Renaissance
by Beyoncé
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Jul 29, 2022
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 3470 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,997 out of 3470
  2. Mixed: 84 out of 3470
  3. Negative: 389 out of 3470
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  1. bugabooo
    Sep 4, 2022
    10
    Beyonce shifting to new genres? Beyonce reinventing herself? I believe none of them is correct: with this album, she simply perfects her craft - creating Albums with a strong cultural background and collage-like song production. And this work is her best example of doing that.
  2. KevinRapeau
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Beyoncé gives a super elaborate tour in the most exclusive queer clubs of the 90s to celebrate the culture once again. Everything is crafted to perfection, with seamless transitions, highs and relaxing moments, harmonies and background adlibs for days and vocals only Bey could deliver. A magnum opus in her discography.
  3. JustActinUp
    Aug 21, 2022
    10
    Beyonce has done it again! Creating a body of work, while showing her musicality and versatility. Proving she can tackle any music genre, while still maintaining her musical identity and transcending music fads. She remains the artist/vocalist/entertainer of her generation. This is the album of the year, Well done Beyonce!
  4. drock
    Aug 20, 2022
    10
    Amazinggggg I love this album with all my heart her best one yet please stream it!!!
  5. tcxp1990
    Aug 6, 2022
    10
    this is a masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I just cannot stop playing the album!
  6. caoh99
    Aug 1, 2022
    10
    I love how you can find new elements and layers every time you play it. Beyoncé’s mind is something out of this world
  7. matthewmirliani
    Jul 30, 2022
    10
    It’s perfect. Each song is its own masterpiece. You rarely hear music this advanced, this progressive, this innovative, this well-crafted. It sounds like 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2050. It sounds like the past, the present, and the future.
  8. 0987
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Very unusual album from Beyonce. Although not a masterpiece like Lemonade was, I like how it is pretty unusual and in some cases strange. The best thing about this album is how the songs are "mixed" and transit immediatelly from one to next one; like Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor. Ny favourites: I'm That Girl, Alien Superstar and America Has A Problem.
  9. MrLovett
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    This is such a different album for Beyoncé, but it's so incredibly eclectic and amazing to listen to. It's pure joy and an absolute triumph. I love it!
  10. pericles
    Jul 31, 2022
    10
    talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, **** on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.
  11. DannieGirl93
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Amazing album! The way the songs transition into each other is perfect! Beyoncé has once again changed the game.
  12. Tamara25
    Jul 30, 2022
    10
    It’s rare to listen to a complete album without skipping tracks. Beyoncé has given that to us with Renaissance and I love her for that. It just keeps getting better and better
  13. IDayne
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Beyoncé is far from home and in Dance/Electronic music, while I could have used less onomatopoeias in her raps, that wasn’t enough to taint her perfect score!
  14. maurilio
    Aug 6, 2022
    10
    Beyonce is showing us how she can go... This album is a masterpiece, an experience.
  15. Aghrr1
    Aug 4, 2022
    10
    I mean this is so dope! Alien Superstar, Heates, Summer Renaissance and more!
  16. LuizFelipe
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Mais um álbum IMPECÁVEL em seu propósito. Parabéns, Beyoncé, você nunca erra!
  17. Riskey
    Jul 31, 2022
    10
    Notice all the Taylor Swift and "Lady" Gaga stans downvoting the album..? Anyways, the ratings speak for themselves. This may not be as groundbreaking as Lemonade, but it's damn near perfect. Such a diverse and thoughtfully crafted soundscape.
  18. jack_peacock
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Nothing like anything she’s done before, always shocks and is always delivering. Full of bops and a nod to LGBTQ+, disco, dancehall etc. Love it.
  19. gabrielramos
    Aug 2, 2022
    10
    A mosaic of references that manages to be original and does not come shy of brilliance. This is Beyoncé using all of her cultural coin to make house and dance music be recognized as a black/latino/queer american creation. They forgot black people made rock n' roll and Bey does not want history to repeat itself. Also, it's just THAT good.
  20. Lostgirl
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Profound reinvention through cutting-edge creativity and thoughtful artistic freedom: that’s Beyoncé’s golden formula. This album ratifies Beyoncé as the greatest living entertainer -perhaps the greatest of all time, but sadly some are not ready for that statement. Bombastic beats that make you soar and transport you to the late 80s and early 90s ballroom and house scene, all infused withProfound reinvention through cutting-edge creativity and thoughtful artistic freedom: that’s Beyoncé’s golden formula. This album ratifies Beyoncé as the greatest living entertainer -perhaps the greatest of all time, but sadly some are not ready for that statement. Bombastic beats that make you soar and transport you to the late 80s and early 90s ballroom and house scene, all infused with a refined disco groove from the 70s. There are synths, bass, horns, snaps, claps, stacked vocals and more that are elevated by the immaculate production. You HAVE to hear this album (patiently and in a space that allows you to DANCE) in the order the artist intended to and with a full glass of water by your side because you won’t be able to resist its groove and rhythm. You will DANCE, sweat and sing the lyrics as if you already knew them. This is the album I’ve been waiting since the pandemic started its “remission”. No other artist or project had been able to hit the note. Of course Queen B had to be the one, right? If you are anything like the author of this review, you’ve been struggling to get back to your old self (both mentally and physically) ever since March 2020 came. I also happen to be young enough to not know the majority of references, samples and the social and historical context Beyoncé is paying homage and drawing from to build Renaissance - Act 1. Therefore, for the past month or so I’ve been reading and studying about the ballroom culture, the 70s, 80s and early 90s disco, house and clubhouse music and history. I’ve learned so much about how black people in the United States- particularly black members of the LGBTQ community in those years- ORIGINATED and CRAFTED those musical genres in clubs, drag runway shows, voguing, kikis, alleys, recording booths, disco ballrooms, etc. All while being ostracized, rejected and suffering from the AIDS pandemic. This album transports me to those parties, to an era I didn’t live and expressed pure love to those unseen communities.

    I can’t help but connect that pandemic with the covid-19 pandemic in which Beyoncé crafted her Renaissance and freed herself from perfectionism and musical expectations. Maybe I’m reaching but perhaps the suffering and stress of the recent pandemic unlocked a creative vault in her brain, one that was filled with memories and musical references definitely introduced by her dear uncle Jhonny and her deep love for musical icons like Donna Summer, Prince, MJ, Dianna Ross, etc.

    All songs deserve their own moment and they all feel incredibly thoughtful and meticulously curated. I won’t go into specifics so you can discover every song by yourself. Just know that my favorites right now are:
    - Alien Superstar, Summer Renaissance, Cuff it, Pure/Honey, Virgo’s Groove, Break my Soul, Church Girl, Move and Heated. Give this album the time, light, joy and dance floor space it deserves. Give Beyoncé all the flowers she deserves. Go into this project with an open mind and ENJOY it. That is what Beyoncé does so good that others can’t do or die trying: she really cares and succeeds at making her fans (us, her beloved Beyhive) and all other listeners truly ENJOY MUSIC. What a joy and thrill it is to live at the same time as Beyoncé. What an amazing privilege it is to witness true artistry. Long live the QUEEN and her Renaissance. throught    … Expand
  21. TheReviewGuyx
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    Her best album yet. An experimental and mind-blowing piece of work that perfectly encapsulates Beyoncé as an artist and a performer. No one else could pull off an album of this scale and artistic courage but her. Truly, now down.
  22. Baddiemel
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    An amazing album! She has truly a gift of putting out an album totally different from anything she has ever put out. She’s a true blessing to the music world. Truly unmatched and a must listen to anyone who likes great arrangements. A masterpiece for the dance floor!
  23. Panchogul
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    En producción y sonidos supera a Lemonade, aunque algunas canciones suenan un poco genéricas, aún así, es un álbum idóneo, muchas canciones pueden ser éxitos.

    Editado: Olviden lo anterior, todo REINASSANCE es una odisea
  24. PedBeloni
    Aug 3, 2022
    10
    Álbum maravilhoso! Parabéns à Beyoncé. Um dos melhores da carreira até agora.
  25. Sandile
    Aug 3, 2022
    10
    Once again, Beyoncé reminds us that music is boundless. She reminds us that at any given moment we are able to create and contour worlds outside of what already exists. This project epitomises what a body of work should be. Rooted in honesty and what is real, the Queen conjures a pocket of escape that allows the listener to release their inhibitions, to dream, and to be themselves, withoutOnce again, Beyoncé reminds us that music is boundless. She reminds us that at any given moment we are able to create and contour worlds outside of what already exists. This project epitomises what a body of work should be. Rooted in honesty and what is real, the Queen conjures a pocket of escape that allows the listener to release their inhibitions, to dream, and to be themselves, without the burdensome coercions of the world to be perfect! The cornerstone of this album both thematically and sonically is the celebration of UNIQUENESS! A bold and unafraid homage to the Queer and Black roots of club and disco music. RENAISSANCE is culturally steeped in all things Queer and all things Black! It’s the culmination of inclusion and collaboration, boasting a most diverse group of musicians and artists of the demographic. Thank you Queen Bey for graciously sharing your gift with the world. Your incomprehensible contribution to music and to our lives is seen and felt everyday and you will always be THAT GIRL! WE LOVE YOU QUEEN BEYONCÉ. 10s ACROSS THE BOARD.… Expand
  26. carnielfelipe
    Aug 1, 2022
    10
    O álbum Renaissance é uma obra prima. É extremamente coeso, som de alta qualidade e grande complexidade dos arranjos. Como primeira escuta é meu álbum favorito da Beyoncé. O álbum traz uma complexidade além da sonoridade, ele realmente traz emoção. As músicas, as melodias e a sonoridade são tão bem trabalhadas que você não precisa de um visual para entender e sentir a identidade de cadaO álbum Renaissance é uma obra prima. É extremamente coeso, som de alta qualidade e grande complexidade dos arranjos. Como primeira escuta é meu álbum favorito da Beyoncé. O álbum traz uma complexidade além da sonoridade, ele realmente traz emoção. As músicas, as melodias e a sonoridade são tão bem trabalhadas que você não precisa de um visual para entender e sentir a identidade de cada música. Beyoncé realmente é única.
    Minhas músicas favoritas: All Up In Your Mind, Alien Superstar, Break My Soul e Summer Renaissance.    … Expand
  27. jeesantoos
    Aug 1, 2022
    10
    When I first heard Break my Soul I was skeptical about the album, now after fully listening to the full body of work I was completely blown away how even that song, which initially was not my cup of tea, fits perfectly.
    Once again Beyoncé manages to show how far she can continue to stretch her creativity a bit further. She explores her music, vocals, and sound in a way that almost no one    When I first heard Break my Soul I was skeptical about the album, now after fully listening to the full body of work I was completely blown away how even that song, which initially was not my cup of tea, fits perfectly.
    Once again Beyoncé manages to show how far she can continue to stretch her creativity a bit further. She explores her music, vocals, and sound in a way that almost no one else is doing, and the results are clear and amazing.
    After wondering how she could follow up Lemonade she shows that where that came from there's still much more.    … Expand
  28. LCLC3
    Aug 22, 2022
    10
    She’s number one, one of one, the only one. We didn’t need more proof that Beyoncé is a once in a lifetime artist but here she goes raising the bar on herself once again. Every song is brilliant on its own and they are perfectly sequenced with absolutely seamless transitions. Anyone hating on this album is playing themself.
  29. BeyoncePeaks
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    BEY IS BACK! É hora de contemplar o projeto mais divertido da Beyoncé, com toque sexy de confiança e alegria, Beyoncé está nos convidando para um verdadeiro Ballrrom, e estamos prontos para desfilar nas categorias das suas 16 faixas.
  30. AndressaNCF
    Jul 29, 2022
    10
    An impeccable sonic masterpiece, the perfect transitions, the instrumentals, the insane vocals. It's a perfect masterpiece, deserves the AOTY. My favorites Alien Superstar, Church Girl, Cuff It, Tique, Pure/Honey and Summer Renaissance.
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best Album of 2022
2
#2 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Mojo
    Sep 21, 2022
    80
    A continuous mix of hedonism, virtuosity, scholarship and, as one of her disco antecedents would have it, Good Times. [Nov 2022, p.84]
  2. Uncut
    Aug 31, 2022
    80
    Beyoncé's seventh solo album is a flawlessly structured feast. [Oct 2022, p.25]
  3. PopMatters
    Aug 9, 2022
    90
    Renaissance derives its meaning through its diverse soundscape, which, due to Beyoncé’s astute curation, becomes a statement about letting the music speak for itself.
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