It takes some ingenuity for an artist as ubiquitous as
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles to avoid being looked at as the cute, talented little cousin at the family reunion
who continues to tap you on the shoulder with "and
look what I can do" while you're trying to eat and
converse with everyone else. Since the debut of her
group Destiny's Child in 1990, it seems like the
Houston native has kept you from getting a forkful of
macaroni in edgewise. Consider putting that cold plate of food in the microwave. B'Day's array of producers came with a reliable collection of R&B, hip hop-tinged tracks to rival her 2003 solo debut ("Dangerously in Love"), but is not what will intrigue.

What sets "B'Day" apart is a bubbling, overflowing
rage in Beyoncé's voice that'll have you repeating
burners like the recently released single "Ring the
Alarm" and "Resentment." You will wonder if she's
shooting flare signals out boyfriend rapper Jay Z. The first release "Déjà vu" has done what it was supposed to on the charts and when the perfumed swagger in the ballad "Irreplaceable" hits the streets full force, wounded women who never paid attention to your little cousin will be pushing you out of the way and waving opened cell phones in appreciation. An album centered around female anthems that rings genuine; Good luck with getting back to the rest of your life… the movie remake of play Dreamgirls, featuring you-know-who, comes out in December.