Everything comes to those who wait and late on Thursday night, Beyonce really did give us everything.
After months of unexplained delays and rumored problems, her fifth, self-titled album is finally here– all 14 tracks and 17 videos of it. And as you might expect for an album that was released on to iTunes without any prior notice, it sees Bey go into some unconventional territory. In contrast to 2011’s ballad-heavy “4,” the Texan’s musical palette incorporates plenty of southern hip-hop influences this time out. It’s something that produces rowdy tracks like “Flawless” and the MIA-esque “Partition,” both of which impress with their brashness.
It’s also without doubt, Beyonce’s most brazenly sexualized album to date. She might be a married mother, but there definitely aren’t any songs about selecting pre-schools and watching “Scandal” on DVR. Instead, she gets downright raunchy on the heavenly R & B of “No Angel” while “Blow” is a barely disguised ode to the pleasures of oral sex. It’s also quite probably the best song on the album. “When you lick my Skittles/It’s the sweetest in the middle,” she coos over producer Pharrell Williams’ slinky funk beats. You just can’t buy advertising like that.
The family do make guest appearances on “Beyonce” but tellingly, those tracks are part of the album’s downfall. Jay Z sounds uninspired on the ineffectual “Drunk In Love” while baby Blue Ivy’s voice is heard all over the unbearably sappy closer “Blue.” But domesticity hasn’t held Beyonce back too much because “Beyonce” is a risky and often risqué adventure into some exciting new worlds.
It was worth the wait.