Album Review: Destiny's Child-Destiny Fulfilled (4.5/5 Pimpslaps)
(first printed on Jackson G. Tickle Enterprises corporate site on 11/8/2004)
In my quest at discussing things, at length, that sometimes only interest me, I've gotten away from what I love most, criticizing music. You see, I'm an avid music lover. I buy lots of music, even gained a reputation amongst my peers as being that dude that would buy anything. I would just buy a CD because the store had it at one point. Really, nothing lights up the room like being the one grown black man who actually purchased Hillary Duff's solo offering...
*horrified and blank stares from audience*
Okay, okay...I'm joking!
(I'm really not joking.)
*hanging head in shame*
Anyway...back to the point of this discussion. I was fortunate to come up on Destiny's Child's new soon to be released (11/15/2004) CD, Destiny Fulfilled, yesterday from a friend of mine who dabbles in unreleased new music. She is able to get it like nobody's business. Music that is. Shall we begin?? Yes, let's.
Can they do it again? Will people still care about them? Can Kelly and Michelle hang with Beyonce?? Is this really ANOTHER Beyonce solo album? How exactly did the Eagles get trounced by the Steelers yesterday? Ooops, sorry, wrong post. Are there any just standout tracks? Where is the Honeycomb Hideout?? Why am I asking so many questions? Do I even know?? Do I? Do I?
Okay, first things first. The album is just damn good. Period. From beginning to end. These girls can harmonize their like nobody's business. The vocal arrangements are incredible. Beyonce has one of the strongest voices I've heard in a long time, and Christina Aguilera can go to hell. Kelly Rowland sounds a lot like Beyonce, but can still sing well. I will get to Michelle later, because yes, she deserves her own section. This isn't just another Beyonce offering as all of the women get their time to shine.
Those are the basics...now to the nitty gritty. The tracks on this album are amazing to say the least. And since there are only eleven, and a bonus track, I can pretty much go song for song, but I'll probably skip a few.
[***Sidenote: Have you ever wondered why they offer bonus tracks and then label them joints bonus tracks? Like why isn't it just song number 12. Who thought this was a good idea? You don't have to skip through a song to hear it or wait through 4 minutes of nothing to get to it...it's just song number 12! Big Mat Dog AKA Matthew Knowles...really, what's the point??***]
As the nation has heard thus far, "Lose My Breath" is the first single. And its amazing. If you don't like this song you are a hater and should light yourself on fire in a shower while listening to RuPaul's greatest hits and smoking a cyanide laced cigarette. High school and college bands across the nation have fallen in love with this percussion heavy track. It is just good. Period. Point blank. "Soldier," is the next single and though I pretty much think the beat is some pure and utter biship, the girls singing over it make it that much better. It's also the song where she outs that her and Jay-Z are dating with a subliminal message about a soldier from BK. So just in case you were living under a rock for the last 2 years, she gives you something to NOW think about. It features the guest spots of T.I. and Lil' Wayne to give it the southern feel. Oh yeah, this song is ghetto, like, they're even talking about chiefin' (smoking weed) in the song. Da hell???
This is a good time to bring this up. These women's voices are incredible together, but Beyonce makes every song she sings on BETTER. Like it might be a good song before, but her voice makes shit great. Resistance is futile. You can hate if you want, but her voice is just great...smack your mama great. Like really, if I meet anybody who tells me that she can't sing, I think I reserve the right to slap the hell out of said person. Who are they kidding? I mean really...
She's fine too. Just in case you were wondering.
In further proof, that all three of them are whipped or sprung on somebody, the song "Cater 2 U" is next on the menu. And you don't need to be smart to understand what they are talking about. It's self explanatory, but the music is just great on this song. According to MTV.com, its produced by either Rodney Jerkins or Rich Harrison (they confused me so I'm not sure who produced it). Either way...its great. Then comes the T-shirt klepto inducing song of the new year, "T-Shirt" about what the women do in their man's t-shirts. Fellas, be on the lookout, your T-Shirts will be stolen, REPEAT, will be stolen so your chick can sleep, smile, love, bathe, cook, drive...in your T-shirt.
Next up we have the songs "Is She The Reason" and "Girl" courtesy of underground rap turned mainstream producer du jour, 9th Wonder (Little Brother, Jay-Z's "Threat"). Never has one man benefited so much from knowing the man dating Beyonce. He got not one, but TWO songs on this guaranteed to be platinum album. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a come-up. Both of these songs are laid back soul-sample songs, and just undeniably good. Kind of feel good type of songs, even though the first one is talking about cheating or losing your man. But feel-good nontheless.
Because I'm losing my patience...let me get to the three best songs on the album in my opinion. Mother May I??? The song "If" is just good (though it kind of sounds like its missing something, but I'm okay with that). I mean, when it first came on, I couldn't do anything but (gay moment of the day coming...NOW)...smile. It has the same underlying melody as Lloyd Banks, "Karma", except since this is a woman's group singing it, its not gay. It's just great. But my hands down favorite song on this CD is......
"Free." The music on this song is so undeniably good it will make you call somebody and tell them about it. Okay, maybe that's just me. It's a song about realizing that a man doesn't deserve you and finally becoming free. Well, I didn't even realize that until after maybe the 10th time listening to it because the music is just that great on it. Their singing on this song is way "far out" too. They all sound absolutely great on this song. It's just some good old fashioned feel good picnic music. I could really go on and on about this, I mean I told one of my friends about 8 or 9 times that this song is just wonderful. It really is...honestly, I mean I like a lot and you will too, because its that good...I mean really...
You have just witnessed overkill.
And the other just ridiculously great song is "Love." This song is about how finding love makes them feel. You know, the butterflies and all that cutesy type stuff. It really is just a good song...to complement a really good album. Their harmonizing is lovely, Beyonce and Kelly are as strong as ever vocally, and the music is just great, and it has to be, because......
...Michelle almost ruined like three of the songs with her horrendous voice. Luckily, Beyonce and Kelly can make up for it. Now I know that sounds harsh. But honestly...its supposed to be. Wait until you hear, "Is She The Reason." You'll be sitting there, listening intently, loving it, feeling it, just drifting off into aural bliss, and then......
...WHAM!...Michelle comes in with her raspy non-fitting bridge that just messes up the whole thing. I almost spit out my red Kool-Aid when I heard her start singing solo. It was horrible. Her voice, solo, does not fit with these songs...at all. She almost ruined, "If," but was saved by the great music. On "Lose My Breath" you can't really tell because the beat drowns her out, but on "Is She The Reason", buddy, oh buddy, you can tell. I'm just saying beware is all. Just be prepared.
Overall, the album is more mid-tempo than past offerings, a la Usher's CD, and is really good the whole way through. Their voices are just unbelievably good together, and as always Beyonce's voice is just lovely. There are a few songs that aren't AS good as the others, but put them joints on anybody else's album and they are singles. So in the famous words of Missy Elliot......cop that hit.
Panama's Position: 4.5/5 Pimpslaps
Destiny's Child-Destiny Fulfilled (Columbia) Tracklisting
- Lose My Breath
- Soldier feat. T.I. and Lil' Wayne
- Cater 2 U
- T-Shirt
- Is She The Reason
- Girl
- Bad Habit
- If
- Free
- Through With Love
- Love
- Game Over (Bonus Track)
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