Search - Beyonce :: B'day [Deluxe Edition]

Could be better...but not bad by any means

aHappyCamper | Los Angeles, California, USA | 03/31/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Definitely an "Upgrade" and necessary revision of her previous load of scraps album B'day the original! I didn't purchase the original B'Day because I knew I would be ripped off paying 10+ dollars for a ~9 track album that Beyonce finished in two weeks! However, this revised copy was not too bad, and should've been the original B'day.



The album is overall VERY consistent, but at the same time it doesn't really have any groundbreaking masterpiece song that boasts the quality of Beyonce's previous "Crazy In Love", "Speechless", Be With You", "Me Myself and I" masterpiece tunes featured in "Dangerously In Love". The only ones that come to mind is "Listen", "Irreplaceable", and "Amor Gitano". "Listen" basically exposes Beyonce's voice for what it is, moderately powerful when it needs to be, and a good depiction of her necessary emotion and shades of soul and impressive range(she belts out an Eb5 in FULL VOICE!). Her voice truly does shine on this piece, and definitely solidifies her as one of the top five singing divas of today's modern age. The lyrics are also virtually immaculate, which always helps tons in a ballad! It is overall, one of Beyonce's better songs in her inventory, and quite possibly, her best ballad. "Irreplaceable" was milked to death over the radio, but it was a huge hit for Beyonce, and for good reason. A very catchy pop tune where Beyonce's voice soars with its attitude and supporting guitar sounds in the back. "Amor Gitano" is a fierce duet between Alejandro Fernandez and Beyonce. An upbeat, infectious Spanish tune. The rest of the album is tolerable, very consistent, and filled with mostly third and fourth single potential songs that are spread evenly throughout track list. However, some of the songs don't have the necessary hook or production that are necessary to catch the listener's ear upon first hearing. The beats are loud, chaotic, and work well for clubs, but in a more reserved audio or speaker system, the some of the songs' weaknesses and lack of melodic production might appear stale at times. It would also be nice if Beyonce could showcase that melodic voice of hers from time to time! The only song in here that showcases her impressive vocals and range is pretty much, "Listen" and "Resentment".



One thing about this is the overall new sound Beyonce took. Not an innovative sound by any means, and pretty much absent of the robotic, futuristic sounds of Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds, but it's a far cry from Beyonce's previous "Dangerously In Love". While "Dangerously In Love" focused more on R&B, slow sultry sounds, this album's focus was more on chaotic, dance tunes, without the electronica tint. So fans who are expecting R&B sounds or electronically dance infused pop music should be warned right now. 4/5 stars."