Beyoncé cover

Beyoncé

Released

We sleep, Beyoncé grinds. When Bey released her strongest album in seven years without anyone having any idea it was coming, it came bundled with 17 videos too. Beyoncé features futuristic, sometimes tribal, mid-tempo tracks from Timbaland, Pharrell, Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake, The-Dream, Hit-Boy and more. By the end of “Blow,” she starts pleading, “I want you to turn that cherry out,” squarely in sex kitten territory. “Partition” makes mention of a lover who “Monica Lewinskyed all on my gown” in a limo. Later, Beyoncé asks him to “rock it till water falls” on “Rocket.” Bey used overt sexiness as a superpower here and crafted an instant classic.

Miles Marshall Lewis

Recommended by

Suggestions
Black Butterfly: The Essential Niecy cover

Black Butterfly: The Essential Niecy

Deniece Williams
Delirium cover

Delirium

Ellie Goulding
The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets cover

The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets

Van Hunt
The Velvet Rope cover

The Velvet Rope

Janet Jackson
Passion, Pain & Pleasure cover

Passion, Pain & Pleasure

Trey Songz
Kings Ballad cover

Kings Ballad

Georgia Anne Muldrow
All The Time cover

All The Time

Jessy Lanza
Straight from the Heart cover

Straight from the Heart

Patrice Rushen
Dangerous cover

Dangerous

Michael Jackson
I’m All Ears cover

I’m All Ears

Let's Eat Grandma
Gang Signs & Prayer cover

Gang Signs & Prayer

Stormzy
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure cover

Grey Tickles, Black Pressure

John Grant