With only a few weeks to go until we celebrate the dawn of 2017, Rolling Stone is looking back on the year that was, naming Beyonce’s “Lemonade” as the best album released in 2016.
The album — which was also an experimental film that debuted on HBO — was divided into 11 “chapters” — Intuition, Denial, Anger, Apathy, Emptiness, Accountability, Reformation, Forgiveness, Resurrection, Hope, and Redemption — and the theme of infidelity led many to speculate that Queen Bey was singing about hubby Jay Z’s affair with “Becky with the good hair” (neither Bey nor Jay has publicly commented on the rumours, and appear to be as happily married as ever).
“Thanks to Bey’s sheer fire-breathing musical power, ‘Lemonade’ was a sign of hope amid all the emotional and political wreckage,” writes Rolling Stone in its “50 Best Albums of 2016” feature. “Ashes to ashes. Dust to sidechicks. And woe to any fool who tries to interrupt her grinding.”
RELATED: Jay-Z Breaks Silence About Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’
Coming in at #2 on RS‘s list is “Blackstar”, the final studio album from the late David Bowie, who passed away days after its January release. “There’s never been a musical farewell anything like ‘Blackstar’,” writes RS. “The Cracked Actor saved his bravest and boldest performance for the final curtain.”
Rounding out the top five are Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” at #3, Car Seat Headrest’s “Teens of Denial” at #4, and Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” at #5.
You can read the entire top 50 right here.