Beyoncé "Lemonade" Album Review (20th Review)

As promised, here is my review of Beyoncé’s 2016 album “Lemonade.” This was one of last year's biggest (and possibly best) albums, and yet, I missed out on it when it was first released. Not that I don’t like Beyoncé, she’s an incredible musician and I’ve always had huge respect for her, but I just missed a lot of 2016’s big albums (Views, The Life of Pablo, ANTI, Lemonade, etc.), so I wanted to go back and listen to what is being seen as one of the best (even though finding somewhere to listen to it was a pain, since it’s not on Spotify). So, obviously, I’ll go song-by-song and then give my basic sum-up, so tracklist, let’s get into Formation:

Pray You Catch Me: I really like the lighter sound on this song, and Beyoncé’s vocals are on point as always. This is a really interesting start to the album, and I like how Beyoncé pulls no punches in regards to the lyrical subject matter, and how she gives us a sign of what’s to come.

Hold Up: Beyoncé’s vocals are on point as always, the hook is really catchy, and the beat is pretty damn nice. I also love her fearlessness and unapologetic lyrics. Quite a good song, I’ll say!

Don’t Hurt Yourself (ft. Jack White): While this is a really different, thrashing sound for Beyoncé, and her vocals remain sharp (I love her passion on this particular track), I can honestly say I’m not that crazy about this song. I’m not really digging the filters on her voice, and they kind of lower my enjoyment of the song. Jack White’s chorus is nothing special, either. This might grow on me in the future, but for now, I’m not 100% feeling it.

Sorry: I like the hook on this one a lot, and I love how Beyoncé’s throwing up the unapologetic middle finger throughout this song. It’s extremely catchy and it’s definitely the perfect break-up song. This is one I’ll definitely want to hear a lot after this review. Hell, I’ll probably be constantly humming “I ain’t sorry” to myself after this one. Great stuff.

6 Inch (ft. The Weeknd): I was very excited for this one because The Weeknd is featured on here, and as expected, his verse is amazing. His vocals and performance as a whole shine on this track. And while I’m not particularly crazy about the hook on this one, I do love Beyoncé’s vocals and the catchy beat on this one. Really enjoyable song, and who knows, maybe the hook will grow on me in the future?

Daddy Lessons: Beyoncé doing country music? An odd combination, but it works fantastically thanks largely to her beautiful vocals, the wonderful guitar sound, the catchy beat, and the really strong, personal lyrics. I really love this track a lot, it’s one of my favorites on the album.

Love Drought: Instrumentally, this one is really strong, and Beyoncé’s vocals are as beautiful as ever. I love the lyrics on this one, and the hook, even if it’s a bit slow, is really nice. I like this song a lot as well, another one I want to listen to a lot after this review.

Sandcastles: Beyoncé slows things down a lot in this one, but I do love her raw, emotional, and passionate vocals on this one. While this one doesn’t really have a hook, I think that works because a hook would’ve made the song a bit more monotonous. It’s not my favorite Beyoncé song, but it does sound quite nice, that’s for sure.

Forward (ft. James Blake): James Blake’s vocals are pretty beautiful on this one, but I feel like this one is just a bit too empty for me overall. It sounds nice, definitely, but I’m just not as crazy about it. Definitely not a bad song, and not one of the album’s worst, either.

Freedom (ft. Kendrick Lamar): I really like the feeling of empowerment that comes from this one, from Beyoncé’s strong, passionate vocals to her excellent lyrical content. Oh yeah, and Kendrick Lamar is featured on this track, and the result is exactly what you’d expect: an incredible performance and amazing lyricism. This is an amazing track, that’s for sure.

All Night: I’m repeating this, but Beyoncé’s vocals are beautiful on this one. She also shows some really strong flow and I love the feeling of love this song provides, from the instrumental to the sound of Beyoncé’s vocals. I’m not totally crazy about the hook, and I feel like the song is the tiniest bit too long, but all in all, pretty good stuff.

Formation: This has a kind of weird-sounding instrumental, but it works really well. The song is really catchy, Beyonce’s flow and vocal abilities are strong as usual here, and the lyricism is pretty great. I can agree with you on one thing, Beyoncé: you slay, you slay, you slay, you slay.

Overall, I definitely really enjoyed this album a lot: there were some really memorable tracks through this, Beyoncé’s vocals are, as always, incredible, the lyricism is quite good, and I think Beyoncé shows on this album that she can handle quite a few different styles of music, from pop to rock to even country. I’m not big on country music at all, so when you can get me to really enjoy a country-style song, you’re doing something right, and Beyoncé did A LOT of things right on this album. Even if her music isn’t the kind of stuff I listen to consistently, I can’t deny the quality of the album, from the vocals to the production to the lyrics, it was an all-around well-made project. Beyoncé proclaims on "Formation" that she slays, and I couldn't agree more.

Favorite tracks: Pray You Catch Me, Sorry, Daddy Lessons, Love Drought, Freedom, Formation

Least favorite track: Don't Hurt Yourself

Rating: Excellent