10 hours ago, Shelter said:

You don't like it? 

i do, but i really don't feel the urge to replay it much, certainly not the whole thing 

16 hours ago, KingBeyonce. said:

Same! I understand that people are different and have different tastes but I honestly feel like it's a bit of a cop out lol. I haven't even seen too many ppl say that they think the songs are even bad, they always just say it's "bloated". Like, am I tripping for saying that even if the album is "too long" that you could totally just make a playlist with the highlights or your fave songs?  I'm sure they do that with other artists, why do ppl suddenly get so critical when it comes to Bey. Plus this album has some of the highlights of her career imo, I just don't get how that can be ignored just because of the length of the album. I've never seen ppl want LESS music from musicians 

The only thing I'd argue is Beyonce typically has better quality control than other artists. I don't think any of the songs on CC are bad, but I don't some of them hold up to the standard of a Bey album.

 

I'm not shocked when a Taylor or Drake album has some filler songs, but CC could've afforded to lose 5-6 tracks if I'm being honest. I understand we can make a playlist without some of the songs, but it's a valid critique of an album that you shouldn't have to make your own version of the album. 

 

It's definitely not touching Renaissance. That album album is absolutely no skips and plays like a night out with friends. CC kinda feels like it gets lost along the way and the message is just "Beyonce goes country" 

1 hour ago, ShouldersSideways said:

 I understand we can make a playlist without some of the songs, but it's a valid critique of an album that you shouldn't have to make your own version of the album. 

Very much this. 

 

As someone who tweaks and plays around a lot with the albums in my iTunes library, I find it extremely impressive when an artists just gets it right in terms of tracklist, flow and sequencing. I'm still of the opinion that the music is excellent and there's a 'Renaissance' in the rough there, but the way in which she presented the album it's not that. 

1 hour ago, ShouldersSideways said:

The only thing I'd argue is Beyonce typically has better quality control than other artists. I don't think any of the songs on CC are bad, but I don't some of them hold up to the standard of a Bey album.

 

I'm not shocked when a Taylor or Drake album has some filler songs, but CC could've afforded to lose 5-6 tracks if I'm being honest. I understand we can make a playlist without some of the songs, but it's a valid critique of an album that you shouldn't have to make your own version of the album. 

 

It's definitely not touching Renaissance. That album album is absolutely no skips and plays like a night out with friends. CC kinda feels like it gets lost along the way and the message is just "Beyonce goes country" 

i'm saying it's the middle part of the album, the collabs don't add anything (to the album, to its story and to the country narrative) and are simply not very good/necessary. their only point was getting easy streams, which they failed to do. And i love alligator tears and just for fun but lbr no one would notice if both went missing… you can take out everything between spaghetti and flamenco and the album instantly feels easier to get through 

 

and honestly for an album called cowboy it's not really country enough, she could've went further with that sound and experimented more, as others already stated most of the album feels a bit too tame for bey's standards. And yeah i obviously get the whole "it's a beyoncé not a country album" but then what was the point of adding country inspired songs in the first place ? it's kinda giving nonsense  

unreleased, actual country songs featuring kacey musgraves >>>> musty miley cyrus demos featuring bey sounding a mess 

I do understand complaining about a long-ass album!

As a fan of Beyoncé, I'm never gonna be put off by the numbers of tracks because she has high-standards and she pretty much dictated my taste for years.

But I can understand that for a casual listener it might be daunting. I'm gonna take a totally left-field example but when Chris Brown released his 40-song album, I didn't listen to more than 3 songs, but if he had released it with 25 less songs, I would have gone through each song to see how I feel.

I think the album as a whole is great but I did make a condensed version and took out all the interludes lol (minus OH LOUISIANA)

1) AMERIICAN REQ / 2) 16C / 3) THE / 4) BODYGUARD / 5) JOLENE / 6) DAUGHTER / 7) SPAGHETTI / 8) II MOST WANTED / 9) FLAMENCO - 17) AMEN (unchanged)

 Aligns better with ACT I imo

2 hours ago, ShouldersSideways said:

It's definitely not touching Renaissance. That album album is absolutely no skips and plays like a night out with friends.

This made me emotional Renaissance you will ALWAYS be one of the defining works of my life and times

As much as I'm here for the hive turning on Bey, Alliigator Tears slander is just blasphemous 

 

But I say this as a Tyrant hater and that seems to be a fan favorite for whatever reason when it sounds like a Rih-ject  

———————-

 

Controversial take: Renaissance is one of the greatest albums of all time. I mean like Thriller/Purple Rain/SITKOL level. It should be the album our fave is remembered most for but she's too stubborn to do ANYTHING about that.

Edited May 30, 20242 yr by king_queen

I'm gonna be honest... the only song on the album I think could be considered bad is Jolene. It feels like the expectation was so high there that she knew she had to do it, especially with Dolly practically begging for it, but Bey being Bey refused to do an outright cover. 

 

It's honestly corny and has none of the humiliating yet earnest desperation of the original. It's cringe to say, "I raised that man" about a 50 year old man who himself has admitted it took for his daughter to be born to see a woman's perspective, even though he'd been with Bey ten years by the time Blue was born. 

 

She should've covered 9-5 instead if she wanted a Dolly song that fit her brand instead of changing one so outside her wheelhouse. It also would've been a great callback to Break My Soul

Edited May 30, 20242 yr by ShouldersSideways

I posted this in the album thread but looks like it's abandoned by now 

 

This album is like Lemonade but worse if you know what I mean 

 

Lemonade made me bawl like a baby several times and it's an album I will always be amazed by. Stunning body of work, AOTY, excellent concept album, etc etc etc... but I don't see myself LOVING the individual songs like that. I like all of them, almost all of them have been on my main playlist since 2016. All of them are very good songs but maybe I just don't love love them (apart from Daddy Lessons, you will always be famous) and I know some of the Hive feel the same way.

 

Same thing with Cowboy Carter. A jaw dropping body of work, great concept etc etc but I don't love most the songs and don't feel the need to play them on repeat (Tyrant and Flamenco are the exceptions for me, 11/10 tracks). But CC has an issue Lemonade doesn't have - it's sooo damn long. Some of the 27 tracks should not have been released and I will die on that hill. Because of how chunky the album is - it makes listening to it in full feel a bit tiring and because of that I don't think it has the longevity of previous Beyonce projects

So when is Act 3 coming?

I don't think Alligator Tears is bad but it definitely needs several listens to get into it.

6 hours ago, Iyanla, Fix Me said:

Yeah CC is not for me. I grew to like it way more than when I first heard it but it's no REN for sure. Better yet, it's a solid album but it's not one of Beyonce's best. It easily falls below ST, LEM, & REN. It's the first time (imo) that her latest album can't challenge as her best work. 

 

Top TIer - Career Highlights:

1. Tyrant

2. II HANDS

3. Riiverdance

4. My Rose

5. Body Guard

6. Blackbiird

 

Decent Tier:

7. Levi Jeans

8. TEXAS

9. 16C

 

Rest:

MID

 

And for a 27 track thats unbecoming for BEYONCE

 

 

 

Ya Ya, Mid?? Put some respeck on ha name!

Bodyguard is really a standout track.

 

F*ck.

 

1 hour ago, ScorpiosGroove said:

 

 

and honestly for an album called cowboy it's not really country enough, she could've went further with that sound and experimented more, as others already stated most of the album feels a bit too tame for bey's standards. And yeah i obviously get the whole "it's a beyoncé not a country album" but then what was the point of adding country inspired songs in the first place ? it's kinda giving nonsense  

unreleased, actual country songs featuring kacey musgraves >>>> musty miley cyrus demos featuring bey sounding a mess 

I find this so annoying. It was clearly initially advertised as a country album only for that dumb museum projection "this ain't a country album" a few days before release. Ok? So why'd you lead us to believe that it was? And then all spoken word parts of the album trying to teach us about genres. It all reeks of insecurity. She should've just let the music speak for itself. 

One more thing:

 

Sweet  ★ Honey ★ Fuckiin' is getting better with each listen especially the last minute.

 

1 hour ago, ShouldersSideways said:

I'm gonna be honest... the only song on the album I think could be considered bad is Jolene. It feels like the expectation was so high there that she knew she had to do it, especially with Dolly practically begging for it, but Bey being Bey refused to do an outright cover. 

 

It's honestly corny and has none of the humiliating yet earnest desperation of the original. It's cringe to say, "I raised that man" about a 50 year old man who himself has admitted it took for his daughter to be born to see a woman's perspective, even though he'd been with Bey ten years by the time Blue was born. 

 

She should've covered 9-5 instead if she wanted a Dolly song that fit her brand instead of changing one so outside her wheelhouse. It also would've been a great callback to Break My Soul

When I first heard, it felt like such a chore❗️Even before there was a menu of a 3 part project, ppl have been begging for her to cover the song since "Daddy Lessons" and I just don't get the hype. Personally, I don't care for anyone else singing the song besides Dolly, but that's just me. 
 

Though I've come to liking the song and tolerating it more than half the album, it's still bland and uninspiring, and the definition of what I was hoping she didn't do on the album. 

3 hours ago, ShouldersSideways said:

The only thing I'd argue is Beyonce typically has better quality control than other artists. I don't think any of the songs on CC are bad, but I don't some of them hold up to the standard of a Bey album.

 

I'm not shocked when a Taylor or Drake album has some filler songs, but CC could've afforded to lose 5-6 tracks if I'm being honest. I understand we can make a playlist without some of the songs, but it's a valid critique of an album that you shouldn't have to make your own version of the album. 

 

It's definitely not touching Renaissance. That album album is absolutely no skips and plays like a night out with friends. CC kinda feels like it gets lost along the way and the message is just "Beyonce goes country" 

I mean all of this is valid, I guess I just don't understand the idea that because it's long some people are saying that they basically don't go back and listen at all and that they don't think it's a good album at all. I guess I just don't have to listen to albums from start to finish to enjoy them. In fact, I'm not joking when I say that very few albums exist for me that don't have at least a couple or few skips depending on my mood. Even when I play Thriller, I skip Baby Be Mine and depending on my mood, I might skip Beat It and TGIM too  and other times, I might let them play but I still like the album and think it has some of the best songs he ever made. Idk, I've always been more of a pick and play listener. When I listen to music I usually have my phone directly in my hand and I literally go from song to song that I want to listen to but I understand that that may not be typical. I don't really need to let albums play all the way through - minus the initial few listens - unless I'm studying or something. Even when I'm getting ready or pregaming, I'm probably listening to different artists and albums and not just one thing. In fact, I can't remember the last time played renny all the way through either.  (I also disagree about it not touching renny because CC has already outscrobbled it for me and I think I will revisit II Hands, Tyrant, SHB, Blackbiird, BG, Ya Ya, AR, Daughter, Jolene (wow, can't believe yall hate this one - the ending is so euphoric to me) more than alot of renny songs but that's all just subjective anyway. CC is just more my style for some reason)

 

But even still, some of my criticism about the "too long" comments are about people who already don't like her and were determined not to like the album anyway. You and some of the others in here have good faith opinions so I trust that it's genuinely constructive criticism!

Edited May 30, 20242 yr by KingBeyonce.

The standard "official" version being $60

not a $60 vinyl... + shipping...

 

 

Not AMEN in the background. Omg this ******* *****

At least we have a proper booklet now 

I'm really annoyed because I do want the cover with the horse for continuity's sake since I have the first vinyl, but I don't really want to give her anymore money for this

she really made me spend $76 for this god damn vinyl with tax + shipping

 

 

 

I HATE HER.

That Vinyl looks STUNNING.

 

pre ordered NOW.