Spectreview: Beyoncé – HOMECOMING (THE LIVE ALBUM)

-PEARL-

“Coachella, thank you for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline Coachella.
Ain’t that ‘bout a bitch?”

Among other revolutionary black voices sewn into Beyoncé’s legendary 2018 Coachella performance (documented in this surprise live album), Malcolm X expresses to the mostly-white crowd that “the most disrespected person in America is the black woman.” How many, even now, still question Beyoncé’s artistic credibility? People at large are aware of her legacy as a pop queen, but how many times must she throw her money, her clout, her own wellbeing into her works before she hits the pantheon of respected musical artists like Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, The Beatles? If this were the 90’s, would it even be possible? And how much of the Beyoncé of 1999, the one that fronted Destiny’s Child back then, is still inside the industry-conquering Beyoncé of 2019? If 4 and Beyoncé were the developing chrysalis and Lemonade was the resulting butterfly, HOMECOMING is that butterfly captured on camera in ideal, resplendent fashion, the end result of two decades of hard work and dedication in honing not only her performance chops but her artistic integrity.

As a recording of her widely available concert (which was also released as a Netflix Original film), HOMECOMING inherently lacks the thrill of its visuals, as well as as some of the context behind its many moving pieces. The HBCU angle, used as a cornerstone motif of the film, is consequently absent here, as are some of the more overtly reverent cover choices like Nina Simone. Nevertheless, there’s still tons to appreciate here from a purely aural standpoint. As live albums go the recordings are pristine: every instrument comes through clearly, the bass crucially cuts through, the audience is mixed down to a unobtrusive accompanying presence, and Beyoncé’s vocals are left largely unaffected by pitch correction or post-production effects. She’s always had a knack for putting together a setlist, but the material she chooses to cover here is brilliantly integrated in so many thoughtful ways. Paramount to her is the construction of a communal spirit fitting for a festival show, and she does this by both arranging her songs in new ways (the exuberant “Party” has none of her vocals, instead relying on her talented backups, while “Mi Gente” finds its home amid a hundred-thousand Coachella-goers) and recontextualizing the songs that were originally written with one object in mind (like “Sorry,” turned into a rallying cry for the betrayed, or the partly a capella “Love On Top,” used as a closing kiss-off to the audience). The set is also a treasure trove of seamlessly-integrated musical nods, including a famous Fela Kuti riff in the intro to the thrilling “Deja Vu” and a cover of “Me, Myself and I” threaded into the end of “Sorry.” Even the bonus material appended onto the live album, including a wickedly inspired cover of the unofficial black cookout anthem “Before I Let Go,” stands out in its own right. In employing traditional marching band orchestration she ensures that the energy hits exuberance from the opening number and never dips, even during the more mid-tempo R&B numbers, and to their immense credit each performer plays flawlessly.

And of course, there is Beyoncé herself, bringing arguably the strongest vocal performance of her entire career. There doesn’t seem to be a studio precedent to much of her unique inflections she gives to these versions, making the fire-and-brimstone excoriation of “Don’t Hurt Yourself” ever more vicious, instilling goosebumps on “I Care” seething, pained swoops, and lending a wild looseness to her raps (check out the auto-tuned swagger at the end of “7/11”). Defying logic, she seems to get stronger over the set’s two hours, blasting through “Countdown” and “Single Ladies,” faltering only slightly at the very last lines of “Love On Top”, itself meant to be a vocal showcase. Even though her voice is the star of the show, she gives as much space as she can to her crew and her musicians throughout the set, allowing Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams their own spotlights during the Destiny’s Child reunion and shouting out the drum line, orchestra and dancers when they need to shine. It’s all there: immaculate live production, brilliant material selection, sequencing that’s both consistently entertaining and intellectually stimulating, and top-notch performances by everyone involved. In committing herself to the pursuit of pop perfection, Beyoncé has no true working peers anymore, and the career victory lap of HOMECOMING cements her legacy as one of the greatest musical artists in American history.

Highly recommended.