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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
History may prove Beyoncé's B'Day to be a rare double-whammy of an achievement. Not only is it destined to hold up as one of the thumpingest, most polished-sounding discs of 2006, it's also bound to loose a new phrase into the popular lexicon: a "freekum dress" (n.), as described on a same-named track halfway through this excellent CD, is a "right-fittin'" garment owned by every woman; "when they act wrong, that's when you put it on." Linguistic hijinks aside, here is Beyoncé as the public rarely sees her: fully liberated and artistically fearless. "Ring the Alarm," a big-banging, fire-alarm-clanging wake-up call to a cheating man, finds her seething; "Kitty Kat," a feline-like size-up of a stale relationship helped along by the still innovative Neptunes, shows her spurned; the womanly, fire-in-the-belly come-on "Suga Mama" gets her way, way worked up; and the crackling, vocally volcanic "Resentment" steeps her in Aretha-caliber soul. For all the disc's solo trailblazing, though, where it really soars is on one of two duets with Jay-Z: While "Up Grade U" chugs along entertainingly enough about the good life ("I'm talkin' spa bags and fly pads and rooms at the Bloomberg"), opener "Deja Vu" blasts out a bomp-bomp beat nobody with a head to nod could resist. Cake, candles, and Cristal or no, B'Days rarely get this good. --Tammy La Gorce

More from Beyoncé and Destiny's Child

Dangerously in Love, Beyoncé	#1's, Destiny's Child	Destiny Fulfilled, Destiny's Child
Survivor, Destiny's Child	Live in Atlanta (DVD), Destiny's Child	Destiny's Child: The Platinum's on the Wall (DVD)

Album Description
Japanese pressing of 2006 album features 15 tracks including bonus international versions, 2 hidden tracks and the Japan only track 'Creole'. Sony.

Album Details
2006 Edition of the Former Destiny's Child Frontwoman's Sophomore Album, Produced by her Beau Jay-z. Includes the Bonus Track "Creole", Available Only on this Edition.

Customer Reviews: Read 452 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Bee Stings On Her B'Day September 5, 2006
158 out of 181 found this review helpful

After listening to this cd, the first question I asked myself is "Is Beyonce leaving R&B or is she taking R&B in another direction"? Beyonce stings like a bee with such fire, it seems she is channeling the great Tina Turner and it seems she may be considering other genres to express herself. She has the vocal power and star quality to pull it off. I decided to review this album differently by not talking about each song, but to point out what I think are the good and bad parts of this cd.

THE BAD:
Only 10 songs? If Xtina over did it with her new album, Beyonce under did it with hers. Most today's artists put at least 12-14 songs and considering the fact that Beyonce recorded over 22 songs for this cd, don't be surprise if she (re)releases a "new and improved version" of B'Day.

No "Magic" Song. There are no songs on the cd that can match classics like "Crazy in Love", "Independent Women" "Say My Name" or "Bootylicious". The quality of her songwriting has dropped a bit.

Re-using old ideas. The song "Get Bodied" is nothing more but a part 2 of "Jumpin, Jumpin" and we all know that "Deja Vu" is "Crazy In Love" cheaper sister.

Checking other people styles. "Ring The Alarm" owes Kelis for its vibe and I didn't have to look at the credits to know Rich Harrison produced "Freakum Dress" and "Suga Mama".

Tired of Jay Z. I rather Beyonce not rely on him so much for her street cred.

THE GOOD:
"Freakum" will become the new word in the hood and probably make its way to mainstream America.

Give credit to the right people. The Producers. They gave her some of the sickest beats I ever heard. Even if there is no real melody, you cannot help but respect the beats.

Channeling Tina Turner. Taking Tina's funkiness, fire and sassiness, then mixing it with Hip Hop and youth is not a bad idea. A TRUE rock-soul album is something Beyonce should consider in the future. Beyonce's voice is like fire on this cd.

Taking risks. Some of the hardcore R&B fans may be disappointed because she is doing something different, but doing something different is what makes an artist grow.

In conclusion, the good certainly outweighs the bad. However, this album could have been so much better if she had taken more than three weeks to work on it. What hurts this cd is the song quality (the lyrics are not that hot, although the subject is) and it is the producers that saves this cd. Rating is 3.5.

Best songs are: Suga Mama, Kitty Kat, Irreplaceable, Resentment and Upgrade U.

Also, please check out other songs that didn't make B'Day "Lost Yo Mind" and "Creole"

5 out of 5 stars

Happy Birthday B! September 5, 2006
54 out of 94 found this review helpful

How many people can say that they released their second solo album on their twenty fifth birthday? And while you're considering that, how many people can list singing, songwriting, producing, acting, fashion design and NINE Grammy Awards on their twenty five year old resume?

When you're this talented, it's hard to live up to your own reputation, and the pressure to keep putting out fresh material must be tremendous. However, it is said that Beyonce recorded this album in two weeks, delivering it to her record company with a big smile on her face as she watched their jaws dropping.

Of course it doesn't hurt to have Jay-Z handy to get your back, and of course the ever present Neptunes, Swizz Beatz and other talented producers sweating with you while you do it, and as a result, first single "Déjà vu" (featuring Jay-Z) is already a radio smash hit internationally. Equally catchy is the second single "Ring The Alarm", a high energy dance track guaranteed to get you moving. A slower track with great potential is "Irreplaceable", one of the best songs on the album in my humble opinion. The chorus is unparalleled in recent times, and this is the track I've been playing repeatedly. "Resentment" is a slightly reworked version of the song by Victoria (Mrs. David / Posh Spice) Beckham, but this track isn't one you'd like at first listen. Another hot dance track is "Get Me Bodied", and for a little retro you can try "Suga Mama".

Some of the tracks are standard fare for Beyonce, and although good, they don't represent a musical stretch for her. That said, if anybody else had sung them, they'd probably be considered outstanding tracks, but that only reflects our high expectations for the birthday girl. Anyway, I've been twenty five for long enough to know that it's a very good year, so get this today and celebrate with Beyonce, one of the leading lights of the entertainment industry. Who knows? Maybe her next album will be titled W'ding, and what an album that will be!

Amanda Richards, September 5, 2006

3 out of 5 stars

"I'm not feeling it! I'm not feeling it!" September 17, 2006
39 out of 57 found this review helpful

The aforementioned line, taken from cut #6 ("KItty Kat") pretty much sums up how this reviewer feels about "B'Day." Unlike her contemporaries that possess bodacious anatomies, Miss Knowles also has a decent voice. Sadly, the majority of the songs on the album are rather routine and don't showcase her voice to its best advantage. With the exception of "Deya Vu," the first half of the album could've easily been done by B in her Destiny's Child days and show no growth as a performer.
In fact, "Déjà vu's" success lies in the images from the video version: Beyonce cavorting, in various stages of dress, throughout the Louisiana landscape.

Only on "Kitty Kat", "Irreplaceable" and "Resentment" does the singer get a chance to show the talent of which she is capable. In addition the un-credited "Encore for the Fans" includes a song from the forthcoming "Dreamgirls" entitled "Listen". Though the song would've been better suited for someone with a powerhouse voice like Patti Labelle or Fantasia, Beyonce does exhibit a slight maturity that gives a glimpse of her future...given that she gets with the right producer.

She is an artist that is destined for a long career in the biz. Hopefully, she will be allowed to grow and develop into a legend that she seems destined to become.

And her "B'Day" will certainly be better celebrated than on this disc.

1 out of 5 stars

Even If This Was a Soundtrack, It Would Be Bad September 13, 2006
30 out of 37 found this review helpful

I have been listening to B-Day for over a week now and it still hasn't grown on me. For someone who has been singing for over a decade and producing hit after hit, she should have known better than to put out something so trite. Before I hear from all of those who feel people who wrote something negative are "haters", let me make something clear. I am NOT a hater. I am a singer and a musician and I have been a performer for many years. I am surely not a hater but I am certainly entitled to express my opinion. We are all entitled to express our disssatisfaction from an artist who usually puts out good music. Let us vent. "smile"

Now I've seen Beyonce on numerous shows being interviewed regarding the album and she says that she was speaking in the voice of her character and she wrote songs in accordance with the role. Okay, that still doesn't explain why after hearing this album, nothing is left with you and you feel very empty. I stated in my title that even if this was a soundtrack, it would be a bad album. That is my feeling. Because to this day I still listen to the Waiting to Exhale and Bodyguard soundtracks and it's timeless. Those albums voiced the character and it was still done with quality. This is supposed to be her album and not a soundtrack, and therefore, very dissappointing.

For all of you that love the album, you have spoke and now I will.

I believe she needs to mature in the songwriting department. The songs are trifling and written as if a teenager wrote them. The hooks and lyrics are juvenile and doesn't resonate with someone who has been in the music business for as many years as she has. Also, how many more sexed up songs is Beyonce going to put out. Enough already. We are all sexual beings but that's not all we are. Beyonce would do herself and all the rest of her fans a favor by showing more depth.

I am a New Yorker and have been here my whole life and "us New Yorkers" were discussing this album and are trying to figure out if this is the only thing that goes on with Creoles in Texas. We are confused that she hasn't grown up. I was speaking to women I work with and also hanging out with guys in the barbershop where my brother gets his hair cut and no one is liking this album. These are her fans. People are saying that she's trying something different. This is not different, it's tasteless and shallow and an insult to all of us who love music and have loved her music thus far.

I don't want to keep beating a dead horse. My brother says that this album will go platinum just on her name alone and I was very sad to hear that. Maybe she needs Destiny's Child or maybe she needs her dad to continue to direct her career again but this album is certainly not something I would buy and am not buying.

For those of you who want to hear it, subscribe to Real Rhapsody and for under $10.00 a month you can hear many albums for free without having to waste your money and write reviews like "Refund" which surely, if I had bought it, I would be asking for one too.

Sorry, can't write anything good about it!

1 out of 5 stars

Beyoncé and Jay-Z: The New Sonny And Cher September 7, 2006
20 out of 27 found this review helpful

Now that Nick and Jessica are no more, the award for most annoying musical couple goes to Beyoncé and Jay-Z. It'll only get worse after they get married, too. Then there will be the token messy divorce, and Beyoncé will undoubtedly release another album all about inner strength and female empowerment and win massive accolades and Grammy awards. Which will be a refreshing change of pace from her sophomore album and current train wreck, "B'Day".

I must admit, I enjoyed her first solo record. I thought it was a well-made guilty pleasure R&B album chock-full of catchy singles, and was the type of record that you could listen to from beginning to end without thinking "Ugh, what the hell is this?" and pressing either the fast forward or eject buttons. So I was thus looking forward to her second oeuvre, which I preordered from the iTunes Music Store. They won me over with the promise of the tacked-on "bonus tracks", which inevitably turned out to be more like "punishment tracks", since they should have remained on the cutting room floor. They were extended versions and remixes of the first two tracks on the album "Deja Vu" and "Get Me Bodied", respectively. Also included were bonus tracks "Lost Yo Mind" and "Listen", a song from Beyoncé's upcoming movie, "Dreamgirls". The song was embarrasing, and would have gotten her rejected from "American Idol", due to its off-key ending and boring, sloppy lyrics. Her voice isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, as she could most certainly out-sing Ashanti or Jennifer Lopez or any of her MTV generation twentysomething competitors by leaps and bounds. The problem is that she can't really decide if she wants to be the next Tina Turner or the next Whitney Houston. Her upbeat, jazzy, electrified numbers such as "Crazy In Love", "Naughty Girl", or her current single "Deja Vu", suggest to me that she would be better suited to go the Tina Turner route. But if Beyoncé wants to go the Whitney Houston route, she should get Ashford and Simpson on her speed dial real quick. Because after listening to her latest release, it becomes painfully aware that she can't pull off doing a little bit of both. The catchier numbers on this album include "Deja Vu", "Get Me Bodied", "Freakum Dress", and "Green Light", however, "Suga Mama", "Upgrade U" (featuring Jay-Z), and "Kitty Kat" fail to catch fire. The latter is a complete disaster, as it features Beyoncé singing to her "Kitty Kat" about how her no good, deadbeat man doesn't want her body any more. "What about my body body/you don't want my body body/let's go...Kitty Kat". Not even the production values of the omnipresent Neptunes can salvage this disaster, since Pharrell Williams apparently gave Beyoncé some of his crappiest beats to accompany Beyoncé's crappy lyrics. "Ring The Alarm" is a shrill, angry waste of three minutes and twenty three seconds. It sounds like Beyoncé was screaming at her no good man over speakerphone. Such rage belongs on an Alanis Morissette album. It certainly doesn't work in B's favor. The album finishes with a couple of slower songs, "Irreplaceable" and "Resentment". The former is a stern message to an ex: "I can have another you by tomorrow/Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable" and the latter features a bitter woman singing "...[B]ut I'm much too full of resentment." You will be too after you realize how much money you just wasted on this musical disaster. In the album's liner notes, Ms. Knowles mentions the fact that she had an amazing few weeks putting this album together. That's precisely the problem-the disc was thrown together entirely too fast, simply for the sake of releasing an album. And it shows. I recommend downloading "Deja Vu" and maybe "Freakum Dress", "Get Me Bodied", and "Green Light" from the iTunes Music Store. The rest is nothing but pure filler material.

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