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The definition of an "album" in 2016 is possibly vaguer than ever. Kanye West gave us the constantly-changing, possibly still-unfinished The Life of Pablo, a collection of songs that's like Leaves of Grass for the internet era. Drake gave us Views, which many agree functions more like a playlist than an album. Then of course there's the "mixtape," a title given to projects that sometimes feel more like albums than actual albums. Amidst all this, Beyonce made an album in the most classic sense. It hearkens back to the very beginning of the album's importance in pop music, when Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's defined an album as something that made a bigger statement than just a collection of songs. Sure Beyonce rolled the whole thing out as one music video (though The Beatles also did that), but the album on its own does just what those classic '60s albums do. It plays best from start to finish, it's got a clear concept running throughout, every song is its own beast, and most songs are different genres. Lemonade is home to some of the year's best pop-R&B ("Sorry"), rock ("Don't Hurt Yourself"), country-blues ("Daddy Lessons"), psychedelic soul ("Freedom"), and rap ("Formation"), and it all flows together seamlessly. This is the kind of thing you expect from the best album-oriented pop music of all time. In 2016, no one pulled it off better than Beyonce.

As great as that all sounds on paper, none of it would matter if Lemonade didn't succeed at giving chills on every listen. It's an album that angrily chastises adultery but also revels in true love. It celebrates blackness and boldly holds a middle finger up to anyone who doesn't. Maybe one day the album will exist separately from its visual component, from all of Beyonce's public actions in 2016, and from the political climate of this year, but that day is not today. The power of Lemonade is inseparable from Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar splashing through a pool of water on the BET Awards, Beyonce's Black Panther homage at the Super Bowl, or the many instantly-iconic scenes in the "Formation" video. Each of the performances Beyonce gave this year, in studio and out, were her most forceful ones yet. - A.S.

Get it on iTunes.