Picks and Pans Review: Destiny's Child

R&B

Destiny Fulfilled

After the crazy success of Beyoncé’s 2003 solo debut Dangerously in Love—which sold 3 million copies, won her five Grammys and established her as the It Girl of pop last year—one suspected that the singer might renege on her promise to reunite with Destiny’s Child and instead make it all about “me, myself and I.” But the R&B girl group’s three-year hiatus, during which Kelly Rowland also released a solo disc and Michelle Williams churned out two gospel albums, is over. And despite Beyoncé’s pumped-up wattage—or maybe because she was just too busy to spend as much time on this CD—it’s actually much more of a collaborative effort than The Beyoncé Show. The three trade lead vocals on—and share writing credits for—all but one track, and that one (“Bad Habit”) showcases Rowland, who really steps up on this disc. First single “Lose My Breath,” an uptempo club cut with bustling beats including a simulated marching band, gets things jumpin’ jumpin’. Destiny Fulfilled, though, mostly picks up where the second two-thirds of Beyoncé‘s Dangerously in Love left off, with lots of luxurious slow-to-midtempo grooves that show off the trio’s sexier, more supple vocals. But on the highlight, “Through with Love,” the ladies work up some righteous indignation as the song builds to its gospel climax.

DOWNLOAD THIS: “Through with Love”