With her game-changing attitude toward the music industry, Beyoncé has been on top for more than 10 years. She has amassed a massive, worldwide following. Her larger-than-life image has made her an icon, a household name and a brand.
Last year, Queen Bey released her eponymous fifth studio album, followed by her "The Mrs. Carter Show” World Tour. She then spent the latter half of the year on the "On The Run" tour, with husband Jay Z.
After the super successful release of her 2013 album, fans speculated as to how Bey would follow up. Would there be another surprise release? Would she put out anything new at all? Earlier in 2014, Beyoncé released the "Drunk In Love" remix, featuring a verse from rapper Kanye West. She then graced fans with a remix of the popular track "***Flawless" with new vocals from Nicki Minaj.
With those few teases throughout the year, and her flawless performance at the VMAs, much anticipation led up to the re-release of her last album. "BEYONCÉ: Platinum Edition," includes four remixes of previously released songs, two new songs and videos from her tours in the past year.
Though it may not have lived up to the hype her fans helped create, the revamped album was a great move. She’ll make even more money from singles that have already been released, and she also gets to spend time becoming personal with her fans.
Of the two new tracks featured on “Platinum Edition,” the first single is “7/11.” The song, which has become a kind of Beyoncé “hokey pokey,” features the songstress rapping over a trap beat about the most mundane dance moves. “7/11” is a song in which Beyoncé’s perfect persona is stripped away, and in it, she becomes a normal, young, vibrant woman and mother who just wants to have fun.
The music video for the song conveys this all too well. It features Beyoncé dancing around a hotel room with her posse, jumping on a bed, flailing around a Christmas tree and doing other nonsensical things. The video shines because it shows Beyoncé living like a real person. We see her unmade bed and her blow dryer. We see her not-fully dressed and spinning around in a rolling chair. There are no elaborate setups or particularly advanced choreography (unless you count twerking). Because of her larger-than-life image, fans can appreciate seeing a normal, down-to-earth Bey, executed perfectly with this song.
Other standout tracks on the album are "Ring Off," a mid-tempo R&B cut reminiscent of 2006’s “Irreplaceable,” and "Standing On The Sun," a summertime island tune which was teased early in 2013 but never fully released. These two are surefire hits, with “Ring Off” as a breakup anthem, and "Standing On The Sun" a fantastic pick for beach week.
Overall, the platinum edition of “BEYONCÉ” is a holiday treat for fans (and the world), showing Beyoncé at her musical best. The videos are an amazing look at her tour and the gift of her remixes means she still cares about shaping and evolving her music. Beyoncé may still be riding the wave of her fifth album, but the hype will die down soon enough, hopefully bringing new music sooner rather than later.
Read More
‘Witness’ exemplifies a disastrous summer for female musicians
By Caroline Hockenbury | July 30, 2017Why does it seem that many of music’s leading ladies cannot adapt to today’s electronic craze?
‘Mura Masa’ blends together in a good way
By Henry Hollandsworth | July 20, 2017Mura Masa’s new self-titled album succeeds on every count. It is one of the most accessible pop albums of recent memory.
New singles ‘Who Dat Boy’, ‘911’ from Tyler the Creator harken back to his past
By Benjamin Mossholder | July 11, 2017Almost two years after his last release “Cherry Bomb,” Tyler, the Creator released two new singles.
