Written By: Emily McIntyre
She sings. She dances. She has a body most girls can only dream of. Oh, and she can captivate the attention of millions in less than 24 hours. On December 13, 2013 Beyoncé Knowles did just that; she released a self-titled album on iTunes including 17 videos and 14 songs, without any promotion or warning.
According to the Washington Post, Ryan Tedder, one of the producers for the single “XO” on Beyoncé’s fifth studio album, found out about the release just an hour and a half before it launched.
Beyoncé is currently listed at number two on iTunes for Top Albums, second to the Frozen soundtrack. Just several weeks after its debut, Beyoncé’s new album can often be found blasting through the speakers at the Ping Center here on campus. Queen Bey is still proving to her kingdom of fans that this is, by far, her best musical collection yet.
Almost all of the songs on this album have an addictive, thumping bass, with heavy R&B rhythm, not to mention, the intimate, sensual lyrics show that this star has grown up from her Destiny’s Child days.
On the first track “Pretty Hurts,” Beyoncé describes the aesthetic pressures girls face from society today: “We try to fix something but you can’t fix what you can’t see/It’s the soul that needs the surgery/Blonder hair, flat chest/TV says, Bigger is better.’”
Bey collaborates with her hubby JAY Z on “Drunk in Love,” and there’s no doubt their chemistry is just as natural as the waves crashing on the shore where the music video was filmed in black and white.
After sauntering seaside, the star puts on some roller skates and a sweet-yet-sassy attitude for her video “Blow.” By taking a glamorous twist on a retro roller rink, the explicit nature of the lyrics is downplayed a bit.
If the visual art in the previously mentioned videos wasn’t cutting it for you, then “Partition” is a must-see. Beyoncé truly dresses like the queen she is, dripping with gorgeous sequins, beads, and more. Whether she’s clad in jewels like Cleopatra or strutting her stuff in lingerie, give this woman any look and she can pull it off.
“XO” is arguably one of the most popular hits on the visual album. The music video takes place at a carnival, where the singer appears to be sweeter than the pink cotton candy in the hands of the people she passes. Let’s be honest—we would blow Beyoncé a kiss too, if we saw her roaming around the Ferris wheel… or anywhere else, for that matter.
So, enjoy this amazing album while you can, because it might be a while before there’s another. Then again, with Queen Bey, anything is possible.