Beyoncé has been one of the biggest pop artists in the world for quite some time now. I remember as a wee child hearing “Single Ladies” come on the radio on drives around town, and Beyoncé has maintained this relevance for well over a decade. I have always liked Beyoncé’s music, but have never necessarily been a big fan that follows her closely. Her 2013 "Self-Titled" album was the only full project I had heard by her, and I enjoyed it; especially the mega-hit “Drunk in Love”. When I heard that Beyoncé had released a new album out of nowhere, and better yet a concept album, I was intrigued. With little expectations, I eagerly sat down and gave it a full listen…

“Pray You Catch Me” (Prod. w/Kevin Garrett) – “You can taste the dishonesty/It's all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier/But even that's a test/Constantly aware of it all.” That’s the line that kicks off this album. Wow. Beyoncé wastes no time getting right to the point – this story is about infidelity and trust issues. This could be a fabricated story or the truth about her marriage with mogul Jay-Z, or a combination of the two. Either way you can hear the pain in her voice as she gently croons about a dishonest lover trying to hide infidelity from her when she is fully aware. The instrumental is incredibly somber; each piano chord hits with a striking resonance and perfectly complements the tone of Beyoncé’s vocals and lyrics. Beautiful string arrangements also come in at the end of the song. The combination creates a heartbreaking, brutally honest, and quite frankly, perfect introduction. This album is going to be interesting…

“Hold Up” (Prod. w/Ezra Koenig & Diplo) – Very interesting turn instrumentally. There is an enormous contrast between Beyoncé’s vocals and the instrumental, as well as her performance. The beat, provided by Diplo, is very lighthearted and upbeat, and Beyoncé vocally sounds very composed. Her lyrics completely suggest otherwise, however, as she is singing to her lover that, while she still does love him deeply, she is very hurt and will do whatever it takes to figure out where his loyalties lie – even if it drives her insane. She claims she would rather be crazy than jealous when it comes to this relationship. This is a direct message for her lover (presumably Jay-Z), that this was a terrible thing to do to her and she is going to do whatever it takes to find out if they can still work together. This song is the calm before the storm in a way, and it is an excellent track at that.

“Don’t Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)” (Prod. w/Jack White) – Wow. The sheer emotion on this track is enough to give me goosebumps. Beyoncé has gone from relative composure to absolute rage on this song. She is quite literally screaming at her lover for the terrible things he’s done, saying that in marriage “when you hurt me, you hurt yourself.” The saturation effects on her voice sound amazing and helps even more to bring out her anger. The instrumental is just awesome; a hard-hitting, distorted, guitar-driven, full-on rock banger that elevates the song to an incredible level of energy. My only gripe with this track is the feature – I don’t entirely understand how it fits on such a personal track, but it is adequate and aggressive in its own right. Her scathing threat at the end of this song, “This is your final warning/You know I give you life/If you try this shit again/You gon lose your wife” left my jaw dropped. This is a full-on attack at her lover, as lyrically close to literal violence as I have heard on a song in a long time. Again, wow.

“Sorry” (Prod. w/Wynter Gordon, Hit-Boy & MeLo-X) – At this point I think her relationship with Jay-Z is a very strong and present metaphor in a story that’s technically fictional. On this song she defiantly breaks up with her lover, and she isn’t sorry. The instrumental is hard hitting and fits perfectly. She even goes so far as to regret that she left her wedding ring on for the night. The most interesting part of the song is definitely the last minute, where the beat changes up into an incredibly ominous, schizophrenic, and hypnotizing whir as Beyoncé sings softly about how she “left a note in the hallway/By the time you read it I’ll be far away.” She leaves their home and tells her now ex-lover to “call Becky with the good hair.” One can only wonder how much of this isn’t fiction, as Jay Z and Beyoncé are currently still together. Great track all around.

“6 Inch (feat. The Weeknd)” (Prod. w/Boots, Ben Billions & Danny Boy Styles) – This song is an anthem to those who work hard and grind for their money, and up until the end, it is a brief break from the story of her relationship. The beat is massive, swaggering, and empowering – a perfect fit. Beyoncé uses six inch heels as a metaphor for empowerment throughout the song. The track is specifically aimed at female empowerment, as women who work hard for what they have should have the right to flaunt it. Who better to be featured on a song like this than The Weeknd – the incredible Canadian singer who blew up last year off the success of his "Beauty Behind The Madness" album and is living proof of the results that a great work ethic can yield. His feature is short, but perfect and fitting. At the end of the track, Beyoncé breaks down to a whimper, begging her ex-lover to come back. Regardless of how hard she works to try and distract herself, she still can’t forget the horrible things she has gone through. Another excellent song.

“Daddy Lessons” – Did Beyoncé just make a country song? Better yet, did I just like a country song? Even though I’ve never been a fan of the genre in general, I love this song and its style. The guitar, bass, horn, and drum arrangements give this song a very distinctly southern feel, which is an appropriate ode to Beyoncé’s Texas roots. She talks about the lessons she learned from her father on this song, and it is a positive tribute to the man who cheated on her mother and had a rift with her husband. Lyrically this is a rather complex song that takes a couple listens. Ultimately, Beyoncé’s father understands that he is not the best man, and she says “When men like me come around/Oh, my daddy said shoot”, meaning protect yourself. The rift between him and Jay Z may have been because he saw similar traits in Jay as himself, and on the song he tells Beyoncé he’s playing you. The song draws similarities between fathers and husbands, and Beyoncé wonders if she can forgive her father, then she can also forgive her husband. Very deep and very interesting song.

“Love Drought” (Prod. w/Mike Dean) – This seems to be a turning point in the album where Beyoncé makes a plea to reinvigorate the relationship she has lost. She believes that she and her lover can do a hell of a lot together and that she would take her relationship over fame, “I don't care about the lights or the beams/Spend my life in the dark for the sake of you and me.” The instrumental, produced by legend Mike Dean, is very airy, atmospheric, and peaceful. It’s very fitting with Beyoncé’s pleas to start anew. Her vocal performance is excellent as always, however much more gentle on this track than ones past. Good song, if not lacking in conflict compared to everything else on the album so far.

“Sandcastles” (Prod. w/Vincent Berry II) – Beyoncé is raw and hurt, however newly hopeful on this ballad. Over a slow piano line, she tells about how promises, even those made in a marriage, can wash away like sandcastles. However, that doesn’t mean they cannot be rebuilt and that the relationship is doomed. She tells her lover that every promise doesn’t always work out, even her saying that she couldn’t come back after he was unfaithful. It is very painful to listen to, however at the same time hopeful. The instrumental is incredibly simple, however it works well as it directs the focus rightfully on Beyoncé. Good, emotional track.

“Forward (feat. James Blake)” (Prod. w/James Blake) – This song is very short and very simple, but also symbolizes a move forward in the relationship. Whatever has happened, it is time to move forward and progress. James Blake gives an excellent performance, an extremely stark contrast to Jack White’s aggressive performance on “Don’t Hurt Yourself”. This song is more of an interlude and it isn’t doing anything super special, but it doesn’t have to.

“Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” (Prod. w/Just Blaze & Jonny Coffer) – This song diverges from the theme of the album to talk about racism and sexism in America, and goddamn is this track great. The instrumental, provided by none other than Just Blaze, is enormous, and sounds almost like a Revolutionary War march song. Complete with a piercing and crystal-clear vocal performance and classically American imagery, Beyoncé is like George Washington on this song, leading the people into battle against injustice and oppression. The song calls out to the people to join in the fight for equality, and makes references to the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. To close out this politically-minded banger, Kendrick Lamar delivers an incredible verse about racism and oppression. This song is rebellious, activist, and incredibly motivating. It is not directly connected to her marriage, but the song focuses on empowerment and it is incredibly well-crafted.

“All Night” (Prod. w/Diplo) – Beyoncé turns lemons to lemonade on this track, which serves as the unofficial closer to the album. It is a ballad about wise and developed love; one that has experienced hardships and very deep pain but has emerged with a new strength and a determination to keep going. It is very touching and provides a lot of insight on the nature of love and marriage. The instrumental is triumphant, but still bearing the scars of past troubles much like Beyoncé’s vocals show. The beat yelps forward during the verses and takes full shape during the chorus, with assistance from a “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” horn sample. It is a fitting end to the story; a song-equivalent of riding off into the sunset. It is an agreement not to forget, but to forgive. This is surely to be inspiring for anyone who has ever been in love.

“Formation” (Prod. w/Mike WiLL Made-It) – This song has been out for a while and is more of a bonus track, but I will touch on it briefly. This song absolutely slaps. The Mike WiLL Made-It beat HITS and Beyoncé gives an incredible, swaggering performance about black female empowerment. You have probably heard this by now; it is an absolute banger of “Drunk in Love” proportions. Fun fact: Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd does the adlibs on this song..

Beyoncé’s "Lemonade" is an incredible album; one of the best of this year. The album delves extremely deep into themes of marriage, infidelity, and empowerment. It is shockingly honest at times. It made me feel so connected to Beyoncé’s relationship that my heart truly ached for it. She covers a very wide variety of sounds on this album, from club banger to country. Anybody who has been in love before will be able to really relate with this album. It is an incredible piece of artistic work and by far my favorite Beyoncé album ever (even if I’ve only heard this and "Self-Titled"). If you’re a fan of Beyoncé or have ever been in love before, I highly recommend this album.

BEST SONGS: "Formation," "Don’t Hurt Yourself," "Freedom," "6 Inch," "Pray You Catch Me"

WORST SONGS: "Forward" (I guess)

OVERALL: 9.5/10