Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Beyoncé, Sony Music 2019.
Well the first thing you need to know is that I have never listened to a Beyoncé album before this one. Maybe I should have.
Being a live recording there’s a lot more to this album than a studio release.
There’s the audience reactions, performer/audience interactions, introductions, and extended track lengths to accommodate dance moves etc.
The introduction for example plays for more than three minutes and the first track has a really boring introductory horn section linking the two.
Once we get into the album, what becomes apparent is that Beyoncé has a great voice. It’s a shame that it is often buried in the over the top production.
Then again, I must keep reminding myself that this is a recording of one of her live shows from the Homecoming Tour.
There are some remarkable performances on the disc and the crowd reaction suggests that I must be among the minority who are not entirely enamoured of Beyoncé’s music.
I find it difficult to relate to, probably something to do with culture and age.
It really isn’t something that I would normally listen to but I thought it would be somewhat churlish of me to reject one of the biggest stars in world music out of hand.
So, let me pick out some of the highlights of this disc.
If you’re a fan you get great value for money.
The concert runs to an hour 43 minutes in length and there are 38 tracks, including intros.
As previously mentioned, some of her performances are remarkably good although many of the songs didn’t really give her the vehicle to fully display her vocal talents.
The problem with this disc as an audio album is that the tracks are the soundtrack to an amazing stage show that is multifaceted.
Only receiving the audio deprives the senses of the most important aspects of the concert.
If you’ve seen the show, great, but otherwise it doesn’t really work as an album.
