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"

This album is definitely NOT good. I've read several reviews that claim the opposite, but I think those listeners could not have been listening with a discerning ear. There are so many things wrong with this album, I don't know where to begin. Oh, by the way, I AM a fan of her talent. I just wish she would have actually showcased some on this album.

A majority of these songs were poorly written, with trite, unimpressive lyrics. "Get Me Bodied" leads me to believe Beyonce's vocabularly isn't very extensive, with 'body' obviously being her favorite word. And the phrase "get me bodied" is so elusive that she had to explicitly state "get me bodied- that means come closer to me". . . When you have to clearly state what your phrase means, it's not a good one. I don't recall anyone ever saying "bling bling, that means my diamonds" in a song.

She relies too heavily on her producers on B'Day, when in fact, they don't bring too much to the table. Rich Harrison's songs "Suga Mama" and "Freakum Dress" have his signature sound alright, but not neccessarily in the best way. "Freakum Dress" sounds like it was supposed to be Amerie's songs, but once again, he gave her sound away. Swizz Beatz did a good job with "Upgrade You" and arguably "Ring the Alarm" but everything else falls short and actually are quite annoying. The Neptunes was a waste of money. Their songs are even difficult to recall.

I wish she would just sing and stop already with the screaming. I could pan this album all day, so I'll highlight the GOOD points.

She has some good ideas. "Kitty Kat", "Freakum Dress" and "Ring the Alarm" are very fresh ways of approaching a very trite topic. She gets many Kudos there. "Irreplaceable" and "Upgrade U" are single worthy songs, although the lyrics to both could have been better, especially the latter.

I think this is an album of a girl who has no direction and who isn't being true to herself. She needs to find herself, aside from what her parents expect and what her boyfriend would like her to be. Alot of these songs sound like Keyshia Cole should have sang them, simply because Beyonce was trying so hard to be "hood" (her exact words, actually, of how she wanted the album to sound). But we all know the only thing hood this girl has in her is her boyfriend, Jay-Z.

Back to the drawing board. She should follow her real daddy's direction next time.

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!

I am a Beyonce fan. Not a Beyonce apologist like many seem to be. I guess for some as long as she shows up, they will swear its good. because basicaly thats all she did on here was show up- maybe. while many singers have to hide their voice behind production, Beyonce doesnt have to. which makes her over produced songs even worse. ssorry, but this CD was a major dissapointment. It is the worst CD she has been associated with.

Bday is such a disappointment. Intially when I listened to the cd I thought ok its not as catchy as Dangerously in Love it is just going to have to grow on me, but that was not the case. I have given this cd several chances but it is just not working. First, it is only ten songs with a bonus track that doesn't help the Cd out at all. Second, the songs seem a little off even on the "ballad" Resentment the quality of her voice is awful. I don't even know what the direction of this cd is it just seems all over the place. To sum it up I can tell that this cd was made in two weeks the quality just sucks I wish I would have saved my money!!