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Album Review
by SashaS
15-11-2004
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More on: Destiny''s Child
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| Destiny's Child's 'Destiny Fulfilled'? |
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Destiny's Child: 'Destiny Fulfilled'
(Columbia)
Destiny's Child hover between flawed and sensational
There is finality about the Destiny’s Child album title and with everything the girls have been saying during the promotion - could this be it? If ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ is going to be it - then we should feel short-changed. Although it is a solid album one has an impression that the girls could have done better.
Starting promisingly with that erotica-loaded ‘Lose My Breath’ hit, the reunited babes appear to be on top form. Alas, this could be the highlight of the album because the rest is… somewhat laboured, somewhat soul-less, at other times - on an emotional cruise. The girls have been saying to be feeling tired and having a bit of a “studio nightmare”.
‘Destiny Fulfilled’ is the first album from Beyoncé Knowles, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland since 2001's ‘Survivor’ album and the girls have done a lot in meantime. And then, made this album without a proper break… It is also fair to suspect, not the performance, but the quality of songs that rarely rise above the standard set by the previous album.
‘Soldier’ is painfully pedestrian, musically so bland it hardly exists. Still, when the girls strike the right note - on ‘Love’ and ‘Girl’ - they are sensational and prove once more to be the best female vocal group since En Vogue. Slower songs are fairly represented, from ‘Cater 2 U’, ‘T-Shirt’, ‘Is She The Reason’ - all strangely sequenced in a cluster as if we needed a mid-disc break.
It is the upbeat material that usually brings hormones to fire-up but there is no much of it around: ‘If’ starts impressively but it gets overcooked in clichés, ‘Free’ chucks along on a decent rhythm with a playful guitar although sounding half-finished, its oomph a-miss… ‘Through With Love’ rides on a drum-track and not much else… The bonus track [bringing the total timing to 52 minutes only - were they in some particular hurry?] is named ‘Game Over’.
If the maternal instincts, fatigue and solo ambitions bring the end to this outfit - it’ll still be a general loss. And, despite their tour being sponsored by McDonald’s, although Beyoncé extolled the virtues of purveyors of obesity, claiming to have eaten at one McDon’s every day during the making of this album and defending the sponsorship by being able to visit/cheer up kids at Ronald McDonald houses - they don’t really look like women who frequent fast-food joints.
Men can usually buy any BS from bootylicious babes but this…
7/10
‘Destiny Fulfilled… And Lovin’ It’ European tour kicks-off on 14 May 2005 at the Forum, Copenhagen and includes concerts in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and France.
The UK/Irish leg:
02 June 2005 - Earl's Court Arena, London
03 June 2005 - Earl’s Court Arena, London
05 June 2005 - National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
06 June 2005 - Evening News Arena, Manchester
09 June 2005 - Lansdowne Road, Dublin
SashaS
15-11-2004
Destiny’s Child album ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ is released 15 November 2004 by Columbia
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