Who is Beyonce Knowles

Dangerously in Love

1. Crazy In Love'
2. Naughty Girl'
3. Baby Boy'
4. Hip Hop Star'
5. Be With You'
6. Me, Myself And I'
7. Yes'
8. Signs'
9. Speechless'
10. That's How You Like It'
11. The Closer I Get To You'
12. Dangerously In Love 2'
13. Beyonce Interlude'
14. Gift From Virgo'
15. Daddy

Beyonce shines through as a woman without her group around her, and surprise ... it's a retro-fitted hip hop affair with a lot of sensual laid back grooves. The first single "CRAZY IN LOVE" is the most uptempo sampling a 70s groove from "Are you my Woman". That is followed by "NAUGHTY GIRL" which Beyonce uses a hook from "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer. We all knew she has a reverence for the 70s, but most surprising are the Middle Eastern influences found in both NAUGHTY GIRL and BABY BOY. Belly dancers rejoice! The second half of the album slows down, but never to a ballad speed. Low funky beats keep the entire album afloat, and rap stars like Jay Z, Missy Elliot, Sean Paul, and Sleepy Brown color almost every other song. It's ghetto fabulous from the cover photo (diamonds and jeans) to the spoken "BEYONCE INTERLUDE" where she coos into the mic about love. Will she tromp Kelly Roland's solo album numbers in sales? Maybe. But each member of Destiny's Child has proven they can stand on their own. And have their own identity musically. Beyonce has emerged as the sexy 70s cool hip hop girlfriend. Suddenly you realize Foxy Cleopatra would love this CD! -- Brett D. Cullum (Houston, TX United States)

Release Date: 06/24/2003

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Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 11/29/2009)
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B'day

1. Deju Vu
2. Get Me Bodied
3. Suga Mama
4. Upgrade
5. Ring The Alarm
6. Kitty Kat
7. Freakum Dress
8. Green Light
9. Irreplaceable
10. Resentment

Anyone considering buying Beyonce's sophomore effort "B'Day" should do so.

Sure, we have not forgotten the second half of 2003, when she was so overexposed it was impossible to escape her songs. It can also be conceded that "Deja Vu" doesn't have half the addictiveness of "Crazy in Love." Maybe the title of the new album even disturbs you (bidet anyone?). But "B'Day" as a whole is what matters most, and what it achieves is the ability to entertain listeners while nourishing their spirits.

Spending a few minutes with the album reveals a passionate woman in total control of her craft. In addition to the retro-funk of "Deja Vu," "Green Light" and "Suga Mama" percolate with confidence, soul and unequivocal sex appeal. "Upgrade U," another collaboration with Jay-Z, follows suit. These selections find the songstress exuding dominance over men in one way or another, but beneath the surface is simply the kind of love and affection only a woman can give.

She soon takes another direction, however. The urgent "Ring the Alarm," now sizzling on the pop and R&B stations, reveals a woman completely consumed by her insecurities. With "Kitty Kat," however, she finds a way to take rejection in stride, realizing that being alone is better than being devalued, creating the album's defining moment: "You know I hate sleeping alone/But you said that you would soon be home/But baby that was a long time ago/I'm not feelin' it, I'm not feelin' it."

She also knows how to get what she wants without sacrificing self-respect in "Get Me Bodied" and "Freakum Dress." In the latter, she saucily quips: "Ladies look here, when you been with your man for a long time, every now and then you gotta go back in that closet and pull out that freakum dress."

Another key moment is "Listen," a song recorded for her forthcoming motion picture "Dreamgirls." The stark arrangement builds into a stadium-ready anthem, with her voice propelling above the clouds. She also throws caution to the wind with the left-field duo of "Irreplaceable" and "Resentment." In the latter, she admits her difficulty letting go of a painful grudge, while in the former she reminds her man that he is not irreplaceable when he takes her for granted.

All things considered, "B'Day" is a vast improvement on 2003's "Dangerously In Love," which had awesome hits but lackluster album tracks. It may not be an album that will be considered a classic 10 years from now, but it certainly suggests that Beyonce has the potential to reach such heights. Most important, it entertains from beginning to end without a trace of filler, revealing a woman of genuine talent and the ambition to set it ablaze. -- Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ)

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/29/2009)

Austin Powers In Goldmember (Infinifilm Full Screen Edition)

My twenty years old daughter and her boyfriend invited me to the movies with them to see the latest Austin Powers film. I went, somewhat reluctantly, as it is not the film I would have chosen, even though I had previously seen the two other Austin Powers films and enjoyed them. Well, am I ever glad that I did! It was, without a doubt, the funniest Austin Powers film to date.

From the great opening scene to the surprise ending, replete with cameos by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, the Ozzie Osbourne Family, Steven Spielberg, Britney Spears, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Nathan Lane, Katie Couric, and John Travolta, the film is a laugh riot. Austin Powers (Mike Myers) still has his mojo amd, together with his gorgeous female sidekick de jour, Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), sets out to rescue his father, Nigel (Michael Caine), from the evil clutches of the notorious Dutchman, Goldmember (Mike Meyers). To do so, they must go back in time to 1975, the era of disco fever.

Fan of Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), Number Two (Robert Wagner), Scot Evil (Seth Green), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), Basil (Michael York), and Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) will be happy to know that they are all back in this film. Mini-Me very nearly steals the show, and he does this without ever uttering a single word. Fred Savage joins the party as Number Three/The Mole and becomes a running sight gag throughout the film for reasons that will be obvious to the viewer.

The only problem in the film is with the character of Goldmember. He is the weak link, as he is simply gross and not particularly funny. What was Mike Myers thinking? Notwithstanding the fact that the title character is pretty much of a zero, however, the film is still hilarious, overall. The plot, what little there is, primarily exists to set up a lot of sight gags, send ups, and a number of very funny scenes. If, however, scatological humor offends your sensibilities, this is definitely not the film for you. If you are not easily offended by the crude and the lewd, then this film will make you laugh up a storm. -- Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle)

Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 11/29/2009)