Released April 23, 2016
8.5 / 10
Favorites
Love Drought, Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar), All Night, Formation
Least favorites
Forward (feat. James Blake)
If the world needed more evidence that Beyoncé is one of the most talented and resourceful vocalist of our time, "Lemonade" certainly drives the point home. The visual album marks a turning point for Bey, who, a couple of weeks prior to the album's launch, explained her intent in part: "I hope I can create art that helps people heal. Art that makes people proud of their struggle. Everyone experiences pain, but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to transform.". The irony is that Bey sounds as comfortable as ever in her most political piece yet. Through a personal story of handling infidelity and preserving her family unit, Bey sublimes her emotions into art, reaching far and beyond the individual. She takes time to heal before moving beyond recriminations - audibly and visually aimed at Jay. Hurt fuels her creative desire to incorporate and embrace new influences and collaborators, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Father John Misty to Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and Led Zeppelin. The record flaunts refreshing takes on R'n'B, reggae, blues, soul, funk and gospel with excursions into rock and country - of which only the latter sounds slightly out of place. The album follows a song cycle that guides its premise more than one genre of the other; let's dive into "Lemonade"! Excluding Formation, the album consists of eleven chapters; namely "Intuition", "Denial", "Anger", "Apathy", "Emptiness", "Accountability", "Reformation", "Forgiveness", "Resurrection", "Hope" and "Redemption". The earlier tracks address infidelity and dealing with the feelings associated with betrayal, leading to a quagmire of tracks that dance around the subject unconvincingly, and finally landing into phases of healing and self-fulfillment. Pray You Catch Me, the opener, sets the mood for the couple first chapters of "Lemonade". Bey is hoping to get caught listening at doors and spying on her husband just so she can confront him. Intuition turns to certainty, treating kisses as tests, to a sound co-created with Kevin Garrett. His imprint is all over the sound, reminding me of his solo work and his stellar collaboration with Banks on "Contaminated". When asked about working with Bey, he said "Beyoncé is amazing at blending influences in her work, which really makes her albums less genres based and more Beyoncé based" - which I agree with. The religious undertone of "Lemonade" starts with this first track, with the repeated prayers as Bey seeks higher guidance to understand how to deal with the confirmation of her suspicions. Her voice resonates, as if calling on to a higher power in an empty cathedral. From the "taste of dishonesty", Bey moves on to the next stage of her grievance, wondering why and how the betrayal happened in Hold Up. Mixing in love and idolatry for the second time - "Can't you see there's no other man above you?" - Bey is particularly virulent, accompanied by a sparse simmer that provides a stark contrasting counterpart to her resentment. Denial leads to Anger; Don't Hurt Yourself is the scene of a psycho-sweet Beyoncé that reminds her husband of the sanctity of their marriage as well as their economic ties ("When you hurt me, you hurt yourself / Don't hurt yourself"). The garage funk, with dry, tight bass drum takes time to position itself in the huge space cleared by Bey, until the final warning: "You know I give you life / If you try this shit again / You gon' lose your wife". The personal thread on "Lemonade" is remarkable in that, not only does the album address the singer's intimacy - many other artists have done and do -, but it's rooted in the path to getting over the hurdle and picking up the pieces for that same person - "Lemonade" is a strong testament to Bey and Jay's love, not the break up album you could expect from the first few tracks. All Night, the unofficial closer, sounds like the flourish of the grieving process as forgiveness gives birth to new, stronger ties. It's melodically and lyrically rejoicing and triumphant. Its glory shines through the hopeful "True love breathes salvation back into me / With every tear came redemption / And my torturer became my remedy". Her prayers have been answered, and religion is never far, as she sings "Baptize your tears and dry your eyes" - asking her lover to let the pain cleanse his soul. Clearly "Lemonade" is Beyoncé's most personal work to date. But what's more, Bey stumbles upon the revelation that her personal can be traced back to her political. It's no coincidence that Formation was chosen as the introduction of the album to the world. While Bey's journey from intuition to redemption might sound personal at first, closer attention reveals a journey to advocacy and self-fulfillment which goes beyond Jay's erratic past. The danger was always that the surface level narrative would be picked up on and mediatized so much as to overshadow the record's deeper message - and also why the visual experience that goes with the album is so important. "Lemonade" attempts at dismantling cycles of abuse, laying the struggles bare, starting with Beyoncé herself, and finding healing in this - almost voyeuristic - process. Bey demonstrates that she is on the path of betterment as she prepares to take on a more active role in leading the African-American community to reclaim the culture and spaces that have been occupied or taken by its oppressors - an aspect of the album that is most perceptible through its video. In Forward James Blake repeats the title mantra over and over, announcing the resurgence of the insurgents - side note, the track is an uncomfortable and unwelcome experimentation on "Lemonade", the interlude we didn't know we didn't need. Urged to march on, Freedom - one of the album's highlights - is Beyoncé inviting the Black community and its allies to march with her. The reconciliation with Jay and the responsibility that comes with family have enabled Beyoncé to re-evaluate the private and public roles she was willing to take on. She admits to not having been concerned enough with issues she deeply cares about now, pledging a more active role in the religious admission "Lord, forgive me, I've been running / Running blind in truth". The marching turns to riot as Kendrick takes over, right at home in this fight that has been his for so long. His verse is incredible, as is the outro of the song. As dense as it is, the track is easy to digest sonically, deserving at least a couple listens to receive all it has to offer. If Beyoncé is heard and seen broadening from personal grief to communal reclamation, it's also because race occupies the front and center of her family's history. In a later interview with Vogue (2018), Bey speaks of "generational curses", explaining that she comes "from a lineage of broken male-female relationships, abuse of power, and mistrust", including a slave owner who married a slave, and the divorce of her own parents after her father's rumored indiscretions. Which leads us to the conclusion of the record, and "Lemonade"'s introduction to the world, Formation. Striving for a seat at the pantheon of black anthems, the track challenges mainstream standards of beauty, celebrating black features and the natural beauty she refuses her daughter to be denied. She re-iterates her respect for the grind, acknowledging the hard work it takes to make it - especially for black women -, and summoning her community to rally. "Ladies, now let's get in formation" fosters a sense of community finding strength in numbers. But Beyoncé still wants you to remember that she WILL stand out in the crowd, ending the song with the iconic: "You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation / Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper". As I said, "Lemonade" is undeniably Bey's most personal record. But don't be fooled, Bey is still very much in control of what you hear and see. Her work ethic has grown legendary: nothing on "Lemonade" was left to chance. Every juicy comment and dig at husband Jay was done within the confines of his approval and the power duo knew very much what they were putting out. The piece witnesses Beyoncé seeing her success as a means to an end and although she sings "I don't care about the lights or the beams / Spend my life in the dark for the sake of you and me" (Love Drought), she knows very well that her husband wouldn't ask that of her, as the couple is more willing than ever to use their platform to support and give back to their community - which sounds about right, as they enter yet another term as the unelected keyholders of popular culture.
Favorite lyrics
"I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making"
Formation
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