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In case you missed it, Beyonc\xe9\u2019s new album Renaissance is one of her most ambitious albums yet. On this week\u2019s episode of Switched On Pop, we discuss Renaissance with beloved guest Sam Sanders, host of the new Vulture podcast Into It. In Sanders\u2019 words: \u201cit\u2019s trying to do a lot\u201d \u2013\xa0but in the best way. The album incorporates seemingly every decade of contemporary popular dance music from Chic\u2019s \u201cGood Times\u201d to Right Said Fred\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m Too Sexy.\u201d\n\nMuch of the early discourse surrounding the album was marred by a confusing controversy over a small sample (we try to resolve the issue musicologically) \u2013 but the references on Renaissance are worth listening closely to, acting as a guide through essential dance music. The album is an homage to the black and queer innovators of dance; with samples and interpolations of songs both niche and mainstream flying by, like a DJ set curated by house music pioneers.\xa0\n\nOn Renaissance, Beyonc\xe9 goes out of her way to cite, credit and compensate her influences, resulting in a triumph of musical curation. Just look at \u201cAlien Superstar\u201d: the song credits twenty-four people, largely due to Beyonc\xe9\u2019s musical nods, rather than an exercise in boardroom style songwriting. Sanders says \u201cthe liner notes themselves are showing you that this woman and her team have a PhD in music history.\u201d\n\nListen to Switched On Pop to hear how Renaissance honors dance music innovators and finds new modes of expression in the genre.\xa0\n\nSubscribe to Into It with Sam Sanders\nListen on Apple Podcasts:\xa0https://bit.ly/3vE4jqf\nListen on Spotify:\xa0https://bit.ly/3bB7Vmf\nListen elsewhere:\xa0https://bit.ly/3BI0Nz0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices