When the ladies of Destiny’s Child came together to record their long-awaited third studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, they sat down and discussed the winding, arduous road that brought them to this celebrated point.Those discussions were the foundation for the lyrics and sound of this LP, which explains why the singing is so impassioned and the music so emotionally inspiring.
Grammy Award–winning producer Rodney Jerkins supplied the thunderous tribal beat for “Lose My Breath,” the album’s first single. It’s a pounding, animalistic piece of music—as urgent as a war cry. What sounds like a call to arms is actually a challenge to those two-minute brothers who talk a good game but can’t quite handle the bootylicious reality. As Beyoncé sings, “I put it right there, made it easy for you to get to / Now you want to act like you don’t know what to do.” (One presumes this song was inspired by experiences prior to her current relationship.) While Jay-Z isn’t heard from, his influence is all over the second single, “Soldier,” a mid-tempo groove with an obese kick drum and a fractured, syncopated keyboard lick. Alongside rap cameos by T.I. and Lil Wayne, who seem like stand-ins for Hova, Destiny’s Child ferociously chants: “If your status ain’t hood, I ain’t checking for them / Better be street if he looking at me.” Though the track is a measure of Jigga’s impact on the three seemingly sweet churchgoing girls, whose past nightlife probably consisted of wholesome sleepover parties, it comes off like a Broadway show tune about thug life.
The sexy trio is far more believable on the seductive R&B ballad “Cater 2 U,” in which they set the feminist movement back more than a century over the course of four minutes. Silky synthesizers slink and slurp while the ladies take turns moaning about how they want to submissively serve their men. Beyoncé, in particular, pours her heart into it, cooing, “Let me feed you, let me run your bathwater, whatever you desire,” as the song builds to a gorgeous symphonic crescendo. And when it comes to emotional honesty, the best song here is “T-Shirt.” While the drum sounds are obviously not organic, the programming is so detailed you can feel the presence of a human hand. Bits of guitar flutter down like snowflakes as Beyoncé sings about lying in bed clinging to her man’s T-shirt, craving his presence, and inhaling his scent.
While it’s no surprise that Destiny Fulfilledshowcases advanced production values, the songwriting and vocal abilities are just as impressive. From “Is She the Reason,” an R&B ballad with Beatles-esque chord movement, to “Girl,” which sounds like a Motown classic on steroids, Destiny’s Child refuses to play it safe with cookie-cutter formulas. And despite all the elaborate arrangements, it’s worth knowing that this album would still be astonishing if heard a cappella.The most showstopping display of the trio’s singing is “If,” a mournful song about how guys never really appreciate a woman until it’s too late.
Near the album’s bittersweet end is “Love,” a no-holds-barred smackdown in which love with a capital Lkicks the daylights out of the forces of fear, doubt, and disappointment. The girls thank God for love, but their emotions are so overwhelmingly unconditional, it sounds almost as if they’re singing to God Himself. To His ears and our hearts, Destiny Fulfilled offers divine satisfaction.
