DAVID BIANCULLI

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LEMONADE
April 24, 2016  | By David Bianculli

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

 

Dropped on HBO last night as a mystery special, Lemonade turns out to be not only the title of this Beyoncé music special, but also her brand new album, which became available on husband Jay-Z’s Tidal music service the second the HBO special ended. Good to know the two still were working together, because much of HBO’s Lemonade, a series of songs presented as moody and sometimes menacing music videos, painted Beyoncé as a woman wronged by her man and infuriated by his infidelity (at one point, she throws her wedding ring at the camera). By the end of the song cycle, there is apparent reconciliation of sorts, but also a series of larger messages, especially about being a strong woman in lessons taught by her grandmother. The visuals here are superb and often powerful – during one song-cycle chapter, called “Resurrection,” the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brian sit silently, and emotionally, while holding portraits of their slain sons. The music and lyrics are powerful, too, with a range, and a ferocity, that deserve this “video album” treatment. And, as such, we’ve come a long way, baby, since the first one ever made, Blondie’s Eat to the Beat. Catch this next-day repeat, if you’re at all interested in watching what MTV has ceded to HBO, like broadcast networks with the miniseries and made-for-TV movies.

 
 
 
 
 
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