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" There was a time when it seemed like something had gone badly wrong in camp Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9. After announcing details of a world tour, a Super Bowl halftime show and a lucrative deal with Pepsi, her fifth studio album seemed imminent during 2013. When it failed to materialise, there were whispers that the label weren&amp;#039;t satisfied with the project and instead she spent most of the year promoting herself based on the strength of her name and 2011&amp;#039;s 4.  What really went on behind the scenes remains unclear, but after a string of underwhelming releases during this lucrative Q4 period, Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9&amp;#039;s decision to drop the LP by surprise without the usual tiresome teaser campaigns has given this year&amp;#039;s blockbuster season a much-needed shot in the arm. Better yet, Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9 - a &amp;quot;visual album&amp;quot; - sounds and looks as refreshingly bold and modern as the statement it makes about current music industry trends.  &amp;quot;These record labels are boring/ I don&amp;#039;t trust these record labels, I&amp;#039;m torn&amp;quot; she reveals on &amp;#039;Haunted&amp;#039;; a slice of smoky stop-start dance-R&amp;amp;B accompanied by a Madonna-inspired video that finds her in a posh hotel surrounded by couture bondage. The dominatrix theme continues throughout under various guises, such as in &amp;#039;Pretty Hurts&amp;#039; - a ballad co-written by Sia with the kind of rousing production we&amp;#039;ve come to expect from Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9, but with insightful lyrics about the pursuit of perfection that most listeners won&amp;#039;t have anticipated. With no lead-in singles, listeners are forced (for the time being, at least) to hear Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9 in its entirety and work out what they like for themselves - a feat that album artists constantly battle with in the digital age. And for better or worse, there are no obvious single choices; though the Prince-tinged hipster funk of &amp;#039;Blow&amp;#039; - where she claims her &amp;quot;cherry&amp;quot; is &amp;quot;turned out&amp;quot; - and lighter-waving &amp;#039;XO&amp;#039; (co-helmed by One Republic&amp;#039;s Ryan Tedder) eventually present themselves as the most obvious chart contenders.  Elsewhere, Beyonc\u00C3\u00A9 veers into alt-R&amp;amp;B with Drake on &amp;#039;Mine&amp;#039;, on which she confesses to going through a rough patch with Jay Z after the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy, asking: &amp;quot;Are we gonna even make it?&amp;quot; The singalong chorus of &amp;#039;Drunk In Love&amp;#039; finds them in a much happier place, while &amp;#039;Heaven&amp;#039; hears her alluding to her miscarriage, accompanied by an equally emotional video. The result is a smart, defiant and emotionally stripped-back album that thankfully lives up to its superstar billing.    Watch a clip from the &amp;#039;Blow&amp;#039; music video below:       "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/music/album-reviews/review/a538683/beyoncs-new-album-reviewed-refreshingly-bold-and-modern/>