Beyonce delighted fans with a change of musical pace in her new dance album, Renaissance.
The singer, 40, released her long-awaited seventh studio album at midnight after it was leaked two days prior.
The album immediately received critical acclaim from experts, and the star’s fans were also quick to praise the new material.
‘Officially my favourite album ever!’: Beyonce fans went wild as she surprised them with slew of dance anthems in Renaissance
Taking to Twitter fans penned: ‘NOT EVEN FINISHED YET BUT #RENAISSANCE IS THEE ALBUM OF THE YEAR IDGAF’;
‘I usually skip the songs that come out before the album drop but I had to listen to Break My Soul it’s a CLASSIC #RENAISSANCE’; ‘PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA INTO VIRGO’S GROOVE ON #RENAISSANCE BEYONCÉ U IS SICK’;
‘Bey is back. #RENAISSANCE’; ‘“CUFF IT” into “ENERGY” into “BREAK MY SOUL.”’; ;Damnit @Beyonce. You ain’t have to snap so hard. #RENAISSANCE’;
‘beyoncé going to bed tonight knowing that #RENAISSANCE is one of the strongest bodies of work released this century’; ‘After listening all the way through, #RENAISSANCE is officially my favorite album ever. Album of the year – no doubt.’
Incredible: The singer, 40, released her long-awaited seventh studio album at midnight after it was leaked two days prior
Renaissance has achieved widespread critical acclaim, with critics hailing the album ‘a glorious celebration of the dancefloor.’
The Times awards the album four stars, noting all the songs ‘add up to a bold, frequently seductive piece of work, varied, complex and joyful, which jumps from the pop funk of Cuff It (featuring a contribution from Chic’s Nile Rodgers, unsurprisingly) to the soul of Plastic Off the Sofa, while taking in some pretty weird, futuristic detours along the way.
‘Most of all, the impression Renaissance gives is that Beyoncé, whose singing is as dynamic as it has ever been, has replaced overthinking with disco grooving. It doesn’t seem like a bad way of dealing with the age of anxiety.’
Meanwhile, The Telegraph notes: ‘These songs will be blasted out of cars, at house parties, in hotel rooms and on dance floors for years to come.’
Delighted: Fans were quick to praise the album as they flocked to Twitter after its midnight release
Following the release, Beyonce took to Instagram with a risqué topless disco-inspired snap of her in a revealing metallic silver dress as she cupped her cleavage with one hand while sitting underneath a disco ball.
In a second slide the hitmaker thanked her fans for banding together and waiting to hear the new body of work on its official release date, after it was leaked two days prior, with the tracks appearing online and CDs already being sold in Europe.
‘I can’t thank y’all enough for your love and protection. I appreciate you for calling out anyone that was trying to sneak into the club early,’ she shared in the note.
New tunes: Following the release, Beyonce took to Instagram with a risqué topless disco-inspired snap of her in a revealing metallic silver dress as she cupped her cleavage
Grateful: In a second slide she thanked her fans for banding together and waiting to hear the new body of work on its official release date, after it was leaked two days prior
‘So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you all can enjoy it together. I’ve never seen anything like it,’ she wrote, adding that it ‘means the world’ to her that her fans waited.
‘Thank you for your unwavering support,’ she continued, adding, ‘Thank you for being patient.’
‘We are going to take our time and enjoy the music. I will continue to give my all and do my best to bring you joy.’
She wrapped up her note lovingly telling her fans ‘I love you deep.’
The dance-heavy album features 16 tracks, including the previously released single Break My Soul, which dropped last month.
The other 15 other tracks are: I’m That Girl, Cozy, Alien Superstar, Cuff It, Energy, Church Girl, Plastic Off the Sofa, Virgo’s Groove, Move, Heated, Thique, All Up in Your Mind, America Has a Problem, Pure/Honey and Summer Renaissance.
Renaissance marks the star’s first solo album in six years, since the 2016 release of Lemonade.
Renaissance: What the critics have said
The Times’ Will Hodgkinson
‘Most of all, the impression Renaissance gives is that Beyoncé, whose singing is as dynamic as it has ever been, has replaced overthinking with disco grooving. It doesn’t seem like a bad way of dealing with the age of anxiety.’
Rating: 
The Telegraph’s James Hall
‘This is a vast superclub of an album. But for all its inventiveness, its flavours exist within fairly narrow parameters. Still, these songs will be blasted out of cars, at house parties, in hotel rooms and on dance floors for years to come.’
Rating:
Page Six’s Nicholas Hautman
‘One could argue that Renaissance does not feel like a career milestone in the way that Beyoncé and Lemonade did — after all, their surprise releases and visual components only heightened the magic — but it is a welcome and even refreshing progression for a superstar who consistently rewrites the rulebooks.’
The Guardian’s Tara Joshi
Rating:
‘It’s a celebration of living abundantly and outside the realms of others’ expectations, and acts as a reminder of how rare it is to witness this hyper-disciplined artist simply having fun on her own terms. Her sense of freedom throughout is palpable, and an infectious spur to action.’
The i’s Kate Solomon
Rating:
‘It’s not perfect: we might wonder at the hefty 62-minute length and at the scrappiness of the sequencing that departs from her more polished, concept-driven albums. But these do not detract from this dazzling tribute to underground and underappreciated black cultures, this endless party with its effusive reminder that you are allowed to enjoy yourself.’
Best Fit’s David Cobbald
Renaissance is one of Beyoncé’s best albums to date: it doesn’t walk in the footsteps of its predecessors but instead makes its own path, going to places we didn’t think Beyoncé would go.. The six years since her last effort have well and truly been worth the wait.
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