Beyoncé - homecoming: the live album

Within the first few moments of this nearly two-hour long album from Beyoncé - dropped in her signature surprise style along with a Netflix concert documentary in April - it was obvious this was going to be one of the best live musical releases of the year, if not the decade. The singer-songwriter's groundbreaking 2018 Coachella performance overflows with richness, depth, powerful messaging and impeccable artistry.

It's impossible to overstate how incredible Homecoming is. The conceptual show, painstakingly crafted over an eight-month period, was inspired by America's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and is a loving ode to AfricanAmerican culture. Joined by more than 200 dancers and musicians, Beyoncé stuck a not-sopolite middle finger up to the festival's long-held hipster ‘flower crown’ image, flipping it on its head.

In terms of the music itself, Beyoncé revisited her extensive back catalogue and breathed new life into it. Miraculously she somehow managed to improve on her already flawless portfolio of hits. The nuances that come with a live performance are outstanding, particularly on Formation, Bow Down, I Care and Deja Vu, thanks to the additions of the orchestra, the intoxicating drumbeats, the brass band and clever combining of songs and sounds and special effects. To watch the concert, as it was intended is one thing, but to hear it as a live album is a genuine treat. Despite dancing almost solidly for the duration of the show, Beyoncé’s vocal does not waver once. Homecoming undeniably proves Beyoncé is probably our greatest living entertainer. She was the first black woman to ever headline Coachella, but boy; she was well and truly worth the wait. 10/10 (Review by Lucy Mapstone)