| | Full Review | Ratings (227) |
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| 1.5 very poor | Ossacip Olbap | November 22nd 23 |
imagine having pipes and wasting them on this shit
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| 0.0 | | November 14th 12 |
At least one tactic or event preceding the release of Beyoncé's second solo album inspired a bemused three-syllable exclamation from anyone who was paying attention. The lead single, the late-'70s-funk-inspired "Deja Vu," had the audacity to not be as monstrous as "Crazy in Love" -- its stay at the top of the charts was relatively brief, so clearly there was evidence of some drop-off there. This was quickly followed by "Ring the Alarm," an angered, atonal, and out-of-character song with an accompanying video that invited all kinds of perplexed analysis, along with debate on whether Beyoncé was being autobiographical or, as the singer claimed, channeling her Dreamgirls character. All of this gave the haters plenty of ammo when anything less than 100 percent polite, ladylike, and expected was bound to do the trick. Add to this an album title that can be pronounced just like "bidet," along with the advertisement that the album's ten songs were whipped up in two weeks, and you have yourself a career-killing train wreck. B'day isn't even close to that. While Beyoncé does sound like she's in a bit of a hurry throughout the album, and there are no songs with the smooth elegance of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You," it is lean in a beneficial way, propelled by just as many highlights as the overlong Dangerously in Love. Two collaborations with Rich Harrison swagger and preen: "Been locked up in the house way too long/It's time to get it, 'cause once again he's out doing wrong" (the blaring/marching "Freakum Dress"); "Don't give me no lip, let mama do it all" (the spectacularly layered "Suga Mama"). The Neptunes assist on "Green Light," an ambitious, fleet-footed number that continually switches tempos and sounds, as well as "Kitty Kat," a deceptively sweet, rainbow-colored track -- where what sounds like purrs are more like claws-out dismissals -- that could've been pulled from one of the first three Kelis albums. And even with an entirely bonkers line like "I can do for you what Martin did for the people," "Upgrade U" is the most potent track on the album, a low-slung Cameron Wallace production where Beyoncé wears and buys the pants while making her proposition sound more like empowerment than emasculation. If the circus surrounding this whole thing -- which could take up to ten pages to document -- was an elaborate ploy to transform Beyoncé into an underdog, there really is some kind of genius at play, but it's extremely unlikely that anyone in her camp could've predicted that the expectations and reactions would be less rational than any of Beyoncé's decisions and actions. There is nothing desperate or weak about this album.
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| 0.0 | TheSupernatural | August 7th 12 |
Should I judge her on the quality of her music or her personality? Both are insulting to the human race.
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| 3.0 good | Dave de Sylvia EMERITUS | October 3rd 06 |
Beyoncé joined a growing number of popstars to declare their work a "masterpiece" twenty minutes after recording it, joining the likes of Justin Timberlake and Brandon Flowers in a club I don't really want to go to.
Ms. Knowles decided to cut short her musical hiatus and record the album after finishing her role as an abused singer in 'Dreamgirls,' adding that she felt the need to express what she felt her character should have. Supposedly written and recorded in 2 weeks, B'Day is the product of her suffering.
First off, it's not no masterpiece, no. Secondly, it's not too bad either. Beyoncé got hold of the best producers around: Rodney Jackson, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz and co-wrote nine songs (plus a Victoria Beckham cover). Swizz Beatz's contribution is immense: his beats make 'Ring The Alarm' one of the best singles of recent times, while the shouted blues 'Get Me Bodied' is another highlight.
Jay-Z guests on two tracks: lead single 'Déja Vu' and 'Upgrade U.' Neither song lives up to Jay's legacy (the former would have been better had he been given more time), but the real disappointment here is Pharrell, whose contributions 'Kitty Kat' and 'Green Light' would register as low points on any album, let alone a pretty good one.
B'Day is no masterpiece, but it's more fun than you can have without risking personal injury.
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| 3.5 great | Snuron | April 1st 24 |
| 3.0 good | Halez | June 1st 23 |
| 3.0 good | osey | October 19th 22 |
| 3.0 good | MvdW | September 6th 22 |
| 3.0 good | Veldin | August 8th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | Nadigg | February 5th 20 |
| 3.0 good | furpa | September 10th 19 |
| 3.5 great | fog CONTRIBUTOR | August 30th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | solrage | February 10th 19 |
| 1.5 very poor | xuewen | March 6th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | kclark13 | February 23rd 18 |
| 3.0 good | Alex61 | December 14th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | kb3984 | December 3rd 17 |
| 3.5 great | A.R.O. STAFF | March 30th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | ekdahl | May 15th 16 |
| 3.0 good | Henry | February 11th 16 |
| 3.0 good | NLD | June 5th 15 |
| 3.0 good | Minaja | March 21st 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Krimea | December 24th 14 |
| 1.5 very poor | Jackus | July 22nd 14 |
| 4.5 superb | miyo | May 4th 14 |
| 2.5 average | Pndi | January 28th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | bosslady | December 15th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Caelum | December 13th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Surette | December 13th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Syiman | December 1st 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | TheMrs | July 23rd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | declanl | April 2nd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kibj411 | March 23rd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | arcane | December 25th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Jiraiya | November 16th 12 |
| 1.0 awful | Zo0lz | April 29th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | AMGuide | November 3rd 10 |
| 2.5 average | morrissey EMERITUS | August 29th 10 |
| 3.0 good | kojpl | October 1st 09 |
| 2.5 average | Taylor | June 2nd 09 |
| 3.0 good | BSX | November 4th 08 |
| 2.5 average | thebhoy | October 13th 08 |
| 2.0 poor | JTV | August 24th 07 |
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