GRAMMY CHEW: BEYONCÉ'S RENAISSANCE FLAIR

Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE (Parkwood/ Columbia) marks an ebullient new chapter in the work of a genuine music icon. A kaleidoscopic synthesis of dance forms curated with passion, insight, soul, spirituality and wit, the album also salutes the Black and LGBTQ+ communities that cultivated the myriad musical tributaries that flow through it, from disco to EDM, with a particular nod to ballroom culture. The set and its key tracks position Queen Bey for a huge Grammy look, including, one would think, Album, Record and Song of the Year nominations.

In addition to achieving a #1 bow with nearly 200k in its first frame, RENAISSANCE—crafted during the pandemic—spawned a giant single in “BREAK MY SOUL,” a DSP rocket that summarizes the entire set’s dancefloor ferocity and creative rigor. The L.A. Times hails the song as an anthem for disaffected workers who’ve walked away from their jobs as part of “The Great Resignation"; it’s just one more example of how Beyoncé’s music has shifted mass culture.

The set is packed with strong songs, a reminder that great dance music appeals to the head and heart and not just the, um, lower body. Wedding the carnal and the transcendent, the questing and the defiant, Bey above all makes a case for joy—at a time when that feeling is in woefully short supply. Standout cuts include “COZY,” “ALIEN SUPERSTAR,” “CUFF IT,” “CHURCH GIRL,” “VIRGO'S GROOVE,” “MOVE” (with Tems and a still-fierce Grace Jones), “HEATED” and “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM,” but this is an album in the truest sense.

“Uncle Johnny made up my dress,” Bey sings in “HEATED,” a tribute to the queer “godmother” who helped her find her identity as a creator. “That cheap spandex, she looks a mess.” It’s from this “mess” that greatness was sewn, and on RENAISSANCE she stitches together a half-century of styles into a dazzling tapestry—but one that’s loose enough to groove in.

Yes, Bey is the most decorated female artist in Grammy history. Yet in recent years it’s felt very much as though her relentlessly innovative work has been underappreciated by the Academy. RENAISSANCE, by any measure, offers ample reason to correct that course; it deserves a fleet of noms in top categories.