Telegraph (UK)
Lemonade is Beyoncé at her most profane, political and personal
Digest that for a second: one of the most iconic performers on the planet in one of the least private eras on the planet and, for the third time in three years, she was able to execute and release a project in total secrecy.
Lemonade features 11 spoken-word intervals performed by Beyoncé, written by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, featuring passages like, “I bathed in bleach and plugged my menses with pages from the holy book but still coiled deep the need to know, are you cheating on me?”
By the time the album’s third song, Don’t Hurt Yourself, a collaboration with Jack White, begins with the words, “Who the f___ do you think I am? You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy, You can watch my fat ass twist, boy, as I bounce to the next d___ boy,” it becomes clear to even the most oblivious and dunderheaded audience member what’s happening here.
The political themes of Formation that so offended the New Orleans Police Department are very much in evidence throughout Lemonade. The N.O.P.D gets a literal visual beating as Beyoncé takes a baseball bat to one of their security cameras.
The aforementioned Don’t Hurt Yourself pauses mid-song for a Malcolm X quote: “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person is America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”
Lemonade is by far Beyoncé’s strongest album. It features guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar and The Weekend. It samples Led Zeppelin, Animal Collective and The Beat’s version of Can’t Get Used To Losing You. There’s even a country song. Over the past few years, we’ve grown accustomed to Taylor Swift settling scores with Harry Styles, John Mayer and Katy Perry. But that’s just kid’s stuff. With Lemonade, Beyoncé proves there’s a thin line between love and hate.
RATING: 100/100
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/wha...-and-personal/
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