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Beyonce's Album Gets Bad Reviews... First Look: Beyonce's New Album 'B'Day'
Thursday , August 17, 2006 By Roger Friedman Beyonce's 'B'Day' | Bruno Kirby; Cynthia Nixon Beyonce: New Album 'B'Day,' First Look Imagine if Whitney Houston never had Clive Davis steering her career for those first few important image-defining albums. The result would have been Beyonce Knowles ’ new "B'Day," the follow up to her huge-selling debut album "Dangerously in Love." "B'Day" launches on September 5, one day after Beyonce’s real 25th birthday. Last night I got to hear tracks from the new album after a short listening party concluded at a Regent St. nightclub in London. Click Here for the Music Center Beyonce and her mother, Tina, turned up for the event and stayed a little over an hour, then bolted for greener pastures at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I was told that one day earlier, the singer and her parents made an appearance for Sony execs and played the album for them. Beyonce’s world is made up of family, and they are close-knit business partners. Her dad, Matthew, is her controversial manager. Her mom makes her outfits. Her sister Solange sings and gets writing credits on her songs, as does a similarly named cousin, Angela Beyince. More importantly, her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, casts a huge influence over her sound. The result of so many cooks in the kitchen, and none of them objective, is that post-Destiny’s Child Beyonce serves up a mixed bag of Tina Turner-inspired videos, shrill singing and invariably tuneless songs. Her biggest hit, "Crazy in Love," was an invention of producer Rich Harrison that was heavily sampled from an old Chi Lites song called "Am I Your Woman?" written largely by the late great Eugene Record. Harrison then took the major elements of that song and reworked them for several more artists, including Usher and Jennifer Lopez. But on "B'Day," there is no Chi Lites song to act as a saving grace. The closest they come to a defining single is "Déjà Vu," written and produced by Rodney Jerkins with a team he’s used on Lopez’s records, among others. Jay-Z contributes an extended rap and appears in the video. The song is catchy if you hear it enough times — like a sidewalk drill — but it lacks a consistent melody. I am told that focus groups (yes — can you imagine?) don’t care for it. A London radio DJ told me last night that "Déjà Vu" and Justin Timberlake’s new "Sexyback" recently tied for least-liked records in his station’s polling. Ouch! That isn’t to say that "B'Day" doesn’t have its charms, or its hits. They’re just not by the cynical people who created this thing or have the most to gain from it. A clever ballad called "Irreplaceable" is the most memorable track, and has the most potential of catching on with fans quickly. It’s also the only song on "B'Day" that you might actually want to sing along to, written and produced by Stargate, an anonymous Norwegian pop hit production team akin to Max Martin’s boy band factory of a few years ago. (As with all the songs, Matthew Knowles makes sure his daughter gets a songwriting credit and publishing royalty on "Irreplaceable," a sop for making the composers rich. Knowles, like Celine Dion’s husband before him and other managers of contemporary singers, is canny to do this, since there is no such thing as a performance royalty. In years to come, when the records aren’t selling, Beyonce will have that money to look forward to. That’s one thing Whitney didn’t do and likely regrets now.) The other potential hit from "B'Day" is the bluesier soul number called "Green Light," written and produced by melody makers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes. "Green Light" precedes "Irreplaceable" late in the album’s running order (they’re 8 and 9, respectively, not usual spots for singles), but the well-made song stands out as the album's possible chart redemption once "Déjà Vu" has run its course as Beyonce’s club hit. Among the tracks that sound less obvious — and more tired — are the next planned single, "Ring the Alarm." It features an extremely annoying siren and is accompanied by a bizarre video depicting a wildly angry and unappealing Beyonce telling off someone (maybe Jay-Z?) for cheating as if she were an enraged guest on Maury Povich. The pair of Harrison-produced tries at "Crazy in Love" fall short of originality but mimic the Chi Lites percussion section yet again. Harrison is like the Indiana Jones of soul, constantly pulling out forgotten gems of the past for sampling. This time, in "Suga Mama," he quotes heavily from Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers’ “Searching for Soul.” You can hear the original funk instrumental at www.pandora.com, a Web site created in 2000 by the Music Genome Project to catalog obscure music. I’ve no doubt that Harrison is a subscriber. You can’t help but think: Thank God someone wrote music in the past that can be repurposed now. So, where does that leave Beyonce? In the next few weeks, before the Grammy deadline expires on September 30, we’re going to have new and similar endeavors from Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and Sean "Diddy" Combs. They will each be billed as “hot” and “sexy.” They will all be pushing some envelope in a bid for publicity and attention at a time when the music industry desperately needs a hit. They will also, to some degree, promote monotony. In Beyonce’s case, she may have the upper hand. For Christmas, she’ll co-star in the big-screen version of "Dreamgirls," which I told you looks to be an Oscar nominee, based on a presentation at the Cannes Film Festival in May. One new song from "Dreamgirls," called "Listen" — “co-written” by Beyonce with the musical’s original composers — is included on "B'Day" as a “hidden track.” If the two projects — "B'day" and "Dreamgirls" — arrive with any synergy, then it won’t matter if "B'Day" suffers from a sophomore slump. Bruno Kirby; Cynthia Nixon; Old Book News | |
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banks said: By Roger Friedman I stopped reading there.  | |
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I have to disagree. The thing people don't give Beyonce credit for is how hard she works and the fact that writes her material.
There may come a time when she decides to become a mother or maybe the record companies will feature new singers. But the thing is by her writing her own stuff she'll always receive residual income to sustain her for life. Same with the early Mariah, she always wrote her own songs. Our hero Prince can sit down and tell us all how important this is. "The first time I saw the cover of Dirty Mind in the early 80s I thought, 'Is this some drag queen ripping on Freddie Prinze?'" - Some guy on The Gear Page | |
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I pray for the demise of B's career more than I pray for a good Madonna movie! | |
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Blender Magazine just rated it 4 out of 5 stars
This is the first negative review its gotten thus far. [Edited 8/18/06 15:53pm] love is a fate resigned memories mar my mind love it is a fate resigned Over futile odds and laughed at by the Gods and now the final frame Love is a losing game | |
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Scorpion said: Blender Magazine just rated it 4 out of 5 stars
This is the first negative review its gotten thus far. [Edited 8/18/06 15:53pm] Well I'm not looking forward to this album or anything but there are two words in that article that didn't seem right to me....Roger Friedman. He's the worst hack entertainment reporter ever. Honestly probably didn't even hear the album! And what the fuck is this.... (As with all the songs, Matthew Knowles makes sure his daughter gets a songwriting credit and publishing royalty on "Irreplaceable," a sop for making the composers rich. Knowles, like Celine Dion’s husband before him and other managers of contemporary singers, is canny to do this, since there is no such thing as a performance royalty. In years to come, when the records aren’t selling, Beyonce will have that money to look forward to. That’s one thing Whitney didn’t do and likely regrets now.) Someone is making a strong impilcation! Celine Dion rarely gets writing credits and if she had some sort of deal that doesn't mean Beyonce had on, too. She's had songwriting credits for years before she was a star...so did some of the other girls on other songs! Why doesn't anybody call Friedman out for the scumbag he is? [Edited 8/18/06 16:34pm] | |
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carlcranshaw said: I have to disagree. The thing people don't give Beyonce credit for is how hard she works and the fact that writes her material.
There may come a time when she decides to become a mother or maybe the record companies will feature new singers. But the thing is by her writing her own stuff she'll always receive residual income to sustain her for life. Same with the early Mariah, she always wrote her own songs. Our hero Prince can sit down and tell us all how important this is. She doesn't write her own material at all. There are over half a dozen co-songwriters on her "hits", most of which are credits for samples. Get over it, Beyonce and her ilk may be the cream of r n b at the moment, but all they are is marrow-sucking cannibals. 
Anyway, why do you need her when you've got Kelis right there. Her fourth album is pretty good, and she's got that whole gritty hip-hop/r n b thing down to the point where she;s fused the genres. Beyonce is just a corporate experiment made good. She's a beauty with a booty and a good voice, but her music's boring. [Edited 8/18/06 16:41pm] There are three sides to every story. My side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently | |
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jayaredee said: banks said: By Roger Friedman I stopped reading there. Thank you! I gotta stop falling into his bullshit articles....The Org always pulls me back in! | |
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VinnyM27 said: jayaredee said: I stopped reading there. Thank you! I gotta stop falling into his bullshit articles....The Org always pulls me back in! had i known i wouldn't have posted it  | |
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Shapeshifter said: carlcranshaw said: I have to disagree. The thing people don't give Beyonce credit for is how hard she works and the fact that writes her material.
There may come a time when she decides to become a mother or maybe the record companies will feature new singers. But the thing is by her writing her own stuff she'll always receive residual income to sustain her for life. Same with the early Mariah, she always wrote her own songs. Our hero Prince can sit down and tell us all how important this is. She doesn't write her own material at all. There are over half a dozen co-songwriters on her "hits", most of which are credits for samples. Get over it, Beyonce and her ilk may be the cream of r n b at the moment, but all they are is marrow-sucking cannibals.
Anyway, why do you need her when you've got Kelis right there. Her fourth album is pretty good, and she's got that whole gritty hip-hop/r n b thing down to the point where she;s fused the genres. Beyonce is just a corporate experiment made good. She's a beauty with a booty and a good voice, but her music's boring. [Edited 8/18/06 16:41pm] Just because Beyonce uses a lot of samples doesn't mean she doesn't contribute to the songwriting at all. How come it's only female singers that always get doubted for writing their own material (although there are often debates in classic rock bands over some artists being left off the credits even though they wrote songs, which is kind of different from saying a person contributed nothing). | |
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Got to give a round of applause to this guy! How often is it that entertainment writers dare to tell the truth? He pinpointed issue after issue, both musical and business. If he offended some, then that's a good thing. In order for this industry to get itself together there's gonna have to be a little blood on the carpet. | |
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whoknows said: Got to give a round of applause to this guy! How often is it that entertainment writers dare to tell the truth? He pinpointed issue after issue, both musical and business. If he offended some, then that's a good thing. In order for this industry to get itself together there's gonna have to be a little blood on the carpet.
I agree!  &  | |
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whoknows said: Got to give a round of applause to this guy! How often is it that entertainment writers dare to tell the truth? He pinpointed issue after issue, both musical and business. If he offended some, then that's a good thing. In order for this industry to get itself together there's gonna have to be a little blood on the carpet.
Tell the truth? You don't know Roger Friedman, do you? His articles are often filled with factual errors (this one just makes assumptions). The one time he ever came close to being outed was when he stated that the reason Issac Hayes wasn't on "South Park" anymore was because he had a mild stroke and all his people were protecting him. Turned out to be total bullshit! I honestly don't believe he heard the album and is just going off what internet rumours are stating. Tell the truth....You're only reading into the article because you want the album to suck and for Beyonce to be a fraud. This guy is total ass and never gets it right. His opinions are often formed on his bias, which is Fox's golden rule. | |
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VinnyM27 said: whoknows said: Got to give a round of applause to this guy! How often is it that entertainment writers dare to tell the truth? He pinpointed issue after issue, both musical and business. If he offended some, then that's a good thing. In order for this industry to get itself together there's gonna have to be a little blood on the carpet.
Tell the truth? You don't know Roger Friedman, do you? His articles are often filled with factual errors (this one just makes assumptions). The one time he ever came close to being outed was when he stated that the reason Issac Hayes wasn't on "South Park" anymore was because he had a mild stroke and all his people were protecting him. Turned out to be total bullshit! I honestly don't believe he heard the album and is just going off what internet rumours are stating. Tell the truth....You're only reading into the article because you want the album to suck and for Beyonce to be a fraud. This guy is total ass and never gets it right. His opinions are often formed on his bias, which is Fox's golden rule. I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady. His description of the Ring The Alarm video? Yep, that certainly describes what I saw of it. Crazy In Love getting all it's appeal out of a Chi Lites sample? Yep, it's certainly not getting by on it's melody or clever lyrics is it? As for the business points, the backstage hustling for songwriting credits these days is well known within the business and anyone that knows anything about her dad knows he is the hustler extraordinaire. | |
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whoknows said: VinnyM27 said: Tell the truth? You don't know Roger Friedman, do you? His articles are often filled with factual errors (this one just makes assumptions). The one time he ever came close to being outed was when he stated that the reason Issac Hayes wasn't on "South Park" anymore was because he had a mild stroke and all his people were protecting him. Turned out to be total bullshit! I honestly don't believe he heard the album and is just going off what internet rumours are stating. Tell the truth....You're only reading into the article because you want the album to suck and for Beyonce to be a fraud. This guy is total ass and never gets it right. His opinions are often formed on his bias, which is Fox's golden rule. I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady. His description of the Ring The Alarm video? Yep, that certainly describes what I saw of it. Crazy In Love getting all it's appeal out of a Chi Lites sample? Yep, it's certainly not getting by on it's melody or clever lyrics is it? As for the business points, the backstage hustling for songwriting credits these days is well known within the business and anyone that knows anything about her dad knows he is the hustler extraordinaire. I agree once again!! & | |
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whoknows said: Got to give a round of applause to this guy! How often is it that entertainment writers dare to tell the truth? He pinpointed issue after issue, both musical and business. If he offended some, then that's a good thing. In order for this industry to get itself together there's gonna have to be a little blood on the carpet.
----- Co Sign. He told the truth about the sampling and some people on this board need to get over it. | |
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CherrieMoonKisses said: whoknows said: I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady. His description of the Ring The Alarm video? Yep, that certainly describes what I saw of it. Crazy In Love getting all it's appeal out of a Chi Lites sample? Yep, it's certainly not getting by on it's melody or clever lyrics is it? As for the business points, the backstage hustling for songwriting credits these days is well known within the business and anyone that knows anything about her dad knows he is the hustler extraordinaire. I agree once again!! co-sign | |
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PurpleCharm said: CherrieMoonKisses said: I agree once again!! co-sign Aren't I a popular boy?  | |
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i do like that "ring the alarm" song, the video is way better than "deja vu"..and i don't even like this broad....but i do like that song. I will forever love and miss you...my sweet Prince. | |
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whoknows said: VinnyM27 said: Tell the truth? You don't know Roger Friedman, do you? His articles are often filled with factual errors (this one just makes assumptions). The one time he ever came close to being outed was when he stated that the reason Issac Hayes wasn't on "South Park" anymore was because he had a mild stroke and all his people were protecting him. Turned out to be total bullshit! I honestly don't believe he heard the album and is just going off what internet rumours are stating. Tell the truth....You're only reading into the article because you want the album to suck and for Beyonce to be a fraud. This guy is total ass and never gets it right. His opinions are often formed on his bias, which is Fox's golden rule. I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady. His description of the Ring The Alarm video? Yep, that certainly describes what I saw of it. Crazy In Love getting all it's appeal out of a Chi Lites sample? Yep, it's certainly not getting by on it's melody or clever lyrics is it? As for the business points, the backstage hustling for songwriting credits these days is well known within the business and anyone that knows anything about her dad knows he is the hustler extraordinaire. There are some accurate things in there, however the man always has an agenda that has little to do with entertainment and more to do some sort of agenda, which I guess revolves around Roger Friedman being some sort of good reporter. Please look at his other articles and you'll see his judgement, and facts, are very clouded. Hack! I just think you want to hate on Beyonce, so you're defending his writing. BTW, how can you say that she isn't a writer AND why is the focus of this "scandal" always on female artists....interesting. | |
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jayaredee said: banks said: By Roger Friedman I stopped reading there.  "When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all." | |
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Shapeshifter said: carlcranshaw said: I have to disagree. The thing people don't give Beyonce credit for is how hard she works and the fact that writes her material.
There may come a time when she decides to become a mother or maybe the record companies will feature new singers. But the thing is by her writing her own stuff she'll always receive residual income to sustain her for life. Same with the early Mariah, she always wrote her own songs. Our hero Prince can sit down and tell us all how important this is. She doesn't write her own material at all. There are over half a dozen co-songwriters on her "hits", most of which are credits for samples. Get over it, Beyonce and her ilk may be the cream of r n b at the moment, but all they are is marrow-sucking cannibals.
Anyway, why do you need her when you've got Kelis right there. Her fourth album is pretty good, and she's got that whole gritty hip-hop/r n b thing down to the point where she;s fused the genres. Beyonce is just a corporate experiment made good. She's a beauty with a booty and a good voice, but her music's boring. [Edited 8/18/06 16:41pm] Well said. | |
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jayaredee said: banks said: By Roger Friedman I stopped reading there. Yeah,Roger Frieman is a jerk.His music reviews have no credibility whatsoever.He just likes bashing all but a few artists. | |
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whoknows said: VinnyM27 said: Tell the truth? You don't know Roger Friedman, do you? His articles are often filled with factual errors (this one just makes assumptions). The one time he ever came close to being outed was when he stated that the reason Issac Hayes wasn't on "South Park" anymore was because he had a mild stroke and all his people were protecting him. Turned out to be total bullshit! I honestly don't believe he heard the album and is just going off what internet rumours are stating. Tell the truth....You're only reading into the article because you want the album to suck and for Beyonce to be a fraud. This guy is total ass and never gets it right. His opinions are often formed on his bias, which is Fox's golden rule. I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady.  I'm not a huge Beyonce fan or anything,but I think "Deja Vu" is the catchiest thing on the radio right now.I certainly wouldn't call it "tuneless" at all.Ditto for "Crazy In Love".To her credit,Beyonce's songs always have loud,in-your-face choruses/hooks that stay in your head for awhile,which is more than can be said for most of today's R&B. | |
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VinnyM27 said: whoknows said: I can't talk about articles he's written in the past. I can just talk about the one I've just read, and most of what he said was on point. "Tuneless songs"? That certainly chimes with most of what I've heard from this lady. His description of the Ring The Alarm video? Yep, that certainly describes what I saw of it. Crazy In Love getting all it's appeal out of a Chi Lites sample? Yep, it's certainly not getting by on it's melody or clever lyrics is it? As for the business points, the backstage hustling for songwriting credits these days is well known within the business and anyone that knows anything about her dad knows he is the hustler extraordinaire. There are some accurate things in there, however the man always has an agenda that has little to do with entertainment and more to do some sort of agenda, which I guess revolves around Roger Friedman being some sort of good reporter. Please look at his other articles and you'll see his judgement, and facts, are very clouded. Hack! I just think you want to hate on Beyonce, so you're defending his writing. BTW, how can you say that she isn't a writer AND why is the focus of this "scandal" always on female artists....interesting. I never said she wasn't a writer. Believe me, when I hear lyrics like "Got me looking so crazy right now/Got me looking so crazy right now/Got me looking so crazy in love/Got me looking/Got me looking so crazy in love" or the immortal "I don't think you're ready for this jelly/I don't think you're ready for this jelly/I don't think you're ready for this jelly" I have no problem believing she wrote those lines herself. This guy's talking about one song;"Irreplaceable" which apparently is the one well crafted song on the album, written by a Swedish duo. If she's got a writing credit on anything that sounds like it was written by a grown up then you know there's some shady shit going on, and believe me, this industry is filled with shady shit. | |
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Roger is an a--h---!!!
I guarantee he will give ,my girl ,Janet a bad review too!!! | |
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miguelbulcao said: I pray for the demise of B's career more than I pray for a good Madonna movie!
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firey23 said: Roger is an a--h---!!!
I guarantee he will give ,my girl ,Janet a bad review too!!! The only female likely to get a good review from him will be Gretchen Wilson.... | |
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well, from the clips I've heard, B Day seems like it will be a bit better than her first CD. She just sounds more grown and comfortable with herself.
I thought her debut CD was overrated. It had a few nice moments, but it was very spotty....it put me to sleep after the first four songs. So far, this new one sounds louder, bolder and more fun. [Edited 8/21/06 18:50pm] | |
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cheyenne said: well, from the clips I've heard, B Day seems like it will be a bit better than her first CD. She just sounds more grown and comfortable with herself.
I thought her debut CD was overrated. It had a few nice moments, but it was very spotty....it put me to sleep after the first four songs. So far, this new one sounds louder, bolder and more fun. [Edited 8/21/06 18:50pm] Are you trying to tell me I have to buy it.... It does sound like a more fun and loose album while "Dangerously In Love" should have been called "Dangerously Formulaic". | |
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