Beyoncé’s last proper solo release was six years ago. Following her stunning visual album, Lemonade, in 2016, the pop behemoth released a solid but canonically forgettable collaborative full-length with husband Jay-Z (as the Carters), as well as 2019’s The Gift, her vibrant soundtrack for Disney’s remake of The Lion King. The long wait for her seventh album, Renaissance, lends itself to a variety of interpretations, alluding to both Beyoncé’s return and society’s post-pandemic rejuvenation.

“With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible.” she said.

Beyoncé was never going to record a corny “live, laugh, love” song, and her rebirth casts her as a siren luring us to the dancefloor.

Beyoncé’s best full-length, billed as Act I of a confirmed trilogy, falls short of being Beyoncé’s best full-length, but it still achieves her liberationist goals. It’s a celebration of living abundantly and outside of the expectations of others, and it serves as a reminder of how uncommon it is to see this hyper-disciplined artist simply having fun on her own terms. Her sense of freedom is palpable throughout, and it is contagious.