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

Back in the day when Destiny s Child was a foursome instead of a trio, I dare say that they were better. Regardless of all the drama that has ensued since the rotating membership, lawsuits and public slandering they were still better as 4. The Writing s On The Wall which was released in the summer of 1999 was the beginning of the world sitting up and taking notice of the 4 young women hailing from Houston, TX. After the release of this album, nobody would ever really forget who they were.

The album opens up with a cornball mafia-esque type intro(Intro The Writing s On The Wall), which showcases the girls in mob roles and laying down some relationship commandments . CORNY. It gets better though. So Good sounds like the girls might have known that trouble was on the loom, it has the same theme as Survivor and its just fun and light.

Bills, Bills, Bills was the song you couldn t get away from. It was the next No Scrubs , it was infectious, it was funny and it was true. And now you ask to use my car/ Drive it all day and don t fill up the tank/ And you have the audacity/ To even come and step to me/ And ask to hold some money from me/ Until you get your check next week/You trifling/A good for nothing type of brother/ Silly me, why haven t I found another? It was the summer anthem, and a damn fine one.

Bug A Boo was another fun jam on the album. You make me wanna throw my pager out the window/ Tell MCI to cut the phone poles/ Break my lease so I can move/ Cuz you a bug a boo a bug a boo This song along with 4 others on the album (So Good, Bills, Bill, Bills, Hey Ladies, She Can t Love You) are produced by Kevin She kspere Briggs who at the time was a hot newcomer on the R&B music scene. All of the 5 songs are excellently produced and the group sounds strong on them.

Say My Name was another critical song for the group. The video introduced 2 new members, lip-syncing over the vocals of the two now gone members. What would happen? Would it be the same? Only time would tell. Produced by Rodney Darkchild Jenkins who is most famous for his work with R&B singer Brandy. The song features a lot of synthesized sound and computer effects. The production is done well and features (of course) Beyonc Knowles and Kelly Rowland on co-lead vocals.

Ironically enough this album has a mature sound to it compared to the previous DC album and the album that would follow. The material is more adult and the sound is more seductive and mature. Temptation which is co-written with Beyonc and produced by Dwayne Wiggins (from Tony Toni Ton ) sounds sultry and flirty as the girls contemplate cheating. Even though I think it s funny that DC was called a group in these days, I think if their goal was to have Beyonc and Kelly share lead and have 2 backup singers, they should have gone with that formula, because they were so much better at this point. On Temptation you hear no one but Beyonc (even in the backing), but the song is good, so if it aint broke don t fix it. Confessions features Missy. It might be my album favorite. It s about confessing wrongdoings to a lover. Even though the song features Missy, she doesn t really get in the way. She lets the girls sing and only interjects an uh huh and verse X every now and then.

Now That She s Gone is a ballad which sounds sugary sweet yet sexy all at once. Here we actually do hear Kelly, who sounds strong and good. The girls sound cohesive and the production is well done. Where d You Go (also co-written by B.Knowles) is one of the album gems that shouldn t be skipped. The beat behind the song is simple and looped, it doesn t ever really reach a point of being annoying though. Hey Ladies should have been released as a single. It s about taking command of your relationship and getting rid of a no good man. Another produced by She kspere and features a lot of synth usage as well as some good horns in the background.

I ve never liked R&B group Next(Butta Love, Wifey) but on If You Leave they sound amazingly good with DC. It s more of a duet with Beyonc and RL(the lead singer of Next), but whatever it is, it s really good. Co-written and produced by Missy Elliot this is the perfect combination of a wholesome girl growing up and crossing the line to get down with nasty Next . A very forward step for the group (too bad they digressed). Also produced by Missy is Jumpin, Jumpin which is a nice club song, I definitely thought there were stronger songs on the album and was surprised when this one was chosen as a single. It was a good way to get DC into clubs and show they were capable of doing fast-tempo dance tunes.

Beyonc sounds very husky and sensual on She Can t Love You. This one has a Latin island type feel to it. The instrumental is nice, featuring some nice drums and a guitar. An interesting facet of this song is the layering of the vocals. On it, Beyonc sings both deep and high and they re layered over top of one another, for an interesting effect. Stay is produced by Daryl Simmons and sounds like it could have easily belonged to any pop star. I think with the rest of the sound of the album, this one seems a little out of place, although I do like it.

Sweet Sixteen sounds just like Emotions(from Survivor). I hate it. There s also the Outro (Amazing Grace) that I do not like nor did I feel that it matched the flow of the album. I really thought that after this album the girls had so much potential. Even if by record sales and publicity and Grammy s they were more popular the quality of their music wasn t as good after this album. This album so far as it stands is their best work and probably will always be. Too bad they didn t see it themselves.

Track Listing
1. Intro (The Writing s On The Wall)
2. So Good
3. Bills, Bills, Bills
4. Confessions f/ Missy Elliot
5. Bug A Boo
6. Temptation
7. Now That She s Gone
8. Where d You Go
9. Hey Ladies
10. If You Leave f/ Next
11. Jumpin, Jumpin
12. Say My Name
13. She Can t Love You
14. Stay
15. Sweet Sixteen
16. Outro (Amazing Grace)