Fearless and undeniably powerful Beyoncé “came to slay, bitch” as she reminds us in her Black Power anthem and album closer, “Formation.” Beyoncé’s sixth solo album, a visual one the second of its kind, “Lemonade” explores the ups and down of a relationship and poses the questions how do you come back from infidelity? Is there redemption? Could there be forgiveness?
Explored exquisitely and framed within the five stages of grief Beyoncé juxtaposes her rage and resentment in her salacious track, “Hold Up” with an up-tempo beat. After admitting to scrolling through her lover’s call list she asks, “What’s worse, looking jealous or crazy? Jealous or crazy? Or like being walked all over lately, walked all over lately…” and she decides she’d “rather be crazy.”
What makes this album shine is the evolution from track to track, yes she’s angry in “Hold Up,” “Sorry” and “Daddy Lessons” among others but through self-reflection and knowledge she makes lemonade out of lemons. In the track “Freedom” she liberates herself by proclaiming, “I break chains all by myself. Won’t let my freedom rot in hell. Hey! I’ma keep running ‘cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
For these reasons and many more Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” is among our favorite albums and the best of 2016.
The full list of best albums of 2016 will be unveiled on 12/16/16.