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TGJ Replay: Destiny’s Child – ‘Destiny Fulfilled’
With thunderous drums, slick horns, and an overdose of sass – the song, penned by Destiny’s Child, Rodney Jerkins, Jay Z, Sean Garrett, andLashawn Daniels, came as a booming announcement that music’s top group had returned with a vengeance. Its video, as noted by critics, was exact in its purpose of demonstrating that a new “Destiny’s Child” had arrived. Long gone were the days of tacky matching outfits with girlish design and in its place were three learned women whose destiny had led them full circle. Whatever the message, it worked. Anticipation of the song saw it debut in the top 30 of the Hot 100 before its physical release.Shortly thereafter, the song skyrocketed to the #3 spot where it peaked. Fans were barely able to catch their breaths by the time the tune’s follow-up, ‘Soldier,’ marched onto radio. Thematically, like its predecessor, the tune showcased a transition from Destiny’s children – so to speak – to women very much in tune with their image and sexuality. Tapping T.I. and Lil’ Wayne to play assistants on the track, the bass driven tune rode right to the top of R&B charts and peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 (just like ‘Breath’). https://www.youtube.com/w...l=84503534 The warm reception of ‘Fulfilled’s two leading singles came as indication of what was to be expected of its own performance. Taking the unconventional route of releasing an LP on a Monday, ‘Destiny’s Fulfilled’ would debut at #19. An impressive feat given that the album’s first appearance on the Billboard 200 was only based on one day of sales. By the end of a full tracking week, the set sold nearly 500,000 copies and would be hoisted to the #2 spot on charts (where it peaked). Commercially, ‘Fulfilled’s showing on charts came as proof that the group, despite a brief hiatus, was as hot as ever. Critically, on the other hand, the reception was lukewarm. The trio would earn many-a-thumbs down from critics who felt deceived by the album’s up-tempo singles only to discover an album dressed in mid-tempos and ballads. One of said mid-tempos would be ‘Girl’ – the follow-up to the massively successful ‘Soldier.’ An ode to the ever-popular ‘Sex & the City,’ DC3 would put Kelly center stage and make her the focal point of a “sister intervention.” Unbeknownst to listeners at the time, her own ‘Dirty Laundry’ would surface a decade later and confirm that the song’s content was not fictionalized. Not exactly the runaway hit ‘Breath’ and ‘Soldier’ were, ‘Girl’ still sashayed to the #23 spot on the Hot 100 and would be a moderate hit for the girls. By the time the album’s last single, ‘Cater 2 U,’ was unveiled, the album was moving toward double platinum status. Much like many-a-tune aboard the slow jam CD, ‘Cater 2 U’ caressed topics of sex previously unexplored in Destiny’s Child albums. Forward tunes like ‘T-Shirt’ and ‘Cater’ would prove that their journey into womanhood was more than a visual experience, but also boldly traipsed across the concepts that lined their songs as well. Like ‘Girl,’ ‘Cater’ did not access the success of the album’s inaugural duo of singles. But, a highly stylized, Jake Nava-directed video and unforgettable BET Awards performance helped hoist the tune to an impressive #14 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 https://www.youtube.com/w...1421914688 Shortly after, despite amassing an overall 5 Grammy nominations (over 2 years) for the album, the group went on the McDonald’s sponsored ‘Destiny Fulfilled & Lovin’ It’ tour where they announced a permanent disbandment. ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ has to be the breakup album of the century. Before Taylor Swift and Adele topped charts and saturated radio with their tunes about love gone sour, DC3 tackled every topic of heartbreak aboard their final full length LP. While we still bump jams like ‘If’ and ‘Soldier’ on the regular, we still can’t help but wonder what 2014’s ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ would look and sound like. With Beyonce’s Urban pop-tinged offerings, Kelly’s dance driven numbers, and Michelle’s inspirational/gospel givings, the maturity of their voices and personas over the past decade has undoubtedly imparted to them a fierceness that this new class of R&B/pop starlets couldn’t even comprehend. Alas, we can only dream and appreciate the album for what it was. For, in our humble opinion, it was truly the album that showcased fully what each member of Destiny’s Child brought to the group. We still rock out to Michelle’s part on ‘Through With Love,’ but you should let us know: | |
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I have this album, but haven't listened to it in awhile. You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
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