The seventh studio album by Houston, Texas native Beyonce, Renaissance (also known as Act I: Renaissance), was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.
The album merges post-1970’s Black dance music genres including disco and house and pays homage to the Black and gay pioneers of those genres. The songs are expertly organized like a DJ mix with seamless transitions. Commercially, Renaissance was a major success. It was certified platinum and made its US Billboard 200 chart debut at number one, Beyoncé’s seventh straight album to do so. Renaissance is one of those albums where everyone you talk to will have a different favorite track. We decided to take on the polarizing task of attempting to rate each track from best to worst (hint: it’s All Up In Your Mind).
1 Heated
Beyoncé sings about her self-worth in the tongue-in-cheek braggadocio ballad “Heated.”
There is something about Heated that is just fun. We are still “fanning ourselves off” from how hot this track is.
2 Cuff It
Now I know you are probably tired of this track after seeing auntie’s and Grandma’s butcher the viral TikTok dance, but this track’s omnipresence speaks to how great it is. The song reached Number 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Rolling Stone ranked Cuff It as the second best song to be released in 2022. The track was also nominated for Best R&B Song at the upcoming 2023 Grammy Awards.
3 Break My Soul
Released as the lead single, Break My Soul, was written by Beyoncé, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Jens Christian Isaken, and Jay-Z. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and Best Remixed Recording.
4 Move
Only Beyonce could manage to get the reclusive icon Grace Jones to appear on her track. Joined by Tems, Move is a two-part song that just gets better as the song goes on.
5 Pure/Honey
Pure/Honey is a two-part song that revisits the Black gay Ballroom scene. We are still screaming “Ms. Honey” anytime our ears are blessed with this transformative dance track.
6 Alien Superstar
She’s one of one. She’s number one. She’s the only one. If you don’t randomly scream out “Unique”, I don’t think we can be friends. Alien Superstar is one of those songs that is really hard to describe, but you love it anytime you hear it.
7 Virgo’s Groove
Virgo’s Groove somehow seems to fly under the radar despite being nominated for Best R&B Performance at the upcoming 2023 Grammy Awards. This track, produced by The-Dream, blends dance with amazing vocal ability.
8 Summer Renaissance
Beyonce closes out this magnificent album with the Donna Summer-esque Disco track.
The song is a tribute to her passionate relationship with her husband Jay-Z. In the opening line of “Summer Renaissance,” she makes mention to their marriage.
I wanna house you and make you take my name
I’m gonna spouse you and make you tat your ring
I’m gonna take you all the way
Baby, can I take you all the way?
The phrase “make you tat your ring” alludes to the couple’s matching ring finger tattoos.
9 Cozy
Cozy, the upbeat second track of Beyoncé’s much-adored album Renaissance, praises the superstar’s self-assurance and pride. She expresses her feelings while singing in the chorus, “Comfortable in my skin / Cozy with who I am,” and, “I love myself, g*ddamn / Cozy, cozy.”
Oh, and might I suggest you don’t “f*ck with her Sis.”
10 Plastic Off the Sofa
I know having Plastic Off the Sofa this far down the list might seem blasphemous, but that just speaks to how good this album really is. One of the slower songs on the track, Beyonce shows she still has her signature vocal prowess.
11 Church Girl
The track begins with the sultry voice of Dorinda Clarke-Cole of the legendary Clarke sisters on a sample of their 1981 gospel track ‘Center of Thy Will.’ This song is a bit controversial because of the characterization it makes of “church girls.”
Many gospel leaders slammed the song, but that didn’t stop us from “dropping it like a thotty.”
12 America Has A Problem
America has a Problem and her name is Beyonce. The track is the ultimate “hype yourself up” song as Beyonce belts “you can’t get no higher than this.”
13 I’m that Girl
Serving as the album’s intro, I’m that Girl samples Memphis rappers Tommy Wright III and Princess Loko’s “Still Pimpin'” from Wright’s 1994 album Runnin-N-Gunnin.
14 Energy
I often forget Energy is its own song, as it serves as the transition from Cuff it to Break My Soul, but the album wouldn’t be complete without it.
15 Thique
Thique is an ode to natural bodies and how the 41-year-old mother of three embraces all her curves.
16 All Up in Your Mind
I prefer to pretend like All Up In Your Mind isn’t actually on this album. I think Beyonce could’ve left this one unreleased, but I guess everything can’t be amazing.
