The New York Times - Louder: Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Is Here

July 29, 2022

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

“Renaissance,” Beyoncé’s seventh solo studio album arrived this morning. It’s one of the year’s most anticipated releases — partly because, for the first time in nearly a decade, we got the chance to anticipate it.

We have a lot of Beyoncé pieces this week, but let’s kick it off with Joe Coscarelli and Ben Sisario’s story examining the shape of this album rollout. Since 2013, Beyoncé’s name has been synonymous with ripping up traditional playbooks for marketing albums, leaning on the element of surprise and ambitious partnerships and artistic statements. But as her profile as a cultural megaforce has grown, she’s also become more distanced from the pop-music mainstream. (Numbers don’t tell the full story of an artist’s career, but you may be shocked to realize her last No. 1 single as a lead artist — “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — came in late 2008.)

The “Renaissance” release was more old school (so old school, it actually leaked), befitting the throwback vibe of much of the dance music on the album. Michaelangelo Matos broke down the key references, samples and personnel in a very helpful primer. Lindsay Zoladz wrote about a standout track, “Alien Superstar,” on the Playlist, and our album review will come next. In the meantime, enjoy our debate over which Beyoncé album is her most definitive — eight writers, seven different picks (though I’m pretty sure mine is correct, of course).

Another great album is also out today: “Surrender” by Maggie Rogers, and Melena Ryzik wrote a wonderful profile of the 28-year-old singer-songwriter, who attended a masters program at Harvard Divinity School between albums because “I wanted to build a framework for myself, for how to keep art sacred,” she said.

And regarding another spiritual moment — Joni Mitchell’s return to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday — Lindsay’s notebook on what it was like watching footage of the singer-songwriter reclaiming her voice is a must-read. (And it’s always a good time to revisit our special package on “Blue.”)

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Is Beyoncé’s Latest Album Rollout (Gasp!) Conventional?

The singer, who has prioritized innovation over commercial domination, has opted for a more standard playbook ahead of her seventh solo album, “Renaissance,” out Friday.

By Joe Coscarelli and Ben Sisario

Larry Busacca/PW18, via Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment

Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Embodies Decades of Dance Music. Here’s a Guide.

Chicago house, hyperpop, classic ’70s disco: The pop star’s new album is a tour through some of the genre’s most well-known touchstones as well as more underground sounds.

By Michaelangelo Matos

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100

What Is Beyoncé’s Definitive Album?

With the superstar’s seventh solo studio album, “Renaissance,” due Friday, our critics and reporters debate which work from her past reveals the most about her artistic vision.

Carlijn Jacobs

The Playlist

Beyoncé’s Anthem for the Unique, and 10 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Rosalía, Brian Eno, Robert Glasper and others.

By Jon Pareles and Lindsay Zoladz

Beyoncé’ Unveils ‘Renaissance,’ the First of Three New Projects

The pop star’s seventh solo album is “Act I” of work born during the pandemic, a time she “found to be the most creative,” she said in a statement.

By Ben Sisario and Joe Coscarelli

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Maggie Rogers’s Higher Calling

Musicians often talk about seeking the divine in their work. The 28-year-old singer-songwriter went to Harvard to study it as she made her second major-label album, “Surrender.”

By Melena Ryzik

THE CRITICS

Nina Westervelt

Critic’s Notebook

Joni Mitchell Reclaims Her Voice at Newport

The singer-songwriter’s surprise return to the stage at the folk festival she first played in 1967 was an act of bravery, joy and reinterpretation.

By Lindsay Zoladz

POPCAST

Lizzo’s Complicated, Joyful Pop

The singer, rapper and songwriter’s peppy empowerment songs have made her an outlier in a field dominated by melancholic music.

FEATURES

At the Serpentine, a Show of Nature’s Healing Power

The climate crisis is inspiring — and requiring — new perspectives in thinking for the London gallery, starting with “Back to Earth.”

By Frank Rose

A ‘Girl Singer’ and Her Extra Hair Hit the Road

After a two-year hiatus, Melissa Errico is performing a slew of gigs honoring the composers Michel Legrand and Stephen Sondheim. As long as she gets to the airport (which airport again?) on time.

By Melissa Errico

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Chaos and Creation: Inside the Making of Yeezy Gap

In 2020, two fashion brands announced an unusual alliance. Now that goods are finally hitting stores, is Yeezy Gap a corporate-creative cautionary tale, or a new model for fashion to come?

By Vanessa Friedman, Jessica Testa and Sapna Maheshwari

Your MONEY

The Case of the $5,000 Springsteen Tickets

Triumphant fans showed up in Ticketmaster’s queue with special codes, only to encounter its “dynamic pricing” system. Was the Boss OK with that?

By Ron Lieber

OBITUARY

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Michael Henderson, Funk Bassist Turned Crooner, Dies at 71

He was a sideman with Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis before embarking on a successful second career as a singer of soulful, romantic ballads.

By Richard Sandomir

NEWS

Ukraine Dispatch

Kyiv Nightlife Comes Back Amid Urge for Contact. ‘This Is the Cure.’

Frenzied raves. Crowded bars (with free therapy). And of course, cuddle parties. Nightlife is returning to Ukraine’s capital. But revelers still have to reckon with guilty feelings. Plus curfew.

By Jeffrey Gettleman and Laura Boushnak