Beyonce has been at the top of the music business for years thanks to her seven solo albums, all of which hit number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
The 41-year-old mother of three continues to delight fans with her vocals, artistry, and pure talent. Since making her debut as a member of Destiny’s Child in 1997, Queen Bey has proven to the world that she is a musician of the highest caliber, building a devoted following and dominating the R&B and pop scenes. Her latest album Renaissance continues to captivate audiences months after its release.
With so many masterpieces under her belt, ranking her albums is no easy fete, but we decided to give it a go.
7 Lemonade
Lemonade is the sixth studio album by the Houston singer. This album was heralded for Beyonce being more open about her life struggles. In 2017, The album was nominated for a mind-blowing 9 Grammy Awards at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
The album received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, but controversially only won Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video.
Despite being so highly ranked, many fans did not enjoy this album as much as her previous works. It lacked the upbeat, fun style that many were accustomed to from Queen Bey. Still, the album showed Beyonce’s versatility and that she was no one-trick pony.
6 I Am… Sasha Fierce
I Am… Sasha Fierce is the third album in a row for Beyoncé to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 Chart, selling 482,000 copies in its first week.
The album featured her No. 1 smash hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it). The track won Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
5 Dangerously in Love
Beyonce’s debut solo album Dangerously In Love was the beginning of an era that shows no sign of slowing down. The album featured back to back number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, Crazy in Love and Baby Boy.
20 years later “Crazy in Love“, which took home Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, is still a fan favorite.
4 Beyonce
World Stop! Beyonce, the fifth studio album by the Houston singer, was a cultural reset. Everyone still remembers what they were doing when the world got wind that Beyonce has just dropped a surprise album.
Beyonce defied the typical Tuesday release date at the time by dropping this masterpiece on a Friday. If you are wondering why we now get new music on a Friday, you have Beyonce to thank for that. The industry literally changed after this album.
With amazing songs like Drunk In Love, Partition, and Blow, it’s easy to see why this album resonated with so many people.
3 B’Day
Beyonce’s second studio album, B’Day, was released on September 4, 2006, the day before she turned 25.
If I wanted a person who’d never listened to Beyonce to understand her as an artist, I would recommend this album. It just feels like one big celebration. With staple songs like Get Me Bodied, Upgrade U, Ring the Alarm, Deja Vu, and Resentment, it was hard not to rank this album higher.
2 4
The fourth studio album from American singer Beyoncé was titled after a number that means a lot of her, 4. Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records made it available on June 24, 2011.
Beyoncé was motivated to make a record that stood apart from modern popular music after a career break that rekindled her creativity. The record has a foundation in classic rhythm and blues. The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, and Shea Taylor, with whom she collaborated on songs and records, gave her work a mellower tone while helping her create a variety of vocal techniques. The album drew inspiration from funk, hip-hop, and soul music.
I feel like Beyonce elevated herself musically with this album. She took on risks with her sound, and drew inspiration from 70’s music by artists like Michael Jackson. Beyonce told Complex, “Figuring out a way to get R&B back on the radio is challenging … With 4, I tried to mix R&B from the ’70s and the ’90s with rock ‘n’ roll and a lot of horns to create something new and exciting. I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation and classic songwriting.”
1 Beyonce – Renaissance
Renaissance, the seventh studio album by Beyonce, is just different. There is something about this album that just grabs you and won’t let you go.
The way the songs flow together like a dj set makes it almost criminal not to start at the beginning and just let it play all the way through.
Music critics praised the album unanimously for its diverse yet unified sound, upbeat atmosphere, and Beyone’s vocal performance. The most lauded album of 2022, it received nine nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. It was named the best album of the year by publications such as the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone.
