Critical Reception
Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times, who reviewed B'Day negatively, wrote that "Suga Mama" was the "best moment" on the album, and that it "owes much of its charm to lifts from Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers". Bill Lamb of About.com chose the song as one of the top four ones on the record, writing that Knowles knows how "to take good care of her man". Likewise, Bernard Zuel The Sydney Morning Herald cited "Suga Mama" as one of the "good moments" on B'Day, writing: "... followed by a dud ... the slinky funk of 'Suga Mama' is trodden on by the mechanical 'Upgrade U' and then trampled by the posturing and eventually annoying 'Ring the Alarm'". Chris Richards of The Washington Post commented that Rich Harrison "delivers again with 'Suga Mama', twisting a vintage Soul Searchers sample into a gritty, loping groove. Beyonce sounds right at home on this one ... And while it doesn't quite eclipse 'Crazy in Love', it's still B'Day's finest moment." Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "Suga Mama" as a "spectacularly layered" track.
Eb Haynes of AllHipHop considered "Suga Mama" to be an embodiment of "of the woman wearing and buying $500 stiletto pumps." Dave de Sylvi of Sputnikmusic wrote that Knowles is as "sweet and faux-innocent" as the 1960s soul stars in the song. Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote that songs such as "Suga Mama" showcase of Knowles' virtuosity and continued, "No one — not R. Kelly, not Usher, to say nothing of her rival pop divas — can match Beyoncé's genius for dragging her vocal lines ". By contrast, IGN Music criticized Knowles' vocals in the song, writing that she "comes in over the low-end track with too much earnestness, drowning out the funky grooves with her piercing dramatic mezzo-soprano. If she were a throaty alto, she'd fit the beats that have been served up to her much more appropriately."
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