On Friday the 13th at midnight, R&B singer/diva, Beyoncé shocked fans by unexpectedly dropping her fifth solo album. This album is considered a “visual album”  because along with dropping songs she released music videos with the singles. Her album was not anticipated; the world was completely in the dark due to the lack of publicity and notification. After an entire year of working on this project, none of her songs or videos were leaked.  Once a again Queen B has put her fans on their toes and did not disappoint!

Her self titled album consists of 14 songs and 17 videos to go along with them. In just three short days, Beyoncé’s album has already sold over 80,000 copies. This has been considered one of the fastest and largest sales in the music industry for the short time period. It is officially the fastest selling album on iTunes ever at $15.99. She has already broken the record for the first-week digital sales for an album in the United States. In the small amount of time the album has been accessible it has already reached No.1 on several music charts.

There are several intriguing exponents about this highly-praised album. In this album, Beyoncé makes magic with her unique choice of collaborations. Featured on her album is Drake, Frank Ocean, her husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.  She even opened up about her personal life in a select few of her songs. In “Mine” which features Drake, Beyoncé  addresses some of the struggles of motherhood by singing “I’m not feeling like myself since the baby.” Opposing the sentimental side of the album, Beyoncé has revealed a great sexual appeal earning her album a Parental Advisory Explicit Content stamp. In “Partition” and “Rocket” we can see Beyonce’s edgy side and ‘grown woman swag.’ In her songs “XO,” “Pretty Hurts,” and “Heaven” she shows more of a seductive, contemplative tone. The essential tracks of this album are “Pretty Hurts,” “Flawless,” “Partition” and “Blue;” whereas her radio hits are “Drunk In Love” and “Mine.”

I personally love this album and I guarantee this will satisfy all Beyoncé fans.  I completely recommend this album; especially to those who might not usually listen to Beyoncé. By continuing to surprise her fans/supporters by spontaneous actions such as her album release, Beyoncé  is able to remain at the top for nearly a decade. All hail Queen B, she has done it again!

by KOLETTE KING