Review Roundup: BEYONCE's Surprise Self-Titled Visual Album

The fifth solo studio album from Beyoncé is now available worldwide, exclusively on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com/beyonce). The self-titled set is the artist's first visual album. BEYONCÉ is infused with 14 new songs and 17 visually provocative videos shot around the world from Houston to New York City to Paris, and Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, all before the album's release.

That the album is available on the day the world is learning about its release is an unprecedented strategic move by the artist to deliver music and visual content directly to her fans when she wants to and how she wants to, with no filter. This unique approach allows music fans to be the first to listen, view, engage and form their own opinions void of any middleman.

Beyoncé, wearing multiple hats as writer, producer and director, put together a genius team of artists, songwriters, producers and video directors for her visual album that include Jay Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Drake, The Dream, Sia, Ryan Tedder, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Hit Boy, Ammo, Boots, Detail, Jake Nava, Hype Williams, Terry Richardson, Melina Matsoukas, Jonas Akerlund, Ricky Saiz, Pierre Debusschere, @lilinternet, Noah "40" Shebib, Francesco Carrozzini, Caroline Polachek, Ed Burke, Bill Kirstein and Todd Tourso.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Jon Pareles, The New York Times: Beyoncé is flawless so no one else has to be. That's the theme of her superb fifth studio album, "Beyoncé" (Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia), which arrives as a feat of both music and promotion. Its songs are steamy and sleek, full of erotic exploits and sultry vocals; every so often, for variety, they turn vulnerable, compassionate or pro-feminist. And with both the songs and the videos, Beyoncé consolidates one of pop's most finely balanced personas; she is, at once, glamorous and down-home, carnal and sweet, "Queen Bey" and a diligent trouper, polished and human.

Nick Catucci, Entertainment Weekly: Some fans will no doubt feel lost in this murky, intermittently thrilling new territory. For them - and everyone else with a heart - there's "Blue," which features her baby-talking toddler Blue Ivy reverbed into infinity at the end, but more importantly, proves that not every piano-laden pop ballad need bring the doldrums on. Like much of Beyoncé, it balances formal inventiveness with emotional directness. Share it with your little niece, or someone else you love. A-

Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone: The vibe on Beyoncé is moodily futuristic R&B, strongest when it goes for full-grown electro soul with an artsy boho edge. "Blow," the best track here, evokes Janet Jackson circa The Velvet Rope, a song about oral sex that has an air of melancholy in the chilly neo-disco groove...Beyoncé may have gotten "bored" with the popstar routine, as she confesses in "Ghost." But only massive hubris could have made a feat like this album possible. And Beyoncé's hubris makes the world a better, more Beyoncé-like place.

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: No other pop artist has shown a greater mastery of image control. The abrupt unveiling of Beyonce, without a jot of advance notice, is a case in point: At a time when even top acts launch drawn-out, overzealous promotional campaigns, this star secured oodles of publicity precisely by not seeming to draw attention to herself...In none of these songs or visual sequences does Beyonce coarsely exploit her celebrity. Rather, in keeping with her penchant for discretion, she reveals herself, and her loved ones, in controlled doses. The sensuality is distinctly, intentionally gritty, but never crass.

Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times: "Beyoncé" is itself a kind of humblebrag, reminding us that only she can afford to drop product into a crowded marketplace without mounting the type of elaborate promotional campaign we've seen lately...What's exciting about the record, beyond its means of delivery, is how the music similarly blends the intimate and the extravagant..."Beyoncé" is by far the most sexually minded album from a singer who's often projected a virtuousness at odds with peers such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Glenn Gamboa, Newsday: This was worth the wait..."Beyoncé" is the third album since B took total responsibility for her work, and it sounds like she now has the hang of it. Throughout the album, she pushes the envelope of what pop and hip-hop expect from their divas, cowriting every song. Everything on "Beyoncé" is under meticulous control -- lyrically, musically and thematically.

Jim Farber, New York Daily News: In her new CD, the emphatically named "BEYONCE," the R&B warrior queen gives her music a soft new focus. In song after song, she drapes herself over the music with an insinuating sensuality. The beats, too, have a hazier texture, and proceed at a slower pace, the better to let the music last longer....

Chuck Arnold, People: While the music on Magna failed to have the same freshness as the marketing strategy,Beyoncé (which also comes packed with 17 videos) finds Queen B exploring new sonic - and surprisingly sexual - territory with her most adventurous music yet. Indeed, the sensual atmospherics and sometimes downright explicit lyrics on her first album since giving birth to her daughter almost two years ago leave no doubt that this hot mama can still get her freak on.

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