Beyonce hardly needs an introduction at this point. If you include Destiny’s Child, she’s had a chart topping song in three different decades (90s, 00s, 10s), and almost has a fourth decade when her remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s hit Savage topped out at number two (EDIT: The song has now went number one). Only ten artists have ever had them in three different decades, and only one in four different decades, Mariah Carey. Each one of her six solo albums has debuted atop of the Billboard 200. Her newest album, Lemonade, was the best selling album in the world during 2016. She’s one of the most recognizable figures in music as well, sells out tours in football stadiums, and is arguably considered the best performer of this generation. I had never dug into her discography before, having only heard the hits from each album. But now having more time to dig into music, I decided she would be a good discography to dig into. Without further ado, here’s my ranking of her six studio albums.
6. Dangerously In Love (2003)
Dangerously In Love of Beyonce’s debut album, released in 2003. Even though I’m ranking it last, it’s still a good album. If your debut album starts out with Crazy In Love, you’re obviously doing something right. It’s a classic song that’s become one of her most popular and loved songs. Vocally, I was surprised how airy her voice is during a lot of these songs. After hearing her voice now, which is one of the most powerful in music right now, the almost weakness in her voice held back a lot of enjoyment of this album. It’s not without its highlights though. The aforementioned Crazy In Love always stays in rotation. Me, Myself and I has also aged very well, and has maybe her best vocal performances on the entire album. Signs with Missy Elliot features a great, watery instrumental with the piano background and the rewind noises. Even though Missy’s presence on the song is pretty small, she manages to put on a memorable performance as well. There are plenty of weak points in the album as well, as expected with a debut album. Her voice doesn’t complement the production as well as it does on later albums. The last song, Daddy, is a bit corny in its lyrical cliches. The overall runtime of an hour is too long, especially with two thirds of the album revolving around slow ballads. Even with the negatives, this is still a good debut album that succeeds in separating her from Destiny’s Child.
5. I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008)
This is one I really wanted to love, as I think the idea of having two distinct sides is really interesting. I’ve heard this idea used before in albums, and they’ve succeeded really well in establishing each side. This album succeeds in that aspect too, as each side is completely different in vibe. Obviously, the hits on the album speak for themselves. Halo, Single Ladies, If I Were a Boy, Sweet Dreams, and Diva are all classic Beyonce songs. The main problem with this album is that the non hits haven’t aged all that great. One problem is that a lot of the other songs don’t live up to that standard. The second half of the album especially sounds extremely dated and of the times. The ballads on the first half feel bare and minimal, especially comparing them to the ballads on her next album. While none of the ballads are bad at all, they don’t hit as hard coming one right after another as they would if they were separated from each other. All of that aside, this is still a really good project with loads of classic Beyonce songs. It’s still well worth a listen, especially if you’re nostalgic for the late 2000s.
4. B’Day (2006)
B’Day is a really interesting album. She brought in more high profile producers compared to her debut. Swizz Beatz and The Neptunes each have multiple credits on seperate songs, as well as multiple features from her then boyfriend now husband, Jay Z. B’Day is more fast paced and accessible than her previous album. Even when the album slows down, she still comes through with some of the best songs on the album! Irreplaceable topped the chart for ten weeks, and it definitely deserved it. The standard album ends beautifully on the song Resentment. The Neptunes produced tracks, Kitty Kat and Green Light, are standouts on the album. As with most of The Neptunes production at the time, it somehow sounds exactly like the mid 2000s, but also holds up after almost 15 years. While both of the Jay Z songs don’t live up to the legacy of Crazy in Love, they are still great songs. As great as most of these songs are, there’s not much that’s unique and boundary pushing on this album, especially compared to her work in the 2010s. Still, it’s my favorite, most concise, and most consistent album she put out in the 2000s.
3. 4 (2011)
4 is her first album where her father was no longer her manager, and this allowed her to branch out more musically. The ballads on here feel a lot more full than they have before. The opener 1+1 is a textbook example of this, with her extravagant vocal performance and a guitar solo during the bridge. The song Party is a highlight on here, especially with it’s Andre 3000 feature and Kanye production. Run The World (Girls) has become a classic female empowerment anthem. The song that really stopped me in my tracks is the infectious Love On Top! The song has a heavy 80s pop/R&B feel, but also sounds like it could’ve come out yesterday. The melody of the chorus is immediately ear grabbing. The song ends on the chorus repeating four times in a row, with Beyonce singing in a higher register each time. It really helps showcase her vocal talent that she possesses, as it’s extremely hard to go up key after key.
She is arguably at her vocal peak on this album. The powerful, almost growl that’s helped define her vocals is finally here. She had used it before, but it was always a bit airy and whimsical. The power behind her voice is finally here! The midtempo and old school R&B sound allowed her to showcase her voice more than any other project so far. It’s also worth noting that the tracklist is now changed on streaming services compared to when it was released. The original version is structured much like her previous album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. The album starts off with the ballads, and picks up energy around the midpoint where it continues to the end. The expanded version is the one available on streaming services now, and the tracklist is in a completely different order, plus two new songs. The new tracklist helps the album not feel like a collection of songs, as it flows better between the upbeat and slower songs.
2. Beyonce (2013)
It’s hard to talk about this album without acknowledging the release strategy that changed music. With no warning at all, the album appeared on iTunes along with a full visual album. For someone of this magnitude to release an album with no lead up was unprecedented. A full length visual album was also unheard of, especially by an artist of her prestige. It became the fastest selling album in iTunes history at the time, selling over 800,000 copies worldwide in the first three days of release.
The album itself was also her most experimental yet. She still had the more traditional R&B cuts that helped her rise to prominence, such as Pretty Hurts and Jealous. She starts to experiment with more hip hop and electronic elements. The hidden track Yonce features her rapping for the first time on a solo album. Flawless is another two part song, but features a more hip hop style beat on each part. The electronic influence of the new producer Boots comes through on quite a few tracks as well. The power-pop anthem XO is an example of this, with it’s synth heavy production. The Boots’ produced final track, Blue, features some prominent synths in the background of the chorus once again. The last big difference on here is the heavily sexual content of most of the songs. She’s always had sexual songs before, but not to this extent. The detailed lyrics in songs Partition and the Pharrell assisted Blow are some of the many examples of this. The main negative to this project and why it’s not number one is that it’s a bit all over the place. Not all the songs hit, but it is nice that she tried this many different genres on one project.
1. Lemonade (2016)
This is Beyonce’s masterpiece. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close. The project is Beyonce going through the process of finding out her husband, Jay Z, has cheated on her. It starts off with her learning of his cheating, then into her anger, frustration, sadness, and finally forgiveness. It’s her first attempt at a concept album, and she pulls it off beautifully! She blends way more styles on here than any of her other projects, including some genres she’s never really delved into before. Don’t Hurt Yourself features Jack White and the rock influence comes through strong. Daddy Lessons has Beyonce going back to her Texas roots, where country music is prevalent. She performed the song on the Country Music Awards later that year with the Dixie Chicks, who had also been covering the song on their 2016 tour. Formation shows her leaning more into trap than she had ever before, mixed in with a little bounce influence from New Orleans.
She utilizes features on this project better than all her other ones as well. Jack White and The Weeknd fit snugly into their respective songs. James Blake’s interlude provides a beautiful transition from the heart wrenching ballad, Sandcastles. Kendrick Lamar provides a great guest feature on the anthemic Freedom. Beyonce’s vocals have never been more diverse on a project before either. The chorus of Freedom might not have hit as hard with most singers, but she sings it with so much power that it’s impossible to not feel empowered. She can make her voice sound extremely fragile, like on the opener, Pray You Catch Me. She pulls off some half-yelling, half-singing during the bridge of Don’t Hurt Yourself. Beyonce even sounds great rapping on the aforementioned Formation. Even without mentioning the hour long video that goes along with the album, the music alone stands alone as Beyonce’s best work.
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