No She Didn’t
Beyoncé released the 20th anniversary edition of her sophomore album “B’Day” on September 4th, and I have just a few notes.
Friday, September 4th marked Beyoncé’s 45th birthday, as well as the 20th anniversary of her blockbuster sophomore album “B’Day”, a project that solidified her place in pop history and marked her as a force to be reckoned with. Recorded in just two weeks, Beyoncé found herself wanting to release some steam following her role as Deena in the movie “Dreamgirls”, where she played a more timid personality, the complete opposite of the diva fans knew her to be.
Featuring collaborations from some of the industry’s top producers at the time, Beyonce experimented with sounds and vocals that set her apart from her peers. Fans often describe the album as her loudest, her belts soaring to the top of her range, with a powerful delivery reminsicent of artists like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.
Handfuls of songs that were left off the album have made waves over the years on YouTube, with songs like “Back Up” and “Lost Yo Mind” being some of my favorite unreleased tracks from that era. I was thoroughly pleased when I saw they made the cut for the anniversary album. I was not thoroughly pleased, however, when I realized she lowered the key and pitched down the vocals of some of the bonus tracks. As someone who’s been listening to songs like “Back Up”, “Lost Yo Mind”, and Creole” for years, I know what it sounds like. And to see people online raving about “new vocals”, it bothers me. Now I’ll admit, some things do sound new, and the mixing has been updated to fit today’s technology and clean things up, but for the most part, that’s still 2006 Beyoncé, just pitched a half-step lower.
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