Beyoncé BEYONCÉ' [Review][Amazon][iTunes]
Beyond the insane hype caused by its decidedly hype-free release, BEYONCÉ, it turns out, is its eponymous artist's finest work to date. The release realizes the star's long-held aspirations of shooting a video for every album track (first considered on sophomore set B-Day, and haltingly attempted on every album since), resulting in a thoroughly satisfying visual feast featuring arguably the industry's most telegenic artist. However, the songs stand strong on their own, with standouts like "Haunted" and "Superpower" (possibly the most ominously beautiful thing put to wax in 2013) suggesting she's finally found the convention-busting, radio single-eschewing album she was looking for with 2011's competent but scattered 4. Prophesy fulfilled. -- Remi
