The 5 stars are for the fact that it's a brilliant album. I didn't buy the original B'day CD, but I know what the Deluxe package additions are, and I do think that without the extra songs, I would have been very disappointed.
I do feel the need, however, to moan. What does this say to the hoards of Beyonce's loyal fans who rushed out and bought B'day on the day it came out? They got the rubbish deal. They got a short, obviously incomplete album, just to have a slap in their face by a new improved version released months later. Is that fair? I don't think so.
It's not that I don't understand why they do it, it's obvious. When the fans have all bought the CD, they need to find a way to coax the people into buying it who had perhaps already decided not to bother, and boost the sales a bit more with a deluxe edition that will encourage these people to give the album a go who otherwise wouldn't have.
This time, I wasn't conned because I waited before buying this. But very often I do get ripped off by re-releases. Mariah Carey's 'Emancipation Of Mimi' springs to mind. I bought the CD, and literally a matter of WEEKS later, the new improved version was released with extra tracks and the newest single tacked on to the end as well. I wanted the extra tracks, but I haven't bought the new version on principle.
I shouldn't have to buy the same album twice.