No Angel (Beyoncé song)
A chillwave midtempo song with elements of R&B, hip hop and trap music, "No Angel" features a minimalistic production and instrumentation consisting mostly of bass.It features various landscape shots of the city as well as close-ups of numerous people, including ten Houston-based rappers; Beyoncé also appears, dressed in white outside a dilapidated house in Melbourne, Australia.[1] They stayed in the studio for a week and when the duo was asked to submit the tracks to Beyoncé's team, Polachek added one song with complete production and a missing verse she had written while being on tour in the United Kingdom and learning how to use Ableton Live.[8][9] Its instrumentation consists of mostly heavy bass, a counterpoint bassline and multiple finger snaps,[8][9] in addition to chiming and refracted 1980s soft rock synths and percussive thump.[22] Beyoncé sings the lines "[u]nderneath the pretty face is something complicated / I come with a side of trouble / But I know that's why you're staying" in the song aimed to inform her "roguish" male lover.[25] Fuse's Mark Sundstrom interpreted the song's message as talking about the singer's husband Jay-Z and added "She loves him more because she knows him entirely, accepting he's not perfect or without a past".[26] Describing the song as "gorgeous", Anupa Mistry of Spin magazine noted influences by Solange Knowles and added that "she's cool with being pitchy and imperfect".[28] Bradley Stern from the website MuuMuse called the song one of the album's more "left-leaning productions" saying that it would sound suitable for Solange Knowles' work with Dev Hynes.noted that songs on the album, such as "No Angel", effectively display genre diversity, Beyoncé's vocal range and "a penchant of musical experimentation".[5] Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph called the slow track "more groove than an actual song" and praised Beyoncé's vocals "flipping sensuously between breathy falsetto and deep come-on".[10] Complex editor Claire Lobenfeld called "No Angel" part of the darker material on the record and described the singer's vocal performance as "an apparition singing over a lost Bowie-Prince collaboration"."[14] Cosmopolitan journalist Alex Rees noted how it was normal for the singer to sound "breathy" and "breathless" following four songs in a row on the album discussing sex.[13] Jordan Runtagh from the website VH1 called "No Angel" a "classic fake-out love song" and connected to the singer's real-life relationship with husband Jay-Z.[35] Both Christopher R. Weingarten of Spin and Tom Breihan of Stereogum called the song "boring";[13] the latter added it would be that way for listeners "until that subtle digital bassline finds its way into your head".[40] The visual for "No Angel" features cameo appearances by ten rappers of the Houston hip hop scene: Bun B, Kirko Bangz, Willie D, Lil' Keke, Scarface, Slim Thug, Trae tha Truth, Paul Wall, Z-Ro and Johnny Dang.During several scenes, Beyoncé is seen lip-syncing the song wearing a white-hooded fur mink coat and a matching one piece in front of a tumbledown house holding a Boxer on a leash.Brandon Soderberg of Vice magazine referred to the clip as one of the album's best moments and a "touching, patient trip" through Houston's hip hop subculture.[40] Brandon Soderberg of the same publication noted that the video "captures the communal spirit of regional rap scenes expertly, and a star as big as Beyoncé, who is indeed from Houston, putting on for the incredibly influential, still rather slept-on hip-hop culture of the city helps more than it hurts".[43] Mark Sundstrom from Fuse felt that it made sense, "both sonically and visually" that the video was shot in Houston and noted many "fun" appearances by different hip hop artists.[49] Whitney Phaneuf of the website HitFix put it at the position of eleven from the album's seventeen videos, describing it as "old school", adding that its sole focus was Houston's local street culture.[52] Vanity Fair reviewer Michelle Collins noted that the video documented Beyoncé's life in the city while growing up before she became a renowned pop star.Sharing what he perceived to be "key" moments in each of the seventeen music videos, Walker of MTV identified one for "No Angel" where Beyoncé "proves she comes 'with a side of trouble'".[55]"No Angel" was performed live for the first time by Beyoncé at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on August 25, as part of a medley of her self-titled album.[58] In early August 2014, Brooklyn-based singer Tei Shi released a cover of "No Angel" with a different arrangement from the original version; the song was more upbeat and contained elements of chill music.
BeyoncéStudioLondonJungle City StudiosOven StudiosNew York CityChillwaveParkwoodColumbiaComposer(s)Caroline PolachekBeyoncé KnowlesLyricist(s)James FauntleroyProducer(s)YouTubeself-titled fifth studio albumChairliftPatrick Wimberlyhip hoptrap musicminimalisticvocal registerfalsettobreathymusic criticsmusic videoHouston, TexasHoustonMelbourne2014 MTV Video Music AwardsSolange KnowlesAbleton Liveoctavesynths and drum programmingAndrew Schepsaudio mixingmasteredSterling Soundcounterpointbasslinefinger snapssoft rocksynthspercussive thumpBoogiedistortion musical effectIdolatorelectronicBillboardThe New York TimesJody RosenPrinceGreg KotChicago TribuneComplexasthmaticchorusFinancial Timesindie-R&BThe Vergeextended playDev HynesBurialAssociated PressEntertainment WeeklyThe 405The QuietusExclaim!The Star-LedgerThe GuardianThe Daily TelegraphKitty EmpireThe ObserverRolling StoneCosmopolitanUnder the RadarStereogumThe Irish TimesiTunes Storedirectorcreative directorParkwood EntertainmentFrenchy's ChickenKirko BangzWillie DLil' KekeScarfaceSlim ThugTrae tha TruthPaul WallJohnny DangThird WardFourth WardMacGregor ParkDJ Screwfast motionslow motionMelbourne, AustraliaThe Mrs. Carter Show World TourHouston RocketsJames Hardenfuel tanksubcultureMTV NewsRefinery29Time OutHitFixThe FaderVanity FairGrand Theft AutoHouston ChronicleHouston AstrodomeThe Galleriasex industrypunditsHauntedTei Shichill musicWritingProductionengineeringMasteringDirectors of photographyProduction companyStylists