The Writing's on the Wall - Destiny's Child (CD 1999)

Premable: It was a little while after I heard 'Bug A Boo', and the fall had really hit Norway. Cold, raining all the time (not that it doesn't rain all the time the rest of the year.. it does.) and absolutely nothing to do. (aah.. I had no idea about a wonderful site called epinions.) I went to the Cd-store trying to find a CD that could cheer me up, and there it was.. I loved Bug A Boo, and there was the whole album. On retail to $15! (Usually CD's cost $22(!) here in Norway) I bought it, and went home and listened to it.. over and over again.. It was a pretty good album, and it did cheer me up.. So, here is my review of it!

Kristina(FH) gave me the great idea of putting my summary on top. It saves you a whole lot of time, because you don't have to read through a whole lot of boring comments from me if you don't want to ;)

Summary: Before I heard their new album 'Survivor' I was pretty satisfied with this one. But I must admit that I don't fancy this CD quite as much now as I did before. If I compare it to 'Survivor' I would have to say that 'Survivor' gives you a whole lot more of entertainment than this album. If you do already own the Survivor album, and you are a big Destiny's Child fan you may want to consider buying this album, otherwise I think you'll be disappointed. Yes, 'The Writing's On The Wall' does have a few good songs, but you have heard them all before; all of them have been released as singles.

Okay, now over to a description of each song..

The Writing's On The Wall I have never heard a more stupid intro than this one. A totally freaky voice appears on the track saying a lot of words I don't understand. But I do understand that the voice says: *We are here today to talk about relationships*. I would think this would have been much better if they had only let Beyonc or one of the other girls sing it. Instead we end up with a silly intro that don't even belong on this album. It gets a D+

So Good In a way you could say that this is a not-as-good version of 'Survivor'. It is about them doing it so good, and everything is going to way they want it to. And people may not handle it, but they really are! The whole song is pretty okay, but they could have skipped the bridge, with Beyonce singing I'm doing so-so-so-so-so, I'm doing so-so-so-so-so, I'm doing so-so-so-so-so-so-so-gu-gu-gu-good. Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-good. It gets annoying listening to the so's and the gu's. The lyrics are well written, but they could have done something else with the music. It is badly composed, and it would have sounded much better if they had just redone it.
The grade is B-

Bills, Bills, Bills The first single from this album, and one of my favorite songs on this album.. The song is about their men not paying what they should. Expecting the women to pay everything, and that is why they no longer want them. The lyrics on this song are some of the best Destiny's Child has ever made (that is, if it is them who has written them). Can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bills? Can you pay my automo-bills? If you did then maybe we could chill. I don't think you do. So you and me are through. I think Shek'Spere (he's a producer, and he has almost the same sound as Dark-Child) has done a terrific job on the music, it is passive in the background, and gets us to really focus on the singers, which is something I would really like to see all songs do. Oh yeah, and a A-

Bills, Bills, Bills VIDEO I own the European version of this CD, and here all the music videos are included. The video to 'Bills, Bills, Bills' is very well directed, and their clothes look really good. And guess what? They've designed them themselves. Beyonc s lip-syncing is not at all that bad, although the others look pretty stupid. What were they thinking? The girls have also got Beyonc s cousin to style their hair, and it looks VERY nice. B+

Confessions feat. Missy Elliot At the time I bought this album, I really hated Missy Elliot. I thought she had no interesting songs. So every time this song came around on my Cd-player, I skipped it. Now though, I've become a really big fan of Missy Elliot and her songs and style. But, I don't think that she has anything to do on this song. She is in the background making sounds. ooh.. aah.. hah-hah.. yeah.. aah.. ooh.. Beyonc and Kelly does an O.K job on this song, but I don't hear anything of LaTavia and LeToya. Now, it is not that I don't like Beyonc and Kelly very, very much, but I want some variation! Lyrics on this song satisfy my wants, and so does the music. But I would think that a remix of this song would have been much better, and it could have been a popular song on the dance-floor. Um, a B-

Bug A Boo This is how I love to hear Destiny's Child! The lyrics are very well written.. So what? You bought a pair of shoes? What? So now I guess you think IOU? You don't have to call as much as you do. I'd give them back to be through with you. So what? My momma likes you? What? Now I guess you think I will too? Even if the folks like you.. I don't really care, 'cause you're a Bug A Boo. It's all about the boy bugging them to death, they want nothing more to do with a guy like that! I'm not completely satisfied with the music though, it takes away some of the attention from the singers. Only one of the girls have some nice moments on this song, and that is Beyonc . We barely hear the other girls, which I think is O.K on this song, I think the song is perfect for Beyonc . I'll give it the grade it deserves.. maybe a A-

Bug A Boo VIDEO If you have seen this video, I am sure you too are annoyed by the traffic-sign, changing between red and green light. For me it ruins the whole video, and I think about it through the rest of the video. But the girls do look sexy, even though don't get as much attention as they should. Also, they do a nice job as cheer-leaders. If you watch the video closely, you will even see Wyclef Jean! C+

Temptation Did you think they started stealing stuff from other artists on 'Survivor'? No, it started on this song. They have very rudely stolen the 'Barney' theme. It is not credited. But, the funny thing is that it is the only thing that makes this song bearable to listen to. The song has no other highlights, and none of the girls do a good job. Sexy boy, you so fly, I just might give you a try. I'm gonna write your number in the palm of my hand. Oops.. forgot I got a man at home. - Their version of the 'Barney' theme. A C will do.

Now That She's Gone Aah, I have been waiting for this! On this song you can hear the other girls! The only problem is that this song is sooo boring. The girls haven't really decided if this is supposed to be a ballad or an upbeat-song.. I'm not sure either. The music is hypnotic, and it's easy to forget all about the song. I would rather see that they would have speeded the song up a bit, and changed the background music. And that would be what I call music! Anyway, the lyrics are also dull.. and badly written. Now that she's gone. Wanna come back? Is that a fact? You make me wait too long!
I give it a C

Where'd You Go? I was very skeptical to this song, 'cause the title is so weird. I had every reason to be it, because this song isn't good. The main verses are acceptable, but I really hate the chorus. No kidding. It is so incredibly boring and it sounds sooo bad. Where'd you go? I don't know.. I know I need you in this heart of mine. And they repeat it at least 10+ times. The only thing I like about this song is that Beyonc has one of those wow-oh-oh-wow-oh-oh's at the end of the song. The background music is okay, but they've added a whole lot of wow's through the whole song! It bothers me a whole lot. Avoid this song! C-/D+

Hey Ladies The song has the same problem 'Where'd you go', the refrain sucks. It is not as bad as 'Where'd you go', but still, it is hard to get it that bad. What gets me off is the endless repetitions of 'why is it that?' 'why is it that?'. Hey ladies why is that men can go do us wrong? (why is it that?) And we decide to keep holding on? (why is it that? why is it that?) The lyrics in the rest of the song are okay, but my favorite part about this song is the music.. a very nice guitar playing a tune I'm sure I've heard before.. and I love it! Beyonc and Kelly does a good job. C

If You Leave (Featuring Next) 'Er.. who the heck is Next?' I had never heard about him before I heard this song. He isn't at all bad. But, he is one of the very few things that makes this song decent. The other thing I like is that Beyonc shows off her talent. Lyrics? No thank you.. They are bad! If you leave her, I'll leave him.. We'll pack our bags. Don't say a word. We go far away. To another place. And that is basically what they sing through the whole song. Yawn.. Anybody who's got a pillow I can borrow? C-

Jumpin' Jumpin' I've got one word for you: Yowza! This and 'Survivor' are my favorite Destiny's Child songs. I'm sure you've heard it, and you're impressed, right? (say yes, or else..) Who cares if the lyrics are totally meaningless? This song is catchy, and I loved it from the first second I heard it. I simply love the music too.. And one of my favorite rappers: Lil' Bow Wow has a tiny guest appearance on this song.. although you have to listen very closely to hear it. Okay, if you haven't heard this song; immediately download it or buy the single on retail! A+

Jumpin' Jumpin' VIDEO The video is almost as good as the song. This should be a video for everyone.. a whole lot of sexy women, and you women will get something you'll enjoy very much ;) The director is truly fabulous, although I don't know who it is. The camera is at the right place in the right time, and well.. it is almost perfect. The girls wear very sexy clothes, and for the first time; I think Kelly is the one who really gets to show herself off the most. She is also the one who looks the best IMO. A

Say My Name Aah.. the first (and only) song produced by Dark Child on this album. He always does wonders with even the worst songs. This song is catchy, and I also love the music. The lyrics are also better than 'J'J's. Something's going on is the way it seems. Shouldn't be the reason why you actin' strange? If nobody's holding you back from me.. This is my second favorite song on this album.. Almost flawless. A

Say My Name VIDEO This is the first video without LaTavia and LeToya... 'WHAT?! They couldn't have changed that much in a couple of months!' (me about seeing Ferret and Michelle in the video) The director of this video has done a decent job, although I think that they are focusing wa-ay too much on Beyonc . Probably just as good, 'cause Ferret (Her name is Farrah, but I think ferrets are cute, and so is she) and Michelle doesn't seem to know how to lip-sync well. And then especially Michelle.. (She has improved though..) Their leather clothes look nice :) ooh-la-la. Oh.. the grade is : B+ because of bad lip-syncing.

Stay This song is the first ballad on this album. But the problem is that the chorus doesn't hold the same quality as the rest of the song. It is pretty similar to their song 'Brown Eyes' (Survivor) , but it isn't quite as good. If I loved you a little bit longer, and our love was a little bit stronger, would you stay? Stay? Baby please stay, stay.. .. That's the chorus, and they repeat 'stay' so many times it gets on my nerves. The main verses are decent though, and so is the bridge. I also like the background music an awful lot. C+

Outro / Amazing Grace I liked their gospel medley on the 'Survivor' album very much, but this isn't nearly as good. They should be embarrassed cause they have made such a bad song. This is in fact more like a comedy than a song.. Awful! D-

A list over the songs: (I'll start with my favorite and then finish with the song I liked the least on this album)
1. Jumpin' Jumpin'
2. Say My Name
3. Bills, Bills, Bills
4. Bug A Boo
5. So Good
6. Confessions (feat. Missy Elliot)
7. Stay
8. Temptation
9. Hey Ladies
10. Now That She's Gone
11. If You Leave (feat. Next)
12. Where'd You Go
13. Intro
14. Outro

GRADE: C (not an average)

Happy listening :)
~ Kent

(Thanks to Xeno3998 for coming up with the title. Now, go and read her awesome reviews!)