Beyoncé could use a break and so could her fans
By Kevin C. Johnson
POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC
07/05/2007
Raise your hands if you've had enough of Beyoncé already.
Don't worry. You're probably not alone in feeling like she's too much of a good thing at times. The whirlwind that is Beyoncé is nearly everywhere.
It wasn't that way when the Houston-bred singer debuted in 1998 with the "Destiny's Child" CD while she was in the group of the same name. I remember seeing Beyoncé in person for the first time during a preview listening party for Destiny's Child at a nightclub whose name I will never remember, and leaving with little-to-no impression, except for noting their attractiveness. Other than that, they came off as another here-today, gone-tomorrow R&B girl group, and Beyoncé failed to stand out.
A 1999 concert at Westport was more of the same, though the gals did come off polished.
Destiny's Child hits such as "Survivor," "Say My Name" and "Bootylicious" were perfectly crafted R&B ditties that helped set up Beyoncé to eventually take over. Her star power, flash and talent — and hair to spare — made her role as the group's leader more and more obvious, if also calculated by her manager-father. And the group's casualties piled up.
It was no surprise when she broke out with her 2003 solo CD "Dangerously in Love," an overrated effort that was only as good as its many hit singles. But it helped make Beyoncé, already a frequent Grammy winner by way of Destiny's Child, an even bigger Grammy princess.
It's to Beyoncé's credit that, while still basking in her "Dangerously in Love" CD, she looked back and recorded a final Destiny's Child CD: the lean "Destiny Fulfilled," with the hits "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier." The accompanying farewell tour kicked off in St. Louis.
Last year's hastily recorded "B'Day," her second solo disc, was less acclaimed critically while still delivering a stream of banging hits, the best of which were "Irreplaceable" and "Upgrade U" (she can keep "Listen" and "Resentment").
While Beyoncé has soared musically, the movies haven't always been as kind to her. In supporting roles in "The Pink Panther," "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "The Fighting Temptations," she displayed the same lack of expression. That was all supposed to change with "Dreamgirls," but you know how that ended for her.
Over the years, there have been various product endorsements, a low-profile romance with high-profile hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and a clothing line. Her current tour, coming Sunday to Scottrade Center with R&B crooner Robin Thicke of "Lost Without U" fame, keeps her front and center through September.
After that, what this hard-working hustler needs is rest and relaxation.
She should sit down for a few minutes, out of reach of cameras and microphones. Such a break would suit us as much as it would her.
Giving us the opportunity to miss her can only make us appreciate her more once she returns.
Best of Beyoncé
• Her exquisite performance of "Dangerously in Love" at the 2004 Grammy Awards culminated in a white dove landing perfectly in her open palm.
• The irresistible "Irreplaceable" was a deserved female anthem, even though it was written by a man.
• The "Mahogany"-inspired photo shoot sequence from "Dreamgirls" presented Beyoncé at her most dazzlingly glammed-out — if you don't count the covers of her "Dangerously in Love" and "B'Day" CDs.
• The pipin' hot "Crazy in Love" single and its energetic video served as the perfect entry point for her "Dangerously in Love" CD.
• Watching her dance in videos such as "Baby Boy," "Get Me Bodied" and "Déjà vu" can be mesmerizing, even if the latter prompted some fans — who failed to "get" her Josephine Baker-inspired dance moves — to start a petition for a reshoot.
Worst of Beyoncé
• She thought that whatever she was doing in "Dreamgirls" would land her an Oscar nomination and allowed an unknown "American Idol" reject to steal her thunder.
• She bypassed proper channels in rerecording Des'ree's "Kissing You" as "Still in Love (Kissing You)," resulting in a lawsuit and the pulling of the deluxe edition of the "B'Day" CD and accompanying DVD off the shelves.
• "Ring the Alarm," the second single from "B'Day," was a screeching mess.
• The whole Destiny's Child fiasco, in which various members were swapped in and out of the group — and during its heyday, of all times.
• Beyoncé's interviews mostly consist of little more than words like "amazing," and she's painfully unequipped when the questions aren't the usual softballs.
Source:
STLtoday - Entertainment - Music
Tired of 
Linear Mode
