Editor’s Note: The following reflects the opinions of the author.
The brief emergence of the previously disbanded Destiny’s Child at the Super Bowl delivered a powerful and unexpected shot of nostalgia straight to America’s inner 1990s child.
Along with the temporary resurgence comes a compilation of the band’s most sultry, sexy harmonies. “Love Songs” might as well be a new album, seeing as it contains all of the least recognizable almost-hits the girls cranked out over the course of their career.
But someone has to say it. No matter how influential, powerful or nearly-flawless Destiny’s Child was and is, ballads are not their strong suit.
Their combined voices are best displayed at full volume and chock full of sass. When one craves Destiny’s Child, the more upbeat, girl-power anthems are generally the required tunes.
That said, it must be admitted that no self-respecting human being is ever in the position to neglect the sexier side of the trio’s repertoire.
Songs like “Second Nature” and “T-shirt,” with opening lines like, “Hey baby, I wish you could see what I have on right now,” are in the running for the most quintessential sexy jams of the 1990s.
This collection of sex and sadness is chronically underappreciated, given the rest of the group’s phenomenal track record; only one of the songs included on “Love Songs” actually made it on to a 2005 Destiny’s Child “Best Of” album.
Although only one song on the album – “Nuclear” – is actually fresh material, the compilation still holds some heavy merit in the nostalgia department. This album is the CD equivalent of the 1990s R&B breakup/makeup mix that we all have hidden away deep in our iTunes libraries.
The excellence contained in “Nuclear” alone might be worth the full price of the album. The song is a perfect glimpse at what we have all been missing out on during the band’s past eight-year hiatus.
For anyone who was expecting a strictly Beyoncé ballad, look elsewhere. “Nuclear” utilized the perfect creamy harmonies and melodies that Destiny’s Child has patented.
Beyoncé plays the same role she did all throughout the band’s past career; she is the essential, strong and independent building block on which the rest of the song embellishes.
While not explosive, “Nuclear” achieves the sort of slow and relaxed yet modernized climax one would expect after listening to the entire album.
Overall, “Love Songs” is an essential album for anyone with a soul. Sometimes we all have one of those weird weeks where we need to listen to the same slow jams over and over again, and for those times, Destiny’s Child is the only cure.
Rating: Four out of four stars.
Story: LOVEY COOPER, Senior A&E Reporter