Deep Dive: Beyoncé Part 2 (B'Day)

    So many people have cited B'Day as Beyoncé's best album. Azealia Banks, for example, has said so. And it is really good. There's a good balance of radio friendly and artistic expressions here on Beyoncé's second solo studio album. 

    Originally, she was going to take leftovers from Dangerously in Love's sessions to make her second album. In typical Beyoncé fashion, she scrapped that whole idea and started fresh. And boy are we glad that she did. 

    Unlike other albums released in 2006 that were leaning more and more into electropop, B'Day is an R&B album that incorporates 70s-80s funk, hip hop, pop, and urban contemporary. She was really inspired by her role in Dreamgirls which mostly inspired the album's sound. In places. 2006 pop culture inspired the rest. Possibly the most extraordinary thing about the record and such a genius idea from Beyoncé is that the record is mostly live instrumentation. And it's gorgeous and breathtaking and gives it a timeless quality. 

    Let's deep dive like it's your B'Day!

    

    "Beautiful Liar" is our first track here, and it features the amazing Shakira. The "Beyoncé, Beyoncé/Shakira Shakira" hook is pure genius and the marketing pretty much does itself. I know people throw the word around a lot these days, but how absolutely iconic. It's a great duet from two amazing female artists. An excellent opening track too. 

    "Irreplaceable" is the album's flagship song. Everyone knows it. It still lights up the radio to this day, but I feel like it is one of the album's songs that have aged the least well. Don't get me wrong, it still slays. The "to the left, to the left" hook is still catchy as hell. And it's amazing to sing along to. So many songs back in the day had the acoustic guitar, drum kit R&B combo that was quickly abandoned for electropop offerings. 

    I was actually thinking about how the other day how B'Day is Beyoncé's last album that features her girlish timbre as her voice evolved into being more mature. "Irreplaceable" is the album's song that features it the most especially in the verses. She'd gravitate away from this style in later albums and would begin to showcase her lower ranges and raw power. 

    Or maybe it's just me. Hahaha

    "Green Light" is like the album's whole vision highlighted on one song. No joke. Its lush instrumentation is just insane. So much goes on on the track instrumentally. The chorus explodes. The "give it to mama" lyric exposes the album further into female empowerment which is a big theme of the album. Beyoncé's always been in charge, but I think B'Day is the album that displays that the most. 

    "Kitty Kat" is sexy and sultry. If you couldn't tell by the title. We're 4 tracks deep and we still haven't missed. This is possibly the album's most seductive song. Beyoncé sounds right at home on it. 

    Jay-Z features a lot on this album. He features here on "Welcome to Hollywood." Which sees Beyoncé play with the album's sound more than on the previous 4 tracks. It doesn't feel as "live" as those tracks either. And that's okay. This song would still sound amazing live. Jay-Z is a nice addition to this one. They feed off of each other well, as usual. 

    "Upgrade U" also features Jay-Z. But he's really going off on this one. And his addition adds to the song overall. The hook is a little too repetitive, but the sampled instrumental is nice and showcased brilliantly. 

    Then we arrive to the album's first ballad "Flaws and All." The harpsicord/harp(?) is beautiful. It's something of a slow burn that adds and adds and becomes something hauntingly amazing. The beat is really funky for a ballad which is much welcomed. Beyoncé sounds just perfect here. 

    I have a bone to pick with the Beyoncé subreddit right now. They chose "World Wide Woman" as the worst song on B'Day. First of all, they have no idea what they're talking about. Unsubscribe. Don't @ me. Second of all, there's not a bad song amongst the set. Third of all, they should have chose a ballad as they're the weaker more skippable songs. Fourth of all, while it may be dated lyrically, "World Wide Woman" is amongst the strongest musically. Oh and fifth of all, Beyoncé sounds super freaking amazing right here and gives one of the album's most convincing vocal performances. She eats it up! Dated doesn't mean bad, as we've already discussed here. 

    I loved "World Wide Woman" from the very first listen the very first time I listened to B'Day almost 20 years ago. It's upbeat. It's fun. It's empowering. And all those people on the subreddit would be screaming the lyrics if she performed it in front of them live. Prove me wrong. 

    Yes, I'm offended because it's in my top 3 of favorite songs from the album. 

    

    "Get Me Bodied" could have been on self-titled I feel like. She really kept her eye on the future with this one. The vocal production is stellar. The guy's voice that's the beat is such a good idea, and it doesn't sound like an instrument. It really sounds like voice and it isn't blended in that you don't really notice it. It's almost front and center. Which is an interesting choice that helps make this track even more unique. 

    The main draw is Beyoncé's performance on the song though. She does a lot with her voice here and even almost raps at times. Which makes me think B'Day was really her experimenting and laying the groundwork for future endeavors such as 4 and self-titled. 

    "Get Me Bodied" is also the album's longest song, so she also experimented with song length. But it's fun and cool, so it doesn't drag on. The song's just asking to be performed live and to have an amazing dance routine. 

    This is so random, but when I think about the next song, "If," I think about a random review on iTunes (back when they had reviews available from albums from people who purchased them), and there was a person that was so excited that iTunes had the deluxe version of the album with this song on it. 

    "If" is a great song. It's territory that's been covered before by other artists, though. "Unfaithful" by Rihanna is possibly the most apparent. There were many ballads like this one around that time. So how does "If" hold up? Beyoncé's performance and vocal production saves it. It's a song that tells the story, and she does a great job telling it. The song having so many clones dates it though.

    "Freakum Dress" is freaky and fun. And a song Beyoncé references in other songs. Which is always a cool Easter egg to find. The production is amazing. It's got a lot going on in a great way. The song's a fan favorite from the album.

    It's also yet another example of how many of these songs were made to be performed live and breathe on the stage. You can seriously image live arrangements for the song and performances. Songs like this make B'Day Beyoncé's best album for touring. As they can come to life and sound like they came straight from the CD.

    "Suga Mama" is the funkiest number on the album. The guitar work is killer, and I'd classify this song as a great deep cut. The vocal production eats it up. You really feel that 70s influence. And Beyoncé's confidence on this one is insane. The chorus is one of the album's best. And the hook is too.

    "Déjà-vu" is the album's showstopper. It's the album's best song. Hands down. It hasn't aged a day. It's only gotten better with time and aged like wine. The live instrumentation was such a great damn idea for this song. It's lush to the core and blooms beautifully like it's an expensive perfume. Think Dior or some crap like that. It's like the album's concept photos in song form. The vocals. The production in all its forms. Beyoncé's vocals are ones that other artists would kill to have. Jay-Z's verses are career highlights. The bridge that leads into the final chorus after Jay's second verse still give me cold chills. Freaking amazing. It's underappreciated and under valued and that's one of the biggest sins and damn shames in music. 

    "Ring the Alarm" is the album's most produced song. The alarms. The beats. The vocal effects post choruses. But it still fits right in here on the album. It's a stand out. Lyrically, it has some of the album's best and most memorable lyrics. Beyoncé's performance goes for the jugular especially in that second verse. 

    It's also a jumpscare when it shuffles on a playlist. It's like the world's ending. Then you hear Beyoncé start singing and you're in heaven again. 

    "Resentment" is best characterized by the little things going on with it. The writing scribbles. The record static. The backing vocals. The guitar helps it stand out some. We're starting to wind down, and this song is the first sign of that. The song's just asking to be sang along to. It's probably the most Dreamgirls-esque song on the album. The chorus feels very much 60s-inspired.

    Beyoncé dropped "Listen" and music audition shows were never the same. You can see why contestants choose this song to show off their pipes. The restraint shown in the verses, then it picks up in the pre-chorus, and then you can show off on the chorus and let the belts fly. Beyoncé makes it sound so easy though. The vocals are the real reason you show up for this song though. There's not much outside of standard ballad-territory going on otherwise. It's a beautiful song, though. Don't get me wrong. It's a nice way to end the album with it steadily building up and sounding what you imagine the entrance to heaven is like. 

    As a bonus, we're going to talk about "Check On It" right here. If there was an honor for catchiest song of all time, I think "Check On It" is a major contender for that title. It's a textbook pop song crafted for taking over brains and airwaves. It's fun. It's lightweight. It's breezy. 

    And is that Kelly Rowland singing the second verse? Sometimes I think it is and other times I don't.

    So what do we think about B'Day overall? There are no signs of the dreaded sophomore slump here. The highs are truly creative mountain highs. That are insane. And that some other artists may take a whole career to reach. The live instrumentation and overall vibe of vintage meets 2006 modern was crazy smart. As the songs that hit hard are never not going to hit hard. There's a great balance of hits and deep cuts here. Deep cuts that fans known and cherish and don't let go of. 

    The record only faulters a bit when it comes to ballads. Honest to God, I think Beyoncé should have went full on "Déjà-vu," "Ring the Alarm," "Irreplaceable," and "Check On It" vibes and just made a totally upbeat record. And it is mostly in this form. But the uptempos are definitely what keeps the album afloat and memorable and what brings the crowd back craving for more. 

Rank: A Rank

Recommendation: when you're patting your weave and doing your Naomi Campbell walk.

Standouts:

    Irreplaceable

    World Wide Woman

    Green Light

    Upgrade U

    World Wide Woman

    Get Me Bodied

    Freakum Dress

    Suga Mama

    World Wide Woman

    Déjà-vu!!!!!!!!

    Ring the Alarm

    AND FREAKING WORLD WIDE WOMAN! TAKE THAT, SUBREDDIT!!!!

    I'll stay salty.