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Steven J. Horowitz
Senior Music Writer
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Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment To commemorate the 20th anniversary of her sophomore album, Beyoncé has released a remastered version of “B’Day” featuring Spanish recordings, previously released bonus tracks, and a few unheard songs including “Can I Watch You” featuring Pharrell and a new Spanish version of “Irreplaceable” featuring previously released vocals from the late Selena Quintanilla.
In a press release shared with Variety, Beyoncé reflected on the 20-year milestone of the album, which was originally released on September 4, 2006. “I wanted the album to be big, percussive, hard, up-tempo, and energized, and it was important to me that we used live instrumentation,” she said. “Hip-hop was taking over at the time, but I was fighting to preserve the bridges, melodies, and harmonies that have always been at the heart of R&B. The goal was to blend those two worlds through the art of sampling. I loved the minimalism of a beautiful vocal arrangement over a simple drum loop or a classic guitar like ‘Irreplaceable’…but only if that 808 was banging underneath.”
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