Destiny's Child - Writing's on the Wall
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CD Details
Artist: Destiny's ChildEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-07-27
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Intro (The Writing's On The Wall)
- So Good
- Bills, Bills, Bills
- Confessions
- Bug A Boo
- Temptation
- Now That She's Gone
- Where'd You Go
- Hey Ladies
- If You Leave
- Jumpin, Jumpin
- Say My Name
- She Can't Love You
- Stay
- Sweet Sixteen
- Outro (Amazing Grace...Dedicated To Andretta Tillman)
Music reviews of Writing's on the Wall
Music Review: They May Be Bashing Males--But They're Doing It With Style
Rating: 4 Stars
Destiny's Child became famous in the latter half of the 90s, a time when male-bashing songs were everywhere. Not many people have heard of their self-titled debut, which came out in 1998. Instead, most people consider their 1999 sophomore album, "The Writing's On The Wall" to be their debut. The four original members of the group, Beyonce Knowles, her cousin Kelendria (Kelly) Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett, created a sophomore album filled with sweet ballads and great upbeat songs, with male-bashing themes fairly constant throughout. The girls, mainly Beyonce and Kelly, had a hand in writing many of the songs. As well, they enlisted the help of songwriter/producers Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and Kandi Burruss (of the group Xscape as well as a skilled songwriter in her own right), Missy Elliot and Rodney Jerkins, all of who provided excellent material.
The album starts off a short skit, in which the girls imitate the Godfather, and discuss the commandments that should be followed. This sets up for the rest of the album, where after each song one of the commandments (for example, "Thou shalt not hate") is said. "So Good" starts off, and while everyone initially loved it, I could not stand it. However now, five years later, it's grown on me and does not seem quite as irritating except for Beyonce's part in the middle. ("I'm doing so, so, so, so, so...I'm doing so, so, so, so, so good, good, good...etc."). That part is nothing short of grating. After this is "Bills, Bills, Bills", a catchy (but not upbeat) song about a boy who makes the girls pay for everything they do. Though the concept seems a little bland, the girls pull it off because of their delivery. "Confessions" shows the other side to the girls, as they are confessing to their men that they cheated. This mid-tempo song takes a while to grow on you, as it seems more spoken then sung which makes it sound a bit off. However, the chorus really picks things up.
"Bug-a-Boo" talks about a boy who calls/e-mails/etc. constantly and will not leave his girl alone. As catchy as this song is, it does get irritating after a few listens. The verses are not bad, but the chorus is repeated far too many times. "Temptation"'s chorus has a familiar tune but I am not sure where I heard it before. This is a stellar mid-tempo about the girls resisting the temptation of another man because they are already with someone. "Now That She's Gone" is about a guy who wants someone back after the girl he left her for breaks up with him. In this song, the girls are telling this guy that it's too late to get them back because of how he treated them. The girls sound great together and put quite a bit of feeling into the song. There is also some impeccable (but short) harmonizing in the bridge, which really adds to the quality. "Where'd You Go" is just slightly above average. It would have been quite bland had it not been for the delivery. The chorus in particular has excellent harmonies though not as much emotion behind the lyrics as I would have liked.
"Hey Ladies" is another song that would have been boring if it wasn't for the great vocals. Especially notable is the part that goes "yeah he did me wrong, but I love him so...". The chorus is fairly weak however the vocals in the rest of the song save it. After that is my personal favourite, and by far the best slow song on the album, "If You Leave" featuring Next. Vocally, this song is incredible (not powerful per se, but the vocals fit impeccably with the tone of the song) which more than makes up for the weak spots in the lyrics. Also, the harmonies with Next are great. "Jumpin Jumpin" is a decent dance song but mostly unimpressive. Although it is catchy, and there is nothing particularly bad about it, it gets irritating after a few listens and is not as good as the group's other upbeat songs. "Say My Name" follows and is the complete opposite. There is something about this song keeps it from getting too uninteresting. There is nothing noticeably different about the style as compared to the other upbeat songs, however this one is much more appealing to me.
"She Can't Love You" is another beautiful song in which the girls tell their man there's no way his new girlfriend's love is as good as hers was. This song also has beautiful harmonies, especially in the chorus. "Stay" also has impeccable harmonies and stunning vocals. This is one of the few songs where you can actually hear all four girls (as opposed to mainly Beyonce and Kelly). Vocally, the two aforementioned songs were two of the best. For that matter, "Sweet Sixteen" falls in to that category as well. It also has beautiful lyrics, sweet vocals and excellent harmonies. Lastly, there is "Amazing Grace", which is dedicated to Andrea Tillman. Of all Gospel songs I've heard on albums, this is not one of the better ones. Though it is sung a capella and showcases incredible vocals by all four girls, it just seems a little off to me.
Overall Mark: 4/5
Though there were some parts of this album where it was apparent Beyonce was the forefront of the group, it was much less obvious than other albums of theirs. This album showcased exceptional harmonies and vocals in several places, although it would have been better if LaTavia and LeToya had gotten more leads. The upbeat songs range from decent to great, but most of them get annoying after several listens. On the contrary, a majority of the slower songs (particularly "If You Leave") are almost guaranteed to be repeated because of their beauty. Lyrics could use touch-ups in some places but as a whole, the album was great when it came out and is equally great now.
Description of Writing's on the Wall
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Not even Dionne Warwick and her mind-reading friends could have predicted that, over the course of two CDs, Destiny's Child would become one of the most successful girl groups on the planet. But successful this Houston trio is, and their sophomore CD shows why. Yes, the lineup changes as often as lead singer Beyoncé's hairstyle, but fun, disposable pop/R&B needn't be rooted in permanence, and DC is mad fun and mad catchy to boot. With the assistance of hitmakers Shek'spere and Kandi Burruss, Destiny's Child trade in effervescent, hip-shaking, finger-wagging, 'you-go-girl, kick-him-to-the-curb' anthems. The Writing's on the Wall is loaded with tracks like "Bills, Bills, Bills," which are suitable both for dancing and as topics on the Ricki Lake Show. The percolating "Bug A Boo" is irresistible, as is the sassy "So Good." To their credit, the girls can slow the pace down, and on the sultry "Temptation" they get to work their considerable chops to nice effect. But as sales and chart figures have shown, Destiny's Child are at their best when they are laying down the law to some trifling man, and/or working their own groove thang. Work it they do on this somewhat formulaic but ultimately irresistible effort. --Amy Linden
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