The return of Beyonce

She came. She saw. And in mere moments shes conquering all over again. Beyonce released her fifth album , simply titled Beyonce on an unsuspecting world today. And within hours the surprise release was topping Itunes tallies globally. It has already reportedly sold 80,000 copies in the US alone within a matter of hours.
No hype. No promo. No endless Vevo teasers. No self glorification. Not a word.

Just 14 tracks , featuring collaborations with hubby Jay Z , Frank Ocean and Drake. If that wasn't enough , the album comes with 17 spectacular accompanying music videos for each track.

" I didnt want to release music the way I've done it. I am bored with that.I feel I can speak directly to my fans. "

Of course , Itunes and the internet went into a joyous meltdown as on Friday the 13th December , Beyonce finally released the much anticpated album. And in doing so , has in a sense changed the game and asserted herself at the top of the pile. We all expected a Beyonce album to come out in time for her SuperBowl slot but instead all we got up to this point was Grown Woman , Standing In The Sun and God Made You Beautiful.

It seemed as if the ship had sailed on new Beyonce material in 2013. In fact , it was somewhat of  a running joke. On Popjustice , the fifth album was jokingly referred to as 'Beyonce's mythical album'.

But with only three more weeks of the year left , Beyonce has trolled us all in superb , refreshing style. And whilst some may worry that its a risk , the appetite for new Beyonce music is such that this album is a guaranteed success. Beyonce has been around nearly 20 years shockingly enough , with this year marking the 10th anniversary of Crazy In Love.
She's one of the most decorated and revered women in music , Beyonce could afford to take the risk. She certainly didn't have to , but she has. And hopefully it marks a sea change in how albums are released and campaigns are orchestrated. We live in an instant gratification age. Albums are announced , hyped and as we've seen so much this year , leaked.

It's not a groundbreaking move by any means to just release an album out of nowhere. David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine stunned with surprise albums this year. Lily Allen , even , released Hard Out Here in the same week as it's video premiere.
However , without any disrespect to artists like Bowie , he's in the twilight of a long established careers. Beyonce at 32 is still very much at the peak of her artistic and commercial powers. This new album will only serve to spark a surge in ticket sales for next years second instalment of the acclaimed Mrs Carter Show World Tour when it kicks off in Edinburgh , Scotland.

The album is now set to top the Billboard Top 200 Charts in the US just in time for Christmas. Who would have foreseen that a month ago.
The album will get a physical release on December 21st , compete with a DVD of all 17 videos which are stunning. An unexpected but welcome stocking filler for most music fans this Yuletide.

But what of the album itself. Well on very early impressions , its a slowburner but a rewarding one. I'll need a few more listens to digest what is at times a lengthy , at times arduous listen. It's not Sasha Fierce , but on first impressions a somewhat grittier , more swaggering alternative R&B realness of previous album 4.

Drunk On Love , Pretty Hurts , Blow , XO and Heaven are all early faves. Ignoring the unorthodox release of Beyonce , this album should do huge business.

The tracklisting for Beyonce is 

1. Pretty Hurts
2. Haunted
3. Drunk In Love ( feat. Jay Z )
4. Blow
5, No Angel
6. Partition
7. Jealous
8. Rocket
9. Mine (feat Drake )
10. XO
11. Flawless (feat. Chimanda Ngozi Adiche )
12. Superpower (feat Frank Ocean )
13. Heaven
14. Blue (feat. Blue Ivy )

Watch a preview of video Pretty Hurts below