had submitted demo recordings to record labels, including Beyoncé's Columbia Records and Sean Paul's Atlantic Records. According to the district court, an expert witness (Chair, Department of Music Theory & Composition, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University) determined the songs to be "substantially similar" (a requirement for an infringement finding). Concerning the musical hook, the expert witness stated in his report: "When the aural comparisons of the two songs are presented in the key of C minor (for easy comparison) and presented back-to-back, in A–B–A–B fashion, even the least musically inclined listener should immediately determine that the two songs are strikingly similar; I daresay that many listeners may even perceive them as being the same song! And again, transposing a song for this purpose does not alter any fundamental qualities or characteristics of the song but merely assists the ability of those unfamiliar with the technicalities of music in making a comparison." The district court judge nonetheless ruled that she, herself, couldn't hear the similarities between the two songs and dismissed the case, denying the motion for the songs or case to be heard by a jury. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling but ruled with different reasoning. It held that there was no infringement based on Beyoncé's claim that Armour's demo tape was received shortly after the writing of Beyoncé's song had been substantially completed. However, the court did not address the issue of substantial similarity. Critical reception Rolling Stone magazine reviewer Anthony DeCurtis wrote that Beyoncé sounded as if she was "having fun" on the song, while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the online music guide service AllMusic described Beyoncé's vocals as "assured and sexy". Mark Anthony Neal of the international webzine PopMatters, regarded "Baby Boy" as one of the "high-profile collaborations" on Dangerously in Love. Lisa Verrico of the daily British newspaper The Times described the song a "Latino-tinged collaboration ... Paul does a reggae rap in the middle, but it's when he chats while Beyoncé half raps that the pair have real chemistry". Yancey Strickler of the Flak magazine wrote that "'Baby Boy''s diwali stutter is enhanced by Sean Paul's dancehall monotone". James Anthony of the British newspaper The Guardian commented that the track "bridges the gap between the genres of R&B and dancehall". Los Angeles Times writer Natalie Nichols wrote that "the ... house-spiced 'Baby