Now this review may take many who know me by surprise. For those who don't know me, I've been hating on Beyonce since Destiny's Child ''No No No''. OK, yeah she's fine, but there is just something about her that rubbed me the wrong way. To this day I have no idea what it is. So i went into her debut solo effort Dangerously In Love expecting to bash it. But after listening to it, I just can't do that. Don't get me wrong, it's not a spectacular album but it definitely holds its own when compared to what passes for R&B today.

Vocally Beyonce is capable, I'll leave it at that. But what really makes this album work is the production, or more specifically the lack their of. The formula is simple, sample a hit, lay some new vocals over it & bang you have a song. Now I don't have a problem with this, its a widely used practice in today's music. I just don't like to see it used as much as it was on an R&B album.

Guest appearances on the album include Jay-Z [who appears on 2 tracks] Sean Paul, Big Boi, Sleepy Brown, Missy Elliott & Luther Vandross. To her credit, most of the songs were written by Beyonce and while not too revolutionary or inspirational they do give some insight into the artist. Most of the tracks, like the title suggests, are about love. Love found & love lost. Stand out tracks include ''Naughty Girl'', ''Be With You'' & the Missy produced ''Signs''.

Overall it's a good first album. I managed to make it through the entire album without skipping a single track. That alone makes it worth listening to again. So if you're into artists like Monica & Mya, then go ahead & pick this joint up. On the other hand, if you appreciate originality & soulful R&B, then you might wanna try before you buy.

SonicAmp Rating: 8/10