I'ma let down my hair 'cause I lost my mind

 And we've made it to the end of The Guardian's top 50 albums of 2022. 

#1 : Renaissance - Beyoncé

Capturing the unspoken connectivity that so many of us crave from the club, Renaissance sees Beyoncé at her most lyrically playful, political by destiny rather than design. Like an expert DJ set, Renaissance was sequenced and blended to create a sense of proper night-time immersion, resisting the lull of the smoking area. There are no ballads, just endless horny bops; with minimal features from heteronormative guests, Beyoncé appears to have recommitted to Destiny’s Child’s recommendation that you leave men at home if you want to have a good time. Borrowing from Chicago house, Detroit techno and New York disco, the album is a tribute to the influence and endurance of the Black LGBTQ+ community, made in collaboration with producers whose lived experiences and historical weight bring gravity to the sound.

And, here we are!  #1 - and I've listened to it before (the ninth one - go me!).  And, well - I didn't like it.  I didn't not like it either - I recognised there was a lot to admire about the album, but I just didn't see who it was supposed to appeal to.  Would my opinion change on a second listen?

A bit, maybe - I can believe the club connection as described by The Guardian makes it more appealing than I originally anticipated (and it won't surprise you to hear that it's definitely a case of believe rather than be able to agree in any way).  She has a fine voice, there's a lot of fine bass and the songs are all very well crafted (featuring undoubtedly a load of relevant and obscure samples, that I didn't recognise in the slightest).  But - ah, there's always a but.  I just find the vocal gymnastics get a bit tiresome and it all gets a bit samey well before the hour is up.  It's very well crafted and executed samey, but it just all drifts together for me - although I did find "Break My Soul" jumped out at me this time around.  Maybe if I listened to it a few more times I'd become a super fan - but I suspect I'll just leave it to the club affiicionados to enjoy...

Since my initial write-up, the Wikipedia entry has grown to a massive 404 milliPeppers which I really couldn't be bothered reading, but I did notice that she's been nominated for the Album Of The Year Grammy award which she's never won, despite being the most nominated female artist (88!) - I suspect she's in with a good shout this year.

In my initial write-up, I (boldly) stated that I didn't think it would hang around for long - was I wrong?  Of course I was - it started with two weeks at #1 and is still hanging around on a 21 week run.  Her albums generally do about 50 weeks though, so there's still a chance I'll be relatively right!  But I don't begrudge her the success - mostly because doing so would be somewhat pointless.  In the same vein, I wouldn't have made this #1 on my list of the year but I can see it's a "good" album and I'm not surprised the critics like it.  But I'm afraid I can't bring myself to say I like it...

And there we have it - the end of the list.  Happy New Year!  There will, of course, be a summary write-up of the year and then we're done with The Guardian's best of on the music front for another year.

#2 - So many hmmms

2020 - I can have a rest now