In one of the most surprising moves of her career, pop superstar Beyonce released her fifth album, the self-titled Beyonce, Dec. 13 through the online iTunes stores without previous announcement of the release. Despite the relative quietness of the release, it has risen to the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart making Beyonce the first female artist to have five consecutive albums holding the spot in their first week.

The lack of an extensive advertising campaign, chart-topping singles and talk show appearances made the release of Beyonce an almost unprecedented event for an artist as famous as the 32 year old singer. Beyonce fans at CHS were some of the many to listen to the new album since its release.

“Beyoncé’s new album is spectacular,” senior Lacy Findley said. “The amount of detail in each song is wonderful.”

Despite positive reviews from professional critics such as The A.V. Club and Entertainment Weekly, both of which gave the album an A-, some students are not yet sure whether this new album meets the standard that has been set by the singer’s previous work.

“I have mixed feelings about the album,” senior Ellie Rabinovitz said. “On one hand I think it’s great she is doing different styles but I am more of a classic Beyoncé fan. Regardless she is amazing.

According to Findley, Beyonce’s ability to create the album without a leak occurring proves her influence as an artist.

“The fact that Beyoncé was able to have this unknown release demonstrates just how much power she has,” Findley said. It takes hundreds of people to make a visual album, and not a single one leaked a word. That’s power.”

Another distinct feature of the album is the addition of 17 new music videos, one for each of the album’s songs as well as a bonus video for the song “Grown Woman.”

“I think they are a great addition to the album and really show off her talent as a performer, actress, and artist,” Rabinovitz said.