By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
Beyonce takes listeners on a journey of betrayal, sadness, heartbreak and healing with her latest album.
The first vibe a listener will get on the first play of Lemonade is that it is a concept album. The argument about whether this album was inspired by Becky with the good hair or Jay-Z or her parents’ relationship pales when a listener just sits back and lets Beyonce tell the story.
The album starts the story with a tragically calm number, “Pray You Catch Me.” The song isn’t the traditional opening track a listener would hear on most albums but is a story that starts with heartbreak and slowly turns to resentment and anger.
One of the most biting songs in Beyonce’s repertoire comes in the form of “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” The song features a rough guitar riff and a drumbeat that adds grime.
Despite the distortion filter on her voice, it’s clear this is one of the strongest vocal performances she has on the album. The song features musician Jack White, and the collaboration couldn’t have been a better fit.
It’s easy to see the album as the angry-woman-scorned masterpiece, but it really isn’t. Beyonce doesn’t just highlight the pain, denial and blinding anger that come with infidelity. She thoroughly discusses that love can heal those wounds, and learning to forgive is the ultimate step in that process.
One of the best songs to illustrate this point is “Sandcastles.” In this piano ballad, Beyonce strips away ego, 808 drumbeats and fancy sounds to go back to the basics. In one of her best lyrical moments on the whole album, she says, “And although I promised that I couldn’t stay … every promise don’t work out that way.”
The song effectively paints a vivid picture of a woman who is in pain from the actions of her loved one, but her love for him still runs deep.
Some album highlights are “6 Inch,” a song featuring The Weeknd that seems to be an ode to the hard-working woman, “Love Drought” and “Sorry,” one of the most musically relaxed tracks but is laced with a lyrical tone that is both spiteful and filled with animosity.
By the time the listener makes it to the opening guitar chords of “All Night,” the song feels like the finish line to a marathon. It’s a similar feeling to waking up to a calm morning after a damaging storm came through. The song is easy, light and a perfect closing to an emotionally charged story.
