Immediately, yes. I can’t help but get hyped as the intro to “I’m That Girl” gets you fired up with a surprise vocal feature from rapper, Princess Loko. “These mfers ain’t stoppin’ me!” replays in a loop. Almost in a trans-like state before Beyoncé gracefully joins the track to let us know she’s that girl because….well, that’s just it, she’s that girl because of the she she is.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance album is an ode to the unwavering friendship between the girls and the gworls, but it’s also a welcome refreshment to the parched years of pandemic strife, civil unrest, and the unraveling of women’s rights in America.

The flawless transitions of each track into the next make you feel like you’re at the dance party of the Summer. You can’t help but feel a sense of relief as the Big Freedia demands you to release your stress and forget the rest in the smash single Break My Soul.

But before we get there, the standout song Alien Superstar reels you in and won’t let you go. If you’ve never felt like a star before then this is your moment. It’s familiar and wholesome. You can’t help but to place yourself on a pedestal as you strut to Beyoncé’s inspirational vocals officially crowning you “too classy for this world” before dawning you as “the bar.”

The bar means you can’t get any higher than this. More on that later.

Cuff feels like a fairy tale. A fun night out with your friends followed by a fun night in with the one you love or just found. You feel love, but more importantly, you feel free.

In that freedom, you can be you. You can love you.

As Beyoncé reminds us that we should be Cozy in our skin. Cozy permits us to be who we are, unapologetically. We’re good enough. We deserve the love we give. Our light shines bright.

That’s the key to the album.

I remember my first time visiting a gay club. It was with my friend who we’ll call, Clay. Clay was the type of guy that was everyone’s friend. He was cool and calm. He could play video games with the boys and twerk at night with the girls.

I can recall the way he lit up as we sat down at our high-top table. It was midtown Atlanta, the LGBTQ hub of the city, and the front of the bar overlooked the city streets. But inside it felt like I had been transported to a land more free.

Free for those who spent many years hiding who they were. But in that dark room illuminated by effervescent lights, they found love. And even in the dead of winter, it was a Summer Renaissance indeed. They danced as if no one was watching. I beamed with joy as I reveled in their audacity to be authentically them. It was then that I had hoped for the same liberating feeling for myself one day, in another way.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance brought me back to that night. Summer Renaissance felt like a culmination of the many years I’ve spent trying to reclaim the person I am. With a sample from Donna Summer’s, I Feel Love, she models confidence.

And if we’re going to talk about confidence, it’s worth it to mention MOVE. “When the queen comes through, part like the red sea.”

It’s only a preview to more of Beyoncé’s talking her sh—. In Heated, she reminds us that she is not like her. While Church Girl breaks the stigma. Church girls can have fun, too. As a preacher’s daughter, let’s just say, I get it.

Thique is that hip hop influence that beckons the days of Lemonade, Beyoncé’s 6th studio album. The way her voice transforms in the build-up towards the end is only a prelude to the surprising and most delightful sounds of “All Up in Your Mind. My personal favorite.

All Up in Your Mind is a pop sensation. It’s raunchy, fun, and her vocals reach new heights. Crisp and spectacular.

America’s Got a Problem because what Beyoncé has done for the people is unmatched. Our desire for joy can’t get any higher than this. Our self-love can’t get any higher than this. It’s unfiltered.

Unfiltered is my word for this album. Unfiltered, unbridled, unapologetic. Joy takes us higher, making us hot. So heated, we need to cool it down.

By the way, next time you’re at your granny’s house, you might not want to ask why she hasn’t taken the plastic off the sofa.