Beyonce: The Album

Beyonce the Album: The Top Five Reasons Why It Bests All The Rest.

If you've lived on planet Earth over the past week, then you probably heard all of the excitement around the release of Beyonce's newest self-titled album. Secretly released with no advertisement this new album is probably one of Beyonce's most diverse and my personal favorite. These are just some of the reasons I love this album.

1) Diversity of Sound

My biggest complaint about Beyonce was always that her music seemed formulaic. In my opinion once you but one 'Yonce album you've bought them all. But Beyonce breaks the mold with her latest release and creates a diverse listening experience. From slow ballads to chart topping singles Beyonce covers a full spectrum of music.

2) The Music Videos

Along with the album, Beyonce released 17 music videos calling it a visual album. And each one is unique and beautiful in it's own right. This isn't the first time Beyonce has done this, the I Am... Sasha Fierce album also had a video for every song, but unlike earlier attempts every video was perfectly fit for the songs. It's always nice to have a awesome video to go along with the listening experience.

3) The Message

Without giving it all away, Beyonce includes a very feminist message in her album. She reflects on sexuality amongst women, the feminist movement and marriage amongst other things. While not exactly groundbreaking, it's refreshing to see a pop star with a cool message.

4) The Characters

Creating alter egos or multiple characters is a staple in pop music today, but Beyonce was one of the first modern pop divas to create an alter ego. On this album there are many and each one has a different sound. There's Mama Beyonce, sexy Beyonce, Beyonce the wife, Creepy Beyonce, 'Yonce, The Queen and that's just a few.

5) Destroying the Competition

Now I am completely against pitting pop stars against each other. This is a fairly common action in music with the new spotlight on charts and chart placement. But in this case I think that a comparison is needed. In a year when pop mainstays like Katy Perry, Gaga and Britney Spears all released albums, Beyonce decidedly had the best. Other stars spent millions on marketing and Beyonce did no marketing and still had some of the best sales and one of the most complete albums.