Destiny's Child Album: “Destiny Fulfilled”

It's unfortunate to hear that the musical landscape's biggest female group of the last decade is planning on dismantling, but it is sobering and promising to know that they will each have futures. I really do respect Destiny's Child talent. They can harmonize. They can perform, and they have some nice fits (outfits) and very charasmatic but different personalities. Their appeal shows with the fact that they have pulled in sales of almost 3 million copies with this release which makes a statement in this current, sales-declining musical landscape.

LOSE MY BREATH-- Produced by Darkchild and Beyonce, I knew right away after hearing this first single that I had to cop this joint. The energy of this song is bananas. I love the drumline beat. It is definitely unique and at that point, there were no other songs of its kind. It was also good to see that each of the ladies were featured in the song. It was good as well to see that Darkchild made a comeback with a fresh beat. The accompanying video was also unique and hot as well. Another good fact about this song is that it never got overexposed which adds to its quality. A+

SOLDIER-Featuring T.I. & Lil Wayne, produced by Rich Harrison (Usher, J. Lo, Amerie), when I first heard this slow uptempo, I liked it. However, being a male myself the appeal of the song faded fast due to the lyrical content of the song and the fact that the song was overexposed. They played it TOO MUCH. Admittedly, the song is kind of cheesy. They sound like the Pussycat Dolls trying to look for a soldier. While I love DC, what do they know about a true, ghetto soldier? They probably would run if one came their way. The black-and-white video was tight though. Oh yea, this song is kind of long on the CD version. B

CATER 2 U-Produced by Darkchild (Rodney Jerkins), Ric Rude and Beyonce, this tight, night-life slow jam is all about a female catering to her man. While I am a male, I love this song. The phrasing of both of the verses is tight. The lyrics while touching are not cheesy or too schmaltzy. The bell-sound during the chorus is tight and just blows me away everytime I hear it. The harmonies/background vocals are tight. The bridge is done in an excellent anti-climatic way by Michelle. The song also displays each of the singer's individuality well. They each bring a different approach to their parts rather than sounding homogenized. Fourth single. A+

T-SHIRT- Produced by Andre Harris and Vidal Davis (Usher) and Beyonce, this song has got to be a single even if it is just in the Urban format. I hear this song so much in Chicago by people it is ridiculous. This slow jam dominated by Beyonce is tight. It is a very sultry and sexual song that has the girl yearning for her man so much that she adores his t-shirt to fill his place while he is gone. The hook is very catchy and the harmonies, once again, are tight. It is hard to not imagine Beyonce singing about Jay Z. I try to envision myself, but I know that the song is for Jay-Z. A nice old-school like slow jam. A

IS SHE THE REASON?-Produced by 9th Wonder, Beyonce, Sean Garrett, this old-school song with samples from I DON'T KNOW NO ONE ELSE TO TURN TO by R&B veteran Melba Moore, is a slower mid-tempo that calls for the girl reaching out to her man asking if another girl is the reason for his changing attentions toward her. The song is tight, and it works, but following the latter songs, it sounds more like filler because it would not work as a single at all, and it is somewhat boring. The harmonies are good as always. Beyonce dominates the song and Kelly is relegated to singing the pre-chorus. Michelle struggles in this song during the bridge. They should have given that to Kelly. B+

GIRL-Produced by 9th Wonder and Beyonce and containing elements from OCEAN OF THOUGHTS AND DREAMS as performed by THE DRAMATICS, this mid-tempo which was their third single is a tight song that has a good and very colorful video. At first, I did not care for this song because it does not stand out initially. However, listening to the way that the ladies phrase the lyrics they sing. The old-school vibe of the song which works really well here. Beyonce's adlibs, the harmonies and Michelle letting loose on the bridge showing her true vocal abilities brings a new light to this song. I just wished it could have done better as a single. This is music. When I sing along, I say "boy" instead of "girl" to let ya'll know. A+

BAD HABIT-Produced by Bryan Michael Cox and Kendrick Dean, the production of this Kelly-dominated song sounds so much like Usher's Burn, Fantasia's yOU GOT ME WAITING, Faith Evans' TRU LOVE, Frankie J's HOW TO DEAL and Tamia's STILL that it is crazy, but it still is its own song. The words of this song is something that many can relate to especially girls who just pigeon-hole their musical tastes to those soldiers or any other limited group of guys. Kelly interprets the song well, but vocally the song falls short on this Destiny Child's CD. I was thinking all along where are the girls at. They could have been used on the background or something because Kelyl falls just a little short, but this heartfelt, emotional song is tight. A

IF-Produced by Rockwilder and Beyonce, containing elements from INSEPARABLE as performed by Natalie Cole, this old-school slow jam sounds like something right out of 1975's R&B music catalogue. "If" looking for some tight and fresh harmonies, this is th e perfect song to listen to. The cut talks abotu "if" the guy thinks she is going to stay and ignore all the wrongs, he is wrong. I like the fact that all three of the girls are utilized well throughout the song. Because of that, out of them all, this is a true Destiny Child's song because they are all used. A

FREE-Produced by Rockwilder and Beyonce, this mid-tempo with excerpts from NIGHT WHISTLER performed by Donald Byrd is a nice, "free"ing song. It talks about no feeling like being free from a relationship. The vocals are tight, but I do wished that Kelly and Michelle could have been used more. The scatting or whatever it is that Beyonce does at the end is tight. B+

THROUGH WITH LOVE- Produced by Mario Winans and Beyonce, this empowerment song about being through with love and being strong sounds like a Mario Winans track. At first, I did not like this song and I had deemed it the worst of all the tracks. However, after listening to it so much, the haunting, slow but fast production of the song mixed with the innovative vocals make the song more appealing. Michelle brings fire during the needed fire during her bridge part. It is good hearing her sing like that. I like the collective, powerful "through with love" chants at the end. A-

LOVE-Produced by Erron Williams and Beyonce, this acoustic-sounding with Country music elements to it but still sounding R&B ballad is weird because they just sang about being "free" and "through with love" but the CD celebrates all spheres of love. I love this song. It is just a beautiful love song where the lyrics are not cheesy. It is also not your traditional R&B ballad like CATER 2 U is which is an excellent song, but here the harmonies are magnificent. It is just a nice, laidback, breezy song. All of the ladies' vocals are more evenly distributed here. A+

Overall, the CD is tight. It is good to see Destiny Child matured and grown ladies. There are not the usual disposable, bubblegum songs like Bootylicious, which was fun but good but who listens to that now? This is more quality. It is good to hear Beyonce's creamy, operatic vocals mixed in with Kelly's mature, soulful voice and Michelle's nasal but unique vocals. I just wished they were not breaking up because if this was any indication, the group was only going to get better with quality material.

Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled (Sony Music Urban, 2004)

I know it's cliché to start off a Destiny's Child review without mentioning Beyoncé's name first but after she hit it big with last year's Dangerously in Love album people wondered if she would do a Justin Timberlake and never look back or come back to do at least one more album with her girls. Well, she's back with her Child(ren) and their new album, Destiny Fulfilled. This album is thankfully better than their last album, 2001's Survivor, which was too pop, experimental, and mediocre. However, it's just like Dangerously in Love, meaning that it has its highs and lows.

First of all, to all the reviewers who keep saying, "This album is too slow, where are the dance tracks that they are known for", YOU NEVER KNEW DESTINY'S CHILD. Their two biggest hits were "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name", which are slow songs. But they can still make you shake a tail feather, so the album kicks off with "Lose My Breath" (man, that "Drumline" movie is providing a lot of samples this year!) and "Soldier" (with T.I. and Lil Wayne). The rest of the songs are typical Destiny's Child stuff: women's lib anthems ("Girl"), I-love-you-so-much ditties ("Love", "Cater 2 U"), trifiling-man songs ("Is She the Reason") and some love-making songs thrown in for good measure ("Lose My Breath", "T-Shirt"). "T-Shirt" is actually a standout, and the production by 9th Wonder on "Is She The Reason" and "Girl" is great (Beyoncé dating Jay-Z must have its priviledges; 9th also produced Jay-Z's "Threat" last year).

What really brings this album down are the predictible song structures (Beyoncé dominates the chorus, she and Kelly switch off between first and second verse, Michelle sings the bridge). Speaking of Michelle, she really can't sing that great. She tries to come off like an old soul singer but ends up sounding like Macy Gray and Fantasia combined. I wonder how she even passed the auditions. She reminds me of the third member of Brownstone who couldn't sing well and had to leave the group because of throat problems.

This album shows that Beyoncé is obviously better as a solo artist (doesn't this remind anyone of when Michael Jackson went back to the Jackson 5 during the mid-'80s for one last album?) while Kelly and Michelle should concentrate on their own solo careers as well. Alas, another R&B album this year that doesn't provide any surprises but will keep the fans happy, or at least serve for good background music. Matter of fact, I'll listen to some Brownstone now and reminisce on the good ol' days of R&B. -EJR

The people rating this cd 4 or 5 stars are either die-hards or those with poor taste in music. One general statement can be made about the entire cd, the harmonies are great. However most of the songs sound like stuff that was left off Beyonce's first cd. It starts off decent with Lose My Breath, a typical DC song (bills, say my name) then the newfangled and gimmicky Soldier is an attempt at capitalizing on the (at the moment) southern hip-hop boom. Cater 2 U is a nice tempo and melody good adlibs beyonce and her backup all sound good on this one; can't complain here. But next, inexplicably, is a patch of medicore mid-tempos. 4-7 shouldnt even be on the CD, they'd have been called cd fillers and wouldnt be too bad of cd fillers if the cd didnt have only 11 tracks its inexcusable that on an 11 track cd you have 4 songs of garbage. #8 "If" picks up a little but the song is too long and michelle's scraggly, struggling voice shouldnt be featured here, unfortunately it is. The highlight of the Cd is track 9 and 10 FREE and THROUGH WITH LOVE great harmonies, everyone sounds great they are listenable repeatedly and get better each time. even michelle sounds good and she carries Through With Love, maybe because her verse is about GOD and she was inspired for once but she actually sounds good here. 11, LOVE, is an appropriate way to end this flawed and likely final cd. Nice, sweet, and forgettable.

First...I am not a die-hard DC fan. Before this album I never owned a Destiny;s Child album. Honestly, if it were not a gift I would not have purchased it but nowadays I am thanking my friend everyday for this album. And if you are into really classic, soul stirring R&B crooners don't let hip-hop trend friendly tracks like lose my breath and soldier deter you from getting this one. Tracks like Lose my breath and soldier are not accurate representation of the depth of DC talent nor the deep emotion of this album. Really I think this is an album that's really grown & sexy undercover as a teeny bopper album. One word: GROWN-UP! These girls are all grown up now! Gone are the dyas og bills bills bills...Uh Huh these girls are paying their own bills and have grown women tales to tell. These women experiences spill out on this album like butter. Here's the real deal:

Lose my breath - ye it's a hot track, radio-rotating spin that'll get the girls to spend their mama's money

Soldier - smooth track the makes any round' the way chick cop this one...great production also...but what do you expect.

Cater2U - now here the real album becomes to poke her head out. Real emotion, Real great vocals. Beyonce, Kelly, Michelle basically blow you away.

T-Shirt - Hot track but it just isn't steaming...Great vocals by the girls...

Is she the reason - hot hot track...great composition here... words are gritty, real, and full of feeling.

Girl - upbeat tempo, that a great sing along...you just can't skip it.

Bad Habit - ah hah! My fav track hands down.. The women simply nail it. With hard hitting lyrics backed by just the right background music...The women give us classic love to hate you song...

If - Damn! This song is awesome...The vocals are superb. The production is faultless. You absolutely feel the raw emotion in this song...Perfection, people perfection

Free - Yep another one out of the ball park...You literally feel free after this track..free from bad relationships, careers, and faulty friends...you wanna just go out and do the darn thing!

Through With Love - catchy beat laced with beautiful words...another very emotion-filled track...I luv it

Love - atlast you arrive at the end and what a blissfull pretty ending it is.

Now press repeat and do it all over again

OK, I have to admit that I may be a bit biased, since I'm a fanatic of DC, but I really looooved this album, and do not see why everyone's freaking out because they decided to feature a more mid-tempo collection on their new CD. It's true that their usual funky dance vibe is absent here, and the album only has eleven songs, but if a halfway sane person listens to this more than once, they will appreciate the contemplative lyrics, outstanding vocals, and seemingly effortless harmonies that, to me, is truly what sets DC apart as a phenomenal group, regardless, that's right REGARDLESS, of how fast, slow, or in-between their songs are, whether there are 11, 2, or 1000 tracks on the CD, whether they dress up, wear jeans, or don fluffy bunny costumes on the CD cover... I think you get the idea. Below is a song-by-song review. I don't usually do this, but I feel this disc deserves it.

Lose My Breath is one of those songs that fans of DC's club vibes will undoubtedly like, with an awesome, ever-moving drum beat and fast lyrics. I'll never ever forget the first time I heard it.

Soldier is a midtempo containing a lot of urban slang and an incredibly catchy chorus.

Cater 2 U is a groovy slow jam, but with contrastingly fast lyrics.

T-Shirt is an incredibly sexy, yet surprisingly poetic, slow jam that I would not recommend showing to anyone under 13. All three of them seem like they are really feeling this song, though, which is awesome.

Is She the Reason is a mid-tempo with candid lyrics, which I think really display the confused feelings of the narrator. (Or whatever you call it when it's a song.)

Girl has the catchiest chorus on the entire CD, and I enjoy the interaction displayed between Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle. However, well wishers of Kelly can only hope the evil man she is talking about isn't her possible fiancee, Roy Williams.

Bad Habit, Kelly's solo song, is one of my favorite songs on the album. Her voice is beautiful, and the background instrumentation complements it well.

If is a jazzy type ballad that really shows off the girls' harmony, and they take turns singing within the verses.

Free, a breezy mid-tempo, also has some mind-blowing harmony parts. At one point the girls actually sing a major sixth chord, which sounds really cool.

Through With Love is a bitter reflection on a verbally abusive boyfriend, with a truly amazing resolution at the end.

Love, the closer, winds everything down wonderfully, with sweet, sincere lyrics and beautiful, silky harmony.

So therefore, I would recommend this amazing album to any open-minded DC fan, or to anyone who's fond of R&B.