Now that Destiny has finally been Fulfilled, Beyoncé is back with her sophomore effort, B’Day.
The album explodes into its first track, “Déjà Vu,” with live horns and drums signaling her return, reminiscent of “Crazy in Love” — fooling listeners into thinking they’re in store for the classic R&B tracks that Dangerously in Love brought us. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the album launches into a string of frenetic, seizure-inducing songs that are not at all the “Bee” that her fans have come to know and love.
“Get Me Bodied,” “Suga Mama,” and “Freekum Dress” are seemingly all a series of snare, bass, handclaps, and whistles—devoid of any actual soul and lyrical content. And though “Ring the Alarm” gets major cool-points for its unique concept—a loony girlfriend scorned, intent on keeping her lover through any means necessary—it, too, falls into the same category as the aforementioned songs (not to mention that the song itself is a bit creepy…).
Ironically, what salvages B’Day from total disaster is not the team of titans she enlists as producers (The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, Rich Harrison); it’s the soaring soprano that has garnered her nine Grammy awards and countless number-one singles. On “Upgrade U” featuring Jay-Z, the star song of the album, Ms. Knowles is at the top of her vocal game when she wails over the bridge, “Your dynasty ain’t complete without a chief like me”—a very accurate statement describing her and Jigga’s reign over the hip-hop world. And as psychotic as “Ring the Alarm” is, she shows exactly why she started and ended as lead singer of Destiny’s Child.
B’Day is only a recommended buy if one would like to see another side of Beyonce’—a frenzied, overly-sexual (see “Kitty Kat”) singer who was maybe a little too anxious to release her second LP. While the style of most of the tracks is her usual, catchy blend of pop and R&B, one can’t help but notice the “biting” of other artists: on “Green Light,” Amerie’s signature riff is clear on the end of each chorus, and the “diamonds on my neck” on “Kitty Kat” is an obvious snatch from Kelis (not to mention the screaming on “Alarm”). When push comes to shove, the music isn’t bad, but it’s just not her caliber material…it’s not her. Maybe if Bee would have taken more than two weeks to record this effort, we would have had an original, solid R&B album like Dangerously in Love—instead of Dangerously on the Brink of Insanity.
2.5 stars out of 5
Key tracks: “Upgrade U feat. Jay-Z,” & “Ring the Alarm”
Tags: Beyonce, Jay-Z, Vocalz
CAVITIES