The Observer, September 15, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 3
Beyoncé's B'Day is no Dangerously in Love
You may not have known that Beyoncé Knowles' sophomore solo CD, entitled B'Day released on Sept. 5th (the day after the 25th birthday of the singer/songwriter/actress) was recorded in two weeks. Two weeks may not seem to be enough time to record the follow-up CD to a multi-Grammy award-winning album (Dangerously in Love), and it probably isn't.
B'Day is a 13-track mixture of up-tempo songs and slow jams, but many more of the former. The album has songs with an old school feel ("Resentment" and "Suga Mama"), and songs with a new school "woman with an attitude" vibe. Throughout the songs on the album, it seems as if Beyoncé wants to take her listeners on a journey with her. "Get Me Bodied" is a fun, energetic dance song intended to liven up any party. The first single released, "Déjà Vu," is about a woman who is very attracted to and in love with her man ("Your sexiness is so appealing, I can't let it go"). Beyoncé collaborates with her beau, rapper Jay-Z, on this song and another entitled "Upgrade U." In "Upgrade U," Beyoncé sings about a woman upgrading her man to the finer things in life and taking care of him. The beat of "Upgrade U" is excellent. The bass in the background, the sound of hands clapping, and a sporadic whistle give this song a very unique sound.
The journey of B'Day continues with "Ring the Alarm," the second single released from the album. Beyoncé seems to have released a lot of anger on this track – "Ring the alarm / I've been through this too long / But I'll be damned if I see another chick on your arm." The emotional intensity poured into this track adds to its overall creativity, which makes "Ring the Alarm" one of the best songs on B'Day.
The album reaches a pivotal point with the Neptunes-produced song "Green Light," when Beyoncé sings "Ain't no problem, you can go, and you'll find somebody else." With her undeniably powerful, emotional voice, Beyoncé makes it clear that the woman singing is over the games her man has played, and has given him the green light to leave the relationship and find somebody else.
But don't write off B'Day yet. The multi-talented Beyoncé isn't about to let her listener forget about her other projects: a hidden track on the album, "Liste,n" is also part of the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Beyoncé stars alongside Jamie Foxx in the movie remake of the classic musical Dreamgirls, which hits theaters in December 2006. In "Listen," she displays the incredible range and strength of her voice – much reminiscent of the song "Dangerously In Love 2" on her first solo album. Songs such as "Listen" separate Beyoncé from many of the dime-a-dozen hip-hop hotties and place her in a league of her own.
All in all, B'Day has a few great tracks, but it lacks strength compared to its predecessor. One of B'Day's greatest strengths is Beyoncé collaboration with Jay-Z, which was also one of Dangerously in Love's greatest successes. Jay-Z's raps tremendously enhance the first singles of both albums ("Crazy In Love" and "Déjà Vu"). While it is a stretch to say that B'Day will follow in the footsteps of Dangerously In Love, B'Day is a solid album that tells a story and has some well-produced songs with cool beats. This isn't an album you'd want to sit down and have a deep emotional experience with, but maybe that's the fun of it.
