Gorgeous Beyonce might be smarter than her dyed blond locks suggest. On "B'day," her second solo CD, the Destiny's Child diva chooses to cut heads with hard-edged hip-hop honeys rather than further her reputation as a Mariah-Whitney, note-stretching, saccharine R&B diva.
This 11-song album only embraces mushy R&B for the last two tracks. The rest is devoted to upbeat tempos and staccato vocals that would be harsh if the singer had less skill at octave-ripping acrobatics.
One of the big criticisms of Miss B is that she's a one- trick pony, but here she expands her stylistic reach, hustling into Missy Elliott and Mary J. Blige territory. No doubt this will disturb many fan who'll boo-hoo about the dearth of slow-mo wimp ballads. Yeah, we like our pop tarts sweet - you know like the old Beyoncé, who made "Dangerously in Love."
Beyoncé actually sounds dangerously in love, especially on the standout "Ring the Alarm" - a don't-mess-with-this-bitch rant where she half-raps and half-sings as sirens scream and ominous strings moan in the background.
It's a song you can read as a warning to other girls to keep away from her reluctant fiancé, Jay-Z. Speaking of the nuptial-dodging rap mogul, he assists his girl on a pair of songs, "Deja Vu" and "Upgrade U." Both are fast tracks in the vein of her megahit "Crazy in Love."
In addition to the driving hip-hop beats, there's a funk undercurrent that nicely surfaces in "Suga Mama" and "Green Light."
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