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Album
Review
 Beyonce'
"Dangerously In Love"
Reviewed By: Melisa Tang
At
just 22 years of age, the Texan beauty, Beyoncé Knowles,
has won critical acclaim as the lead singer of the multi-platinum
Destiny’s Child. As part of the RnB trio, she has received
accolade after accolade, including Grammy Awards, American Music
Awards, World Music Awards, and the prestigious NAACP Image Award.
After writing many of the group’s smash hits, such as ‘Say
My Name’, ‘Independent Women’, and ‘Bootylicious’,
she was presented in 2001 with the ASCAP Pop Songwriter Of The
Year Award, the first Afro-American woman, and the second female
ever, to receive that honour. It was therefore only a matter of
time before the RnB princess pursued her own dreams, embarking
on a solo career.
Her new single, ‘Crazy In Love’ featuring her rumoured
boyfriend Jay-Z, is already burning up TV and radio, becoming
one of the most requested tunes of this year. Such was the demand
for Beyoncé’s music, that her album release date was
brought forward to prevent the masses from downloading her music
online, proving how popular Destiny’s Child’s front
woman is. Her debut album, ‘Dangerously In Love’, is
unbelievably good value for money, as it has sixteen listed tracks,
including her first solo single, ‘Work It Out’ from
the ‘Austin Powers: Goldmember’ soundtrack, the top
ten collabo with Jay-Z, ‘Bonnie & Clyde ’03’,
and the hidden bonus cut, ‘Daddy’, a loving dedication
to her father and manager, Matthew Knowles.
The album shows "the evolution of a girl into a woman",
as Miss Knowles describes it, and although the majority of songs
are written and produced by the talented songstress herself, she
has also recruited the help of producers Rich Harrison, Scott
Storch, and Missy Elliot, with guest appearances by Big Boi of
OutKast, Sean Paul, Jay-Z and the legendary Luther Vandross.
Opening with the catchy ‘Crazy In Love’, Beyoncé
takes the listener on a musical journey, progressing from the
more upbeat party tracks, like the reggae-influenced ‘Baby
Boy’ featuring Sean Paul, and ‘Naughty Girl’, a
song which borrows a few lyrics from Donna Summer’s ‘Love
To Love You Baby’, to powerful ballads, such as ‘Dangerously
In Love 2’ and ‘Speechless’.
With the help of Big Boi and Sleepy Brown, Beyoncé displays
her creativity on ‘Hip Hop Star’, an unusual track which
sees Beyoncé, lace a distinctive rock beat with her vocal
harmonies. The other Jay-Z collaboration, ‘That’s How
You Like It’, is a little bit repetitive, but somehow still
manages to make me tap my foot along to the beat, so it’s
not all bad.
Despite the chemistry Beyoncé has with her many collaborators,
some of her best songs are those that only feature her magnificent
voice, for example ‘Be With You’ and ‘Gift From
Virgo’, proving just how capable she is of competing against
the likes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. For me, the highlight
of the album was ‘Dangerously In Love 2’, which she
performed on ‘VH1’s Diva Duets 2003’, showing her
vocals at its best, on a level never reached on Destiny’s
Child records.
With ‘Dangerously In Love’ being one of the year’s
most anticipated releases, fans will definitely not be disappointed,
as this is a stunning debut from one of today’s most talented
and respected female artists, the gorgeous Beyoncé Knowles.
Track Listing
1. Crazy In Love (feat. Jay Z)
2. Naughty Girl
3. Baby Boy (feat. Sean Paul)
4. Hip Hop Star (feat Big Boi, Sleepy Brown)
5. Be With You
6. Me, Myself and I
7. Yes
8. Signs (feat. Missy Elliot)
9. Speechless
10. That's How You Like It (feat. Jay Z)
11. The Closer I Got To You (feat. Luther Vandross)
12. Dangerously In Love 2
13. Beyonce Interlude
14. Gift From Virgo
Courtesy TheSituation.com
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