Dangerously in Love in Bloomington, MN

Beyonce Knowles
was always presented as the star of
Destiny's Child
-- which probably shouldn't be a big surprise since her father managed the group. So it was a natural step for her to step into the diva spotlight with a solo album in 2003, particularly since it followed on the heels of her co-starring role in
Mike Myers
' 2002
comedy
hit,
Austin Powers in Goldmember
. Still, a singer takes a risk when going solo, as there's no guarantee that her/his star will still shine as bright when there's nobody to reflect upon. Plus,
Survivor
often sounded labored, as
Knowles
struggled to sound real. The
clan --
Beyonce
and her father
Mathew
, that is (regrettably,
Harry Knowles
of "Ain't It Cool" is no relation) -- were apparently aware of these two pitfalls since they pull off a nifty trick of making her debut album,
Dangerously in Love
, appeal to a broad audience while making it sound relatively easy. Sometimes that ease can translate into carelessness (at least with regard to the final stretch of the album), with a prolonged sequence of
ballads
that get stuck in their own treacle, capped off by the unbearably mawkish closer,
"Gift from Virgo,"
where she wishes her unborn child and her husband to be like her daddy. (Mind you, she's not pregnant or married, she's just planning ahead, although she gets tripped up in her wishes since there's "no one else like my daddy.") Although these are a little formless -- and perhaps would have been more digestible if spread throughout the record -- they are impeccably produced and showcase
' new relaxed and smooth delivery, which is a most welcome development after the overworked
.
doesn't save this voice just for the
-- she sounds assured and sexy on the dance numbers, particularly when she has a male counterpart, as on the deliriously catchy
"Crazy in Love"
with her man
Jay-Z
or on
"Baby Boy"
with 2003's
dancehall
superstar,
Sean Paul
. These are the moments when
not only works, but sounds like
has fulfilled her potential and risen to the top of the pack of
contemporary R&B
divas. It's just too bad that momentum is not sustained throughout the rest of the record. About halfway through, around the astrological ode
"Signs"
with
Missy Elliott
, it starts crawling through its
and, while listenable, it's not as exciting as the first part of the record. Still, the first half is good enough to make
one of the best mainstream
urban
R&B
records released in 2003, and makes a strong case that
might be better off fulfilling this destiny instead of reuniting with
Destiny
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine