Beyoncé has changed the game once again. Similar to her 2013 album, “Beyoncé”, “LEMONADE” came with a video for each song, but this time in a collective art film. My initial reaction was just screaming and saying “she did that?!,” but when you really listen, this is an amazing album. It’s a sound she has never gone for before (there’s even a country-esque song on the album), but it works so well.

The album traverses through various emotions, specifically the stages of finding out your significant other has cheated on you. She really isn’t subtle with anything. She takes Jay-Z and even her father and drags them through the mud at the beginning of the album.

One of the more comical songs of the album, “HOLD UP,” at first sounds like a cute, simple love song with its bubbly background, but it’s the lyrics that reveal the track’s truth. It’s all about jealousy and anger, which is perfectly depicted in the video. “What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you,” Beyoncé sings as she skips down the street breaking windows with a baseball bat while fire erupts behind her. The video alludes to her recent single “Formation” when she states “I’ve got hot sauce in my bag/Swag,” —if you look close enough, the baseball bat has hot sauce marked on it.

Beyoncé reveals a lot of herself through this album, and “DON’T HURT YOURSELF” does just that. This rock-heavy, Jack White collaboration has Beyoncé’s distorted voice angrily calling out Jay-Z specifically. “This is your final warning/You know I give you life/If you try this shit again/You’re gonna lose your wife,” she proclaims to finish off the song.

Then there is “Sorry,” the powerful and unapologetic jam that has Beyoncé being her independent self. “I ain’t sorry,” she spits as the hook while dreamy synths wash over the sound. She continues to quote the troubles in her relationship with Jay-Z, singing “today I regret the night I put that ring on.”

This theme continues for a couple more songs. “6 INCH” is the dark, aggressive The Weeknd collaboration. Then there’s “DADDY LESSONS,” the unexpected country song that addresses her mother and her’s relationship with her father.

The album switches gear after “DADDY LESSONS”, moving to more of a ballad style. “LOVE DROUGHT” has Beyoncé reminiscing on the good things in her relationship and how strong she and her partner are together. Then there is “SANDCASTLES,” a passionate piano ballad that divulges the anger, sadness and turmoil of a tainted relationship.

“SANDCASTLES” effortlessly transitions into the short interlude, “FORWARD.” This collaboration with James Blake is one of the most powerful moments of the video, as it shows the mothers of many of the black men that have been gunned down by police officers holding their pictures.

The climax of the album is then reached with “FREEDOM,” another rock-like song that has Beyoncé proclaiming her freedom and power. This is a blatant statement on the injustices America has put on the black population. “I break chains all by myself/Won’t let my freedom rot in hell,” she asserts over the strong rock beat. Kendrick Lamar adds a powerful verse to make this song even better.  

To close out “LEMONADE,” we get a hopeful, sultry love song, “ALL NIGHT.” It’s still calls out Jay-Z with lyrics like “Our love was stronger than your pride/Beyond your darkness I’m your light,” but it’s more about regaining trust.

Now I am a die-hard Beyoncé fan, but all fandom aside, this is a new sound for her and I think it really works. She really is unapologetic in “LEMONADE” and that is clear in almost every song. While melodically this album may not seem too cohesive, it’s the way she tells a full story using each of the songs that makes “LEMONADE” come together.

Currently, “LEMONADE,” the video and album, are able to stream on TIDAL and available for purchase on TIDAL and iTunes.