Renaissance by Beyoncé

This one, I feel, requires a bit of explanation. I generally do not listen to mainstream music (aka programming) because mainstream music(programming) is usually sonically and/or lyrically deficient, generally both.

I like my programming above all to be honest. I also like it to be uplifting, beautiful, and with amazing instrumentation. Mainstream music has none of these things for the most part.

This particular album had everything going against it: I don’t listen to mainstream music, I don’t listen to Beyoncé, she doesn’t have any clothes on on the cover, seems like a whole lot of ho-ish behavior on the album.

“So how in the heck did this album end up in your favorite things?”

1. The first single was house. I love house.
2. The instrumentation on this album is BANANAS.
3. Her vocals on this album are BANANAS.
4. Overall I cannot remember the last time I heard anything like this (it’s fresh).
5. I listened to the clean version first. (The version that I still listen to)

Re the ho-ish stuff: She slid by me on this one, sometimes because the music was just so good (lightweight mad about that). Other times because it wasn’t really ho-ish, it was just sensual/sexual in the context of love/commitment.

Everybody got somebody
So come over and want my body ’cause You are
The love of my life (The love of my life)

I have no problem with this. Matter of fact I enjoy it very much.

To be honest, when listening to this album, I hear it through a relationship/commitment lens. I’m not saying that’s what she meant, I’m saying that’s how I hear it. And I absolutely love it.