it? I seriously did not like Formation and am not sure I want to waste $20 bucks to just listen to it.
I like "Lemonade" a lot and I think "Formation" is probably the worst song. The rest of the album is pretty eclectic, so if you don't like one song it's a good chance you'll like some others.
I agree that the album is very eclectic, so Nick has a good point. But the vast majority of people would probably not agree with you that "Formation" is one of the worst songs on the album.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

Thanks, guys, I've come to a decision. I think I'm going to hold off from buying the album or signing up for Tidal for a while. Bey will just have to wait.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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babydoll wrote:
Setherex wrote:
mowino wrote:Lemonade gets a acclaim it deserves.

My top 3 this: Lemonade>>Black Star>>Malibu
And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
Not necessarily so. Blackstar was huge news. All Lemonade can be assured of at this point is a good chance of winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Hmm... I still hope that Blackstar can take home that honour next year over Beyoncé.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote:
Setherex wrote: And just to clarify my position: this is a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. It is Beyonce, after all.

What's completely nonsensical to me: a majority of the pop-influenced population, critics included, are all going to think this. It is Beyonce, after all.
Not necessarily so. Blackstar was huge news. All Lemonade can be assured of at this point is a good chance of winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Hmm... I still hope that Blackstar can take home that honour next year over Beyoncé.
I'm sure it might still get a nomination for that honor, but at this point, and this may be too soon to say, Beyoncé's album has a better shot.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote: Not necessarily so. Blackstar was huge news. All Lemonade can be assured of at this point is a good chance of winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Hmm... I still hope that Blackstar can take home that honour next year over Beyoncé.
I'm sure it might still get a nomination for that honor, but at this point, and this may be too soon to say, Beyoncé's album has a better shot.
Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote: Hmm... I still hope that Blackstar can take home that honour next year over Beyoncé.
I'm sure it might still get a nomination for that honor, but at this point, and this may be too soon to say, Beyoncé's album has a better shot.
Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
Beyoncé has also won six Grammy awards in one night which is a record, only tied with Lauryn Hill and Adele. Her chances are great. David Bowie was never popular at the Grammys. Let's just hope he gets nominated.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Setherex »

babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote: I'm sure it might still get a nomination for that honor, but at this point, and this may be too soon to say, Beyoncé's album has a better shot.
Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
Beyoncé has also won six Grammy awards in one night which is a record, only tied with Lauryn Hill and Adele. Her chances are great. David Bowie was never popular at the Grammys. Let's just hope he gets nominated.
For a female artist. Michael Jackson and Santana are tied for the record for most Grammy Awards in a single night, with eight.

And Lauryn Hill won five, not six, Grammys in one night.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Setherex wrote:
babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote: Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
Beyoncé has also won six Grammy awards in one night which is a record, only tied with Lauryn Hill and Adele. Her chances are great. David Bowie was never popular at the Grammys. Let's just hope he gets nominated.
For a female artist. Michael Jackson and Santana are tied for the record for most Grammy Awards in a single night, with eight.

And Lauryn Hill won five, not six, Grammys in one night.
Oh, I could've sworn Lauryn Hill won six. This is what happens when you don't check your facts. And I thought I wrote for a female artist...

Santana seriously won eight in one night? Supernatural was not a good album.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote: I'm sure it might still get a nomination for that honor, but at this point, and this may be too soon to say, Beyoncé's album has a better shot.
Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
Beyoncé has also won six Grammy awards in one night which is a record, only tied with Lauryn Hill and Adele. Her chances are great. David Bowie was never popular at the Grammys. Let's just hope he gets nominated.
A lot of times the veteran acts that end up winning AOTY are the ones who never received proper recognition from the Grammys in the first place, thus creating an "overdue" factor (remember, Santana, Steely Dan and Robert Plant had never won Grammys before the years they ended up winning AOTY), and Beck had 3 career wins vs. Beyonce's 17 previous wins in the year that Morning Phase won Album of the Year. I'm thinking that if a very much alive Beck can beat Beyonce, a recently-passed legend like Bowie's odds at beating Beyonce probably aren't that bad.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Daniel wrote:
babydoll wrote:
Daniel wrote: Based on how Grammy voters have voted in the past, I think if David Bowie gets nominated, he should easily be able to win AOTY. When nominated, veteran/deceased acts almost always prevail. My biggest concern is that he might not get nominated, as the Grammys have in the last 8 or so years, held back from nominating a lot of veteran acts.
Beyoncé has also won six Grammy awards in one night which is a record, only tied with Lauryn Hill and Adele. Her chances are great. David Bowie was never popular at the Grammys. Let's just hope he gets nominated.
A lot of times the veteran acts that end up winning AOTY are the ones who never received proper recognition from the Grammys in the first place, thus creating an "overdue" factor (remember, Santana, Steely Dan and Robert Plant had never won Grammys before the years they ended up winning AOTY), and Beck had 3 career wins vs. Beyonce's 17 previous wins in the year that Morning Phase won Album of the Year. I'm thinking that if a very much alive Beck can beat Beyonce, a recently-passed legend like Bowie's odds at beating Beyonce probably aren't that bad.
Look, Daniel, all I said was that all Beyoncé had was a very good shot at winning Album of the Year. Would I prefer David Bowie to win that? I honestly cannot say as I have not heard Lemonade yet. I just pointed out a good reason why Beyoncé could win due to her popularity at the Grammys. David Bowie could win, yes, and you did point good reasons why.

My original post stated that David Bowie still could easily end up on numerous lists as the Album of the Year which is far important to AM's rankings than the Grammys. Blackstar got noticed because of his death, but Lemonade quickly became a pop culture phenomenon which is important to the Grammys.

Alas, let's all get back to the discussion of solely Lemonade. This subconversation has been fun, but let's all just enjoy the music.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Harold »

babydoll wrote:Alas, let's all get back to the discussion of solely Lemonade. This subconversation has been fun, but let's all just enjoy the music.
... said the person who hasn't heard the music yet. :)

If only there was a way to buy all of the songs on an album except for the one you've heard already that you really don't like ...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EQ ... h_0&sr=1-1

Sorry (I ain't sorry... no, sorry, really!), I'm not trying to be combative, not at all. By the way, neither was Daniel; it read like he was simply and politely pointing out reasons why Bowie could have a shot at the Grammy. Starting your reply with "Look, Daniel, all I said was..." reads like you're seeing an argument where there really (as far as I can tell) wasn't one.

My $0.02 on the Grammy question: Given the way Lemonade hit pop culture - and culture in general - with seismic force, even though it's only May I will be very surprised if it doesn't end up winning Album of the Year at next year's ceremony. Unless they want to go full Adele again (remember, even though 25 came out in late 2015 it'll eligible for next year's Grammys).
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Splish splash, I was raking in the cash
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

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Harold wrote:Starting your reply with "Look, Daniel, all I said was..." reads like you're seeing an argument where there really (as far as I can tell) wasn't one.
Sorry. I honestly didn't see an argument. I was just trying to direct the conversation back to the thread's original meaning. I agreed with his points, and pointed out mine (all hopefully politely) as to why I can see why Lemonade could win the Grammy and Blackstar could get nominated. I did not mean to sound combative, for which I'm truly sorry for. Alas, let's ENJOY the music I can now listen to thanks to Sweepstakes Ron's secret for which I'm grateful. Ah, Sweepstakes Ron, where were you when I needed you?!
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by BleuPanda »

Just gave this album another listen, and, yeah, I expect this to be a contender for my album of the year. To me, there's not a weak moment on this album, which is especially impressive considering the genre shifts.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Maschine_Man »

To me the most interesting thing about the album, as I have still yet to listen properly, is the insane level of detail in the credits for each song. Does anyone get the feeling this is a reaction to the Blurred Lines lawsuit?
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Dan »

I've listened to this a couple of times now.

Assuming that the lyrical content is largely autobiographical, I wonder how difficult it was for Jay-Z to listen to this album. Before eventually forgiving the infidelity, she is clearly scorned and fiercely pissed off about that infidelity for most of the first part of the album. But isn't this the stuff that gossip magazines and distasteful television shows where angry couples throw chairs and shit at each other are made of? It might seem that way on the surface, but if you pay closer attention to the lyrics, there is plenty of depth about female, black, and (above all) personal empowerment. And I think the album is further elevated from cheap to artful because of the production, which sounds ambitious and at the cutting edge of current R&B and pop production. Of course, as others have said, there's more variety to this album than R&B and art pop (there's even dancehall and country).

My favourite songs are "Formation" and the two most ferocious tracks on the album, "Don't Hurt Yourself" and "Freedom".

I didn't really get what the fuss about her previous album was all about, but I feel differently about this one. To quote Messy Mya's voice-over on "Formation": 'Ooooh yeah, baby. Oh yeah, I.. ooooh... Oh yass, I like that."
...will keep us together.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Maschine_Man »

So I'm watching the "Lemonade Video Album". While no one could claim it isn't ambitious, I think it falls short. While there are recurring motifs and filming styles, I don't think it was edited together with the finesse it needed. There are two or three more ideas than is needed, and the fact that the videos don't have their own unique identity really bothers me.

I have to say I'm not sold on the whole "Beyonce empowers all black women" claim (which is mostly due to the videos?). How many wonderful black, female musicians are out there? How many are featured on the record? Yet we have four men including Jack White (who is not known for his fidelity) and James Blake (a Brit who sings over images of American police brutality). I can't shake the feeling that Beyonce wants to position herself as the black female voice that matters. Which is concerning because there is no way she represents the average African American woman and that there probably shouldn't be only one voice. It feels like the women in the videos are nothing but props to validate the claim of her 'supreme authority'. Not that this is anything new, the other members of Destiny's Child were pretty much used at training wheels for a solo career.

Despite my not-that-important concerns, I think the album is fantastic. The run up to Daddy Lessons is pretty much perfect, that song really confuses me, in a good way? Maybe? I quite like how each song shifts mood and tone like emotions would, concerning the subject. The only songs I don't really like at Sandcastles and Forward; cut them and I would be so happy. I feel there is so much anger on the first half of the record, the revelation of forgiveness comes around too soon. I really like how Formation exists outside the album narrative, and acts as a pallet cleanser for the next stage in her plan of world domination.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by prosecutorgodot »

Maschine_Man wrote:I have to say I'm not sold on the whole "Beyonce empowers all black women" claim (which is mostly due to the videos?). How many wonderful black, female musicians are out there? How many are featured on the record? Yet we have four men including Jack White (who is not known for his fidelity) and James Blake (a Brit who sings over images of American police brutality). I can't shake the feeling that Beyonce wants to position herself as the black female voice that matters. Which is concerning because there is no way she represents the average African American woman and that there probably shouldn't be only one voice. It feels like the women in the videos are nothing but props to validate the claim of her 'supreme authority'. Not that this is anything new, the other members of Destiny's Child were pretty much used at training wheels for a solo career.
I don't really get it when people say Beyonce is stuck-up and arrogant.
"Who's a good role model for black women in the music scene?" Is a cool question to mull over. I think Beyonce is definitely the most prominent, partly because of her already established popularity and status, and her message is upfront and clear. I think Janelle Monae is trying to fit that mold, especially since she got more radio-friendly with "The Electric Lady." Those are pretty much the only two. Missy Elliott could still be, but I think she's too old now. Nicki Minaj has disappointed people including me by becoming and staying sugary pop. You could argue FKA twigs, but I'd say she's not exactly a "black female empowerer". I'm really hoping black women don't look up to Azealia Banks, she's like the Donald Trump of black women.
Maschine_Man wrote:The run up to Daddy Lessons is pretty much perfect, that song really confuses me, in a good way? Maybe?
I've only listened to " Lemonade " twice, but Daddy Lessons is actually the catchiest for me.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

A few thoughts on Lemonade.

Lemonade is easily the best album Beyoncé has ever done. Lemonade is an extremely experimental, deeply layered album that transcends the current state of both pop and R&B. It is personal, was created by multiple people with Beyoncé's own signature all over the place. That being said, while Lemonade does feature some excellent songs, it lacks what was the strength of all her previous albums, great singles. Dangerously in Love had Crazy in Love and Baby Boy; B'Day had Deja Vu and Irreplaceable; I Am...Sasha Fierce had Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It); 4 had Countdown and Run the World (Girls); and Beyoncé had Drunk in Love and Flawless (Remix). Lemonade lacks in one of those singles that can easily impact the pop radios and still be great at the same time. However they are indeed some great songs here with a few being some of the best in Beyoncé's noteworthy career.

From the beginning, Pray You Catch Me is captivating with this strange gospel inspiration. The song then segues into Hold Up with its rather catchy plea "Hold up, they don't love you like I love you" or something like that. It is rather a repetitive song, even more so than the later ones, but it also establishes one of Lemonade's trademarks, its tendency for repetitiveness. Don't Hurt Yourself is spellbinding and even blew my breath away with its continuous cry of "Let it be." Sorry has immediately become a pop culture phenomenon with the now infamous line "You better call Becky with the good hair," but it is probably the second worst song of the album. 6 Inch isn't bad, but it's not noteworthy compared to the rest. The jazz inspiration that opens Daddy Lessons quickly turns into a blues song with lyrics detailing her own strained relationship with Matthew Knowles. It is a heart wrenching song, more so than the songs that detail marriage trouble. It is one of the best of the album. Love Drought is interesting with Beyoncé's own strained voice throughout the song, but it is nothing special. Sandcastles is such a beautiful ballad about the fragile state of marriage; it is possibly the best ballad of Beyoncé's career. Forward is definitely interesting with its ambient tones and the fact that James Blake is even featured on this album! It is one of the best songs on this album. Freedom, her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, is easily the best song on this album; it even provides the album title. It's just fascinating to think that despite the rumors about her marriage troubles with Jay-Z, she still finds inspiration with Jay-Z's grandmother. Freedom is also the best song to be a radio single out of all the others in this album which is important as Beyoncé's best songs have been radio-ready tunes. All Night is also a great song and should've been the finale of the album. It blew me away by the sheer impact of the lyrics "They say true love is a weapon to end wars." It really should've been the finale, but Formation got that spot. Formation is the worst song on this album. It is egotistic and Beyoncé sadly decided that hoarse voices were good.

Overall I really loved Lemonade. Did it have its strengths? Yes. Did it have its flaws? Yes. Is it worth listening to? Yes. Beyoncé established herself as an exciting artist with this release. Despite her great singles earlier, I only wish she had been able to release such an important album as this. Congrats, Queen Bey.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Jirin »

Lemonade is a year end top ten contender definitely. Anyone know which singles are playing on the radio? I only ask because I do geeks who drink trivia frequently and recognizing pop songs is a huge point swing. Want to make sure I know the names of all the radio singles. :)
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by BleuPanda »

Uh...they're all radio singles. At least in America, every single track hit the Billboard Top 100, with the lowest being at 63.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Setherex »

BleuPanda wrote:Uh...they're all radio singles. At least in America, every single track hit the Billboard Top 100, with the lowest being at 63.
Technically speaking, the U.S. Billboard Top 100 doesn't translate very well to radio singles, and has increasingly become less representative over the last decade. None of the the songs of "Lemonade," for example, appear on the 25 song Billboard Radio Airplay Chart this week.

The main singles off the album are "Formation" and "Sorry," with "Hold Up" and "6 Inch" as additional high-charting entries. Though again, it wouldn't hurt to know all of them.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

Yeah, I Am... Sasha Fierce was Beyoncé's last album with major hits (the key word being hits); in contrast, 4 didn't have any and Beyoncé only had Drunk in Love. It wouldn't surprise me if Lemonade never gets a hit single.

Of course, I'm talking about pop radio. It's a different story on the R&B/Hip-hop radios. I'm not sure if Lemonade actually has any current hits now on that chart.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by Jirin »

The 'uh' was unnecessary.

I haven't followed pop music since about 2001. I'm accustomed to the model of one hyped up leading single to market albums, don't know if that model has just been obliterated.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by BleuPanda »

The 'uh' was a statement of shock...

Like, you asked us to summarize what songs you needed to know. And, well, it's assumed you'd like an easier answer than 'all of them.' It was meant along the lines of, "hate to break it to you, but all of them." It was an "I'm sorry, but" 'uh,' not a "how do you not know this" 'uh.'
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by babydoll »

I just wrote an almost 3,000 word review on RYM - with very few words on "All Night" and "Formation" (which I now think is the most brilliant song on the album), planning to write reviews on those songs' single issues. I'm still in shock at that length. I honestly think no album of 2016 could have inspired such a reactive feeling from me.
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Re: Beyoncé's "Lemonade"

Post by prosecutorgodot »

babydoll wrote:I just wrote an almost 3,000 word review on RYM - with very few words on "All Night" and "Formation" (which I now think is the most brilliant song on the album), planning to write reviews on those songs' single issues. I'm still in shock at that length. I honestly think no album of 2016 could have inspired such a reactive feeling from me.
Eventually, we all come around to the greatness of this album :mrgreen:

Hmm, I didn't know that old lady was Jay-Z's grandmother.
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