| Destiny's Child: "destiny fulfilled" by Mike Heyliger |
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Since Destiny's Child made their debut in
1997, I've always sort of grudgingly accepted
DC as simply existing. Despite one very good
album ("The Writing's On The Wall"), DC were
just your run of the mill girl group with one
very raw talent in Beyonce Knowles.
At the outset, B's voice was all swoop and no
soul.
1997, I've always sort of grudgingly accepted
DC as simply existing. Despite one very good
album ("The Writing's On The Wall"), DC were
just your run of the mill girl group with one
very raw talent in Beyonce Knowles.
At the outset, B's voice was all swoop and no
soul.
She sang with reckless abandon and never paid attention to what the
really classic soul singers all pay attention to -"the emotion".
"Survivor" and "Bootylicious" are/were well sung, but they weren't
really about nothin'. I hoped, for her sake, that Beyonce finally got the
life experience to give the words she wrote and the notes she sang
gravity.
Although Kelly Rowland beat her to the punch with an inconsistent but
promising debut, Beyonce killed it with "Dangerously In Love".
Bolstered by "Crazy In Love" , Beyonce finally showed signs of
maturing to the point where she could potentially be recognized as an
artist as opposed to a pretty voice.
Considering the fact that solo success seemed to be the ultimate goal
for Beyonce, and she achieved it, why the hell would she come back to
Destiny's Child. The threesome returns for album #4, "Destiny
Fulfilled", and while the whole "getting back together" vibe may seem
like contract fulfillment, the album is surprisingly solid. There's
definitely more of a "teamwork" vibe here. Beyonce still shines the
most, but this album sounds the most like a "Destiny's Child" album as
opposed to a showcase for B. The songs are mainly midtempo, with
samples pointing towards a lush, soulful feel. While some may
consider the album a bit short (11 tracks), the good song ratio is
significantly higher than it's been on past DC albums, and Beyonce
(and the other two) don't embarrass themselves on the lyrical tip a la
"Apple Pie A La Mode" and "Happy Face" on their previous album
"Survivor".
The album leads off with "Lose My Breath", and I tell ya, never has a
song been more aptly titled. Over a martial-military percussion track
spiked with synth blasts (courtesy of Rodney Jerkins, finally getting
over bewing scarred by the whole "Invincible" fiasco), the girls pant
breathlessly! It's almost as maddeningly catchy as "Crazy In Love",
and that's saying a heckuva lot.
Thankfully, they bring the energy level down as the album progresses
for a series of sweaty bedroom jams. "Cater 2 U" is almost
uncomfortably subservient from a lyrical standpoint, as the girls
promise to "fetch slippers", "cook dinner", and basically enslave
themselves in the name of treating their man right. The lyrics are
redeemed by a supple vocal arrangement (Beyonce is one of the BEST
vocal arrangers out there), and a backing track that sounds like stars
twinkling in the sky at night.
Despite the fact that there are producers aplenty here (even though B
gets a co-production credit on most of the songs), the album is pretty
seamless. The collaborations with borderline-underground producer
9th Wonder are both notable. "Is She The Reason" and "Girl" both
brim with an old-school flavor (courtesy of Melba Moore and Dramatics
samples). "Girl" features Kelly in the role of a lady standing by her
mistreating man while Beyonce and Michelle co-star in the roles of
supportive but concerned best friends trying to lead Kelly in the right
direction. It's corny, but it comes off well.
Kelly Rowland is particularly impressive vocally here. Even though it's
occasionally difficult to tell her and Beyonce apart, it's obvious that
Kelly has vocal chops to pull songs off on her own. She's the only
group member to get a beginning-to-end vocal turn on "Fulfilled",
taking the stage for the beat-heavy ballad "Bad Habit", a song which
bears more than a passing resemblance to Usher's "Burn".
Almost as if to apologize for "Cater 2 U", the ladies trade off lines
round-robin style to tell off a no-good man on "If". This hished ballad
is notable for the smart sample of the piano intro from Natalie Cole's
"Inseparable", the stunningly sharp harmonies, and for Kelly
dismissing the other girls in her man's life as "raggedy heifers". I know
you're not supposed to laugh during slow jams, but that one was
worth the giggle. "Through With Love" is nothing more than the girls
giving some serious drama over a soap-opera reminiscent piano line
and the BOOM of a drum machine. The girls' vocals truly soar on this
track, and it's a strong contender for best song on the album.
The album's only massive stumble comes right at Track Two. "Soldier"
is pandering at it's worst. It's a sap to the "core R&B" base, and if the
girls in DC (or the folks at their record company) were secure in the
belief that Black folks don't need to have a song that relates to the
criminal element in order to make them feel music, this could be damn
near a 5 star album. As it stands, this song is hardly worthy of the
time it takes you to listen to (although B pops off with another
nod-wink "private" tribute to her manfriend Jay-Z), and to make
matters worse, it's dragged down even further by the presence of T.I.
and Lil' Wayne AKA two men who should never open their mouths and
rap again.
But don't let one bad track take too much away from your enjoyment
of what is Destiny's Child's most consistent album. "Destiny Fulfilled"
has a mature, assured vibe that stands in sharp contrast to their
more teen-identified earlier work. Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle have
grown up, and "Destiny Fulfilled" is living proof that absence not only
makes the heart grow fonder, it makes the music better too.
really classic soul singers all pay attention to -"the emotion".
"Survivor" and "Bootylicious" are/were well sung, but they weren't
really about nothin'. I hoped, for her sake, that Beyonce finally got the
life experience to give the words she wrote and the notes she sang
gravity.
Although Kelly Rowland beat her to the punch with an inconsistent but
promising debut, Beyonce killed it with "Dangerously In Love".
Bolstered by "Crazy In Love" , Beyonce finally showed signs of
maturing to the point where she could potentially be recognized as an
artist as opposed to a pretty voice.
Considering the fact that solo success seemed to be the ultimate goal
for Beyonce, and she achieved it, why the hell would she come back to
Destiny's Child. The threesome returns for album #4, "Destiny
Fulfilled", and while the whole "getting back together" vibe may seem
like contract fulfillment, the album is surprisingly solid. There's
definitely more of a "teamwork" vibe here. Beyonce still shines the
most, but this album sounds the most like a "Destiny's Child" album as
opposed to a showcase for B. The songs are mainly midtempo, with
samples pointing towards a lush, soulful feel. While some may
consider the album a bit short (11 tracks), the good song ratio is
significantly higher than it's been on past DC albums, and Beyonce
(and the other two) don't embarrass themselves on the lyrical tip a la
"Apple Pie A La Mode" and "Happy Face" on their previous album
"Survivor".
The album leads off with "Lose My Breath", and I tell ya, never has a
song been more aptly titled. Over a martial-military percussion track
spiked with synth blasts (courtesy of Rodney Jerkins, finally getting
over bewing scarred by the whole "Invincible" fiasco), the girls pant
breathlessly! It's almost as maddeningly catchy as "Crazy In Love",
and that's saying a heckuva lot.
Thankfully, they bring the energy level down as the album progresses
for a series of sweaty bedroom jams. "Cater 2 U" is almost
uncomfortably subservient from a lyrical standpoint, as the girls
promise to "fetch slippers", "cook dinner", and basically enslave
themselves in the name of treating their man right. The lyrics are
redeemed by a supple vocal arrangement (Beyonce is one of the BEST
vocal arrangers out there), and a backing track that sounds like stars
twinkling in the sky at night.
Despite the fact that there are producers aplenty here (even though B
gets a co-production credit on most of the songs), the album is pretty
seamless. The collaborations with borderline-underground producer
9th Wonder are both notable. "Is She The Reason" and "Girl" both
brim with an old-school flavor (courtesy of Melba Moore and Dramatics
samples). "Girl" features Kelly in the role of a lady standing by her
mistreating man while Beyonce and Michelle co-star in the roles of
supportive but concerned best friends trying to lead Kelly in the right
direction. It's corny, but it comes off well.
Kelly Rowland is particularly impressive vocally here. Even though it's
occasionally difficult to tell her and Beyonce apart, it's obvious that
Kelly has vocal chops to pull songs off on her own. She's the only
group member to get a beginning-to-end vocal turn on "Fulfilled",
taking the stage for the beat-heavy ballad "Bad Habit", a song which
bears more than a passing resemblance to Usher's "Burn".
Almost as if to apologize for "Cater 2 U", the ladies trade off lines
round-robin style to tell off a no-good man on "If". This hished ballad
is notable for the smart sample of the piano intro from Natalie Cole's
"Inseparable", the stunningly sharp harmonies, and for Kelly
dismissing the other girls in her man's life as "raggedy heifers". I know
you're not supposed to laugh during slow jams, but that one was
worth the giggle. "Through With Love" is nothing more than the girls
giving some serious drama over a soap-opera reminiscent piano line
and the BOOM of a drum machine. The girls' vocals truly soar on this
track, and it's a strong contender for best song on the album.
The album's only massive stumble comes right at Track Two. "Soldier"
is pandering at it's worst. It's a sap to the "core R&B" base, and if the
girls in DC (or the folks at their record company) were secure in the
belief that Black folks don't need to have a song that relates to the
criminal element in order to make them feel music, this could be damn
near a 5 star album. As it stands, this song is hardly worthy of the
time it takes you to listen to (although B pops off with another
nod-wink "private" tribute to her manfriend Jay-Z), and to make
matters worse, it's dragged down even further by the presence of T.I.
and Lil' Wayne AKA two men who should never open their mouths and
rap again.
But don't let one bad track take too much away from your enjoyment
of what is Destiny's Child's most consistent album. "Destiny Fulfilled"
has a mature, assured vibe that stands in sharp contrast to their
more teen-identified earlier work. Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle have
grown up, and "Destiny Fulfilled" is living proof that absence not only
makes the heart grow fonder, it makes the music better too.
