RENAISSANCE, Pam

My love for Beyoncé runs very deep. Back in 1999, Friday and Saturday nights were spent with best friends listening / dancing / making up dances to the hour-long event that is Destiny's Child's The Writing's on the Wall. That album was our church. Those were the nights when we talked about crushes, gave each other makeovers, and even split our first wine cooler five ways (don't tell the cops). The Writing's on the Wall was our album.

The group of us even took a road trip across the great state of Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh to see Destiny's Child in concert. They, along with Soul Decision—whose hit song "Faded" is extremely cringey and is basically about date rape, I realize now that I'm listening to it 20+ years later—were, of course, openers for Christina Aguilera. Our friend's dad (that poor man) drove us across the state in a minivan with all the seats in the back removed while we spoke in our language of teenage girl "inside jokes." We made posters, decorated the minivan, and (DUH) coordinated outfits (red shirts, black stretchy flare pants).

And then, in the fall, we all started high school. And now that I'm looking back, that was such a moment of innocence, which I'm guessing is why that concert and those albums left such an impression. We did, however, probably think we weren't being innocent when we made a poster and wrote on the car windows saying: "HEY BOYS!" My memory is foggy, or maybe I blocked it out from pure embarrassment.  

Christina's self-titled album was also part of our weekend rituals but, for me, The Writing's on the Wall has had more staying power than Christina's album. And I still think Beyoncé being an opening act for anyone is one of the funniest parts of that whole story. Anyway, that's definitely enough about early Beyoncé. But now you have some background related to the space occupied by Beyoncé in my heart.

Some of my first thoughts about RENAISSANCE, in comparison to early Bey, is that she's much more serious now. Since The Writing's on the Wall was previously reviewed on Record Club, I don’t have to tell you all about the silly Godfather skits throughout the album. And about Beyoncé playing the role of Sexy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember (can I get through a review without making some kind of mention of Austin Powers movies? GAH)? I can't picture 2022 Bey doing any of those things. Perhaps Beyoncé has just grown and evolved like the rest of us, and that is reflected in her art. Given the number of writers on each song, obviously this album is hyper-produced, but I have no reason to believe that Bey doesn't get the final say in what is out there in the world as a representation of her. Still, RENAISSANCE is a continuation of Bey's more evolved, statement-making music.

When you get to a certain level of stardom like Beyoncé, similarly to Taylor Swift, it would think that all your moves are carefully calculated and produced. I LOVE Lemonade, but do I honestly believe that Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé and then she wrote a whole revenge album about it? Maybe? That story, however, is way more interesting than a group of suits sitting in an office and coming up with it to sell records. I'll compare Bey to TSwift again and say that Taylor Swift drinking her roommate's cheap bottle of rosé is again just as believable as Beyoncé getting into work by nine, then off past five. But here's the thing—if the music is good (and it IS), at least in these two examples, I don't care how actually relatable the artist is. I will comment that it does at least sound way more natural to hear Beyoncé say things like "ass gettin' bigger" than to hear Taylor Swift ever say "fuck" in any way/shape/form.

RENAISSANCE is a love letter to all things club life, to the point where some of the songs sound like they were written by RuPaul. The album is pure dance joy from front to back. And even if Beyoncé isn’t getting down in the club, she's exuding confidence and empowerment to those listening. RENAISSANCE was crafted to celebrate uniqueness.

These days, my enthusiasm is directed at how to get more sleep and more efficient ways to clean my house. I recently purchased rubber gloves for washing dishes—total game-changer for frequent bottle washing. At one point in my life, I would have loved to dance to RENAISSANCE in its entirety in that after-hours club near my old apartment (I can't even recall the name of it—the one across from Woody's). But as you read this, we're sort of Marie Kondo-ing the basement playroom getting it ready for post-Christmas enjoyment and those lame-almost-40-parent things are what spark joy for me nowadays. I'm going full Danny Tanner with the cleaning. I'm going full Martha Stewart with table-setting and fancy drink-making for Christmas. And I'm already in full mom mode all day, every day. I'm so far removed from a club, I haven't set foot in one for years, and yet, here I am fully enjoying RENAISSANCE. I feel unique and confident. And I feel good about my ass gettin' bigger.