Survivor

This is a weird one. Obviously it was a big album at the time, and Destiny’s Child benefits in hindsight from Beyoncé’s place in culture, but there is some really really cringey early 2000s culture on this album. From the opening, the soundtrack tie in to Charlie’s Angels with name drops for the actresses, it seems like this is the definition of commercialized nonsense. I was kind of shocked by Nasty Girl, which weirdly embodies the early 2000s puritanical/slut-shaming culture of America and is absolute cringe, especially coming after Independent Women, Survivor, AND Bootylicious. It’s a really weird dichotomy of culture. Overall it's just incoherent as an album. There's no overarching theme or message. It bounces back and forth between female empowerment, slut-shaming/pick-me attitudes, lusting after a man ("Spotted me my baby's father" lol), and back to female independence - and that's barely even halfway through the album! I guess its an important listen for the cultural context and place in Beyonce's history, but woof, other than some catchy singles I did not like it.

Like the missy elliott album I got, survivor is very emblematic of it’s time but it’s definitely much less dated than that album. Survivor still makes me feel like a bad bitch even though I’m a straight white man

This is like a 2 for me. Really not a fan of any particular song, unlikely to listen to any again. However, Ani and I got a kick out of how many songs were like "man I fucking hate other women" and then the album ends with like spoken word thanking all the women who they feel close with. Hilarious energy would give it 2.5 if I could just for that.

Well, I guess this is how we’re going to cap off this week of absolutely torturous records from the 1001 Albums Generator… A few years ago, in a belated review of Sonic Youth’s “Washing Machine”, Pitchfork compared Sonic Youth and Destiny’s Child - i guess in an attempt make Sonic Youth more relatable to their modern-day audience. Ironic that a website that wouldn’t have even thought about reviewing this Destiny Child record in 2001 and gave Sonic Youth’s 2002 record, Murray Street, a 9.0/10 upon release would end up making such a comparison, but we live in strange times. I’m sure Pitchfork’s corporate overlords at Condé Nast don’t mind a few more mentions of Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child than usual - it fits a bit better with the upper class hipster fashionista lifestyle they try and sell than Sonic Youth’s grimey noise rock does. Without further ado, I present to you the comparison they made, verbatim: “Skip Tracer” is a showcase for Lee Ranaldo, the band’s second guitarist, who is given a spotlight or two as lead singer on most Sonic Youth albums. He’s something like the Kelly Rowland to Moore’s Beyoncé, beloved but in the background due to the band leader’s overwhelming star power.” Until sitting down to listen to “Survivor” today, I never understood how apt that comparison was. …Just kidding, that comparison is ridiculous and doesn’t serve either party very well. Anyway, at this point, the generator has beaten me down enough this week and I’ve stopped listening to “Survivor” about 7 songs in to put on Murray Street - it’s a really great record, one of Sonic Youth’s best.

More sure of themselves than of their material, hence the frontloading. After the three hits, a pleasant ramble through vocal wham-bam more fleshed-out than the ideas.

"Is my vibe too vibealacious for you, babe" Fuck this album, even the popular songs (all three were back to back at the very beginning) weren't very good. Afterwards, I felt like I was being tortured during a Crimean underground waterboarding. I would've given them the nuclear launch codes. The album was 1hr and 10min, which is 20 minutes longer than the average album, which was just fantastic. Not only was the music headache-inducing, it was also contradictory, with the girls bragging about being so "Bootylicious" and then going on to bash other women for being sluts in the very next song- "Nasty girl." this shit sucks. T6 - Apple pie a la mode is going on the playlist solely because it's the shortest song on the album. 1/5

I know Beyonce is a big deal but I never actually heard her music. I guess it's the generation gap or maybe the younger generation has been dumbed down by technology, but there is not a lot of depth here. Apparently many people feel encouraged by the song Survivor, cancer survivors, etc. I am glad they have found some comfort with this. But the video is appalling, using sex to sell music. I wish that would go away!

First I looked to see if it was possible to give an album zero stars, but you can't. This along with Taylor Smith (I know it's Swift) and countless others is what's wrong with the music of today

Turn of the century pop classic this has one of the best three song starts of any pop album. Obviously the trio of ladies are fantastic singers belting out iconic track after iconic track.

Ehh it's pretty generic pop RnB. You get the gist pretty much halfway through. Probably about 20 minutes too long. 2.5/5

I mean what can you say, I don’t want no scrubs

A low 5, but it is mostly due to the off-balance elements off the group, the production, and the album. Otherwise, vital music for the beginning of the 21st century.

Quality stuff here, R&B royalty in the making. 5 stars.

I love this album. So glad that Beyoncé was in a girl group. Independent women Is an absolute bop.

Feel like it gets a bit lost by the end but such a strong start with a LOT of big tunes.

Le R'n'B est ce qui est arrivé de mieux aux États-unis depuis l'arrivée des conquistadors au XVIème siècle. Robert refuse toutefois de reconnaître ce genre de musique et préfère classer ces albums dans la pile Pop ou Hip-hop. Quelle honte... Vous commencez à en avoir l'habitude, chaque nouvel album de R'n'B est l'occasion pour moi de m'enquérir de la santé mentale des fans de métal. Aux dernières nouvelles, ces derniers suent toujours autant dans leur T-shirt tête de mort et grattouillent régulièrement le dos de leurs innombrables clébards couverts de puces porteuses de maladies que l'on pense disparues. N'hésitez pas à me dire si la situation a évolué.

Track 1: Independent Women, Pt. 1 (7/10) Very much a product of it's time, enjoyable and the ladies are talented vocalists. The Charlie's Angels shoutouts didn't age well at all. Track 2: Survivor (4/10) I've never liked this song. Generic early 2000s r&b garbage. Track 3: Bootylicious (8/10) On the other hand, banger! The only Destiny's Child song I'll defend, it has a fun chorus, I love the Edge of Seventeen sample and it makes me feel fierce as a cis white male with no butt. Track 4: Nasty Girl (1/10) Oh okay, we're just gonna slut shame after 3 female empowering anthems lol what a tone deaf, terrible song. Track 5: Fancy (1/10) What the H happened here? Another song about hating women. This is kind of lame. Track 6: Apple Pie À la Mode (3/10) This song is kind of weird but I actually didn't hate it as much as the last two. It's just the ladies simping over a hot dude. Track 7: Sexy Daddy (3/10) Filler garbage I'll never listen to again. No substance and not catchy enough for me to care. Track 8: Independent Women, Pt. II (2/10) Very strange reprise. Could have been cut out to shorten the runtime cause this is one looooong album. Track 9: Happy Face (6/10) Pleasantly surprised by this one, it isn't great but it's uplifting and showcases their vocals beautifully. Track 10: Emotion (3/10) I liked the acoustic guitar. Not much else to say. Track 11: Dangerously in Love (6/10) Pretty love song. Kind of blends in with nothing standing out besides Beyoncé's vocal performance. Track 12: Brown Eyes (4/10) I just don't care about this album at this point. I'm in physical pain listening to how generic these songs are. Track 13: The Story of Beauty (2/10) I'm glad it's a female empowerment song rather than a female hate song but that beat is so bad. Track 14: Gospel Medley (5/10) I'm very anti-religious so I should hate this more but it's generally inoffensive and I'd rather listen to an a capella gospel medley with beautiful singing than another generic r&b song with crappy beats. Track 15: Outro (DC-3) Thank You (1/10) Thankfully this is the last track cause I don't think I can handle any more of this. Overall: 3/10 This was genuinely so painful to listen to outside of a couple songs. Bootylicious is so good that it bumped up the rating. It's obviously a product of the early 2000's. Tonally all over the place and I can't stand the percussion on almost every track. Never gonna listen to this again. Fav Song: Bootylicious Least Fav Song: Nasty Girl

Really tough to listen to. How this bounced Beyonce into superstardom is odd. Crappy songs, crappy lyrics...just ugh.

As far as I know, abortion was legal in 2001. This album therefore didn't have to exist.

This is one of those ones where I looked at the runtime and though how am I going to sit through an hour of this. I am about as far from Destiny's Child's target audience as you can get. I did end having a little bit of fun hearing some songs that were so in the popular consciousness back then but that's about as much as I got out of it. The production on this sounds paper thin and has absolutely no oomph behind it. Its definitely mixed with the anticipation of being listened to in mono on the utterly awful radio and phone speakers of the time which I think is a massive cop out. At least give the kick drum some punch, its just a simple little EQ trick and would bring so much personality to the whole thing. Ultimately its because of this being the early days of pop music being made by committee which is something I absolutely can't get behind. Beyoncé is credited as a songwriter on almost every track and you get the impression that was more of a business arrangement than anything. Outside of the 3 big songs there is absolutely nothing exciting on the track list. A non offensive album but totally lacking in anything that appeals to me in music.

Suprised that I enjoyed this so much, aside from the awkward memories from adolescent dances 😂

Barely move, we've arrived Lookin' sexy, lookin' fly Baddest chick, chick inside DJ, jam tonight Spotted me, a tender thang There you are, come on, baby Don't you wanna dance with me? Can you handle, handle me? You gotta do much better If you're gon' dance with me tonight You gotta work your jelly If you're gon' dance with me tonight Read my lips carefully, if you like what you see Move, groove, prove you can hang with me By the looks I got you shook up and scared of me Buckle your seat belt, it's time for takeoff I don't think you're ready for this jelly I don't think you're ready for this jelly I don't think you're ready for this 'Cause my body too bootylicious for ya, babe Enough said, really. 5/5

Easy 5, classics and bangers galore

Never listened to the full album before but just like I thought, it’s fire!

It’s crazy that Beyoncé really ended up being Destiny’s child after all.

Fun album. I'd forgotten just how good it is.

The harmonies, the vocal runs, the chaotic beats mixed with smooth melodies all result in one of the most enjoyable albums ever made. 5 stars for sure.

Classic turn of the century R&B sound. I knew a few of the songs in the beginning; the end got odd, with some Christian themes. Some of the lyrics wouldn’t fly today.

Bootylicious!

All the women who independent…ABSOLUTELY!

Wow! Why have I waited so long?

Who’d a thought an album with the Charlie’s Angels theme would appear on this list? Sure, it isn’t the original series theme, it’s still a pretty great song and even though I might be reviewing with the benefit of foresight - these women are national treasures. There’s a few songs I don’t exactly love (i.e. “Nasty Girl” seemed a bit shamey), but still a great album.

love it. true classic

Good

i have already listened so many times...

Good god. I did not remember how jam-packed this thing was with hits. And to think that this DC3 unit only had been forged a mere month before recording - ridiculous talents. Of course Beyoncé is the star here but the production was top-notch for its age (maybe a bit dated right now) and the songs hold up (despite the passé Charlie’s Angels movie references). Still, can’t fault this turn of the century gem.

You can take beyoncé out of destiny's child but you can't take destiny's child away from me

Great album.

Really fun and easy to listen to

A modern classic - very enjoyable listen

yea

Pretty good.

i'm survivor too

The serendipity on this project continues, as I have had the most physically painful 24 hours of my entire life. Dont shave with dull rotorary razors children. This album has so many goddamn bangers. The really bad lofi synth samples are a little outrageous but its goddamn beyonce on this. She kills it. Though I am docking a star for the two god songs back to back. blegh.

This is pretty good, very similar to TLC. I think it's a bit better due to some better hooks, but it's still an album of R&B love songs. There are classics here like Independent Women and Survivor, but I enjoyed a number of other songs, with my favorite being Emotion. I can really see why this was popular back in the day as the trios singing really makes this a nice listen.

the messaging on this album is so confusing…following “bootylicious” with a song about some poor girl who’s apparently a huge skank honestly made me laugh like why would you say that… i really liked the outro when they were talking about how much they love each other though. peace and love on planet earth obviously i love the hits and think they’re great especially to dance to but there’s also something that i can’t help but find inherently silly about sitting down and listening to a whole album of r&b/pop/dance music while i’m doing boring office work. THAT’S NOT THEIR FAULT of course but i was thinking about it. i think if i understood more about the process of making this kind of music i would appreciate it more. fav tracks: independent woman pt I, bootylicious

beyonce after several songs of nasty comments: you take my kindness for weakness :) this is soooo fun and really does feel like a time capsule. the production is very very 2000 and the anger at their former groupmates is palpable.... but also you can sense the affection the three of them have for each other throughout the album and how much fun they're having together. I love that despite coming in HOT for the first half of the album, it evolves into a very loving and thankful sentiment by the end; the outro with them telling each other how blessed they are to be in one another's lives is so sweet. i don't know enough about r&b history to appreciate where this might fall on the normal/daring spectrum, but there were definitely some moments that were unexpected in this kind of album; the techno/laser sounds in the outro, the circus riff/motif throughout Independent Woman Pt II, and (this part isn't unexpected because obviously it's insanely famous so I guess I'm changing it to UNUSUAL) the stevie nicks sample in Bootylicious that works so well with the r&b beat. (also shoutout the random beatles reference in the outro <3 michelle ma belle <3 ) Trying to really hear the extremely familiar and ubiquitous songs on this album is really a challenge, but I do think my appreciation of the composition of the first three tracks has grown from this listen through. they really are masterpieces!! Fav tracks: Independent Woman Pt I, Survivor, Bootylicious, Apple Pie A La Mode

Thought I would hate this but than this album threw banger after banger at me (this might be nostalgia speaking here). The second half is not nearly as strong though

Not gonna lie, especially after that My Heart Still Beats, I can’t help thinking “Now I see why Beyoncé was pegged as the breakout star. Kelly and Michele are great but Beyoncé is the clear standout. Still, very good album. Would be better if it wasn’t so long, overstays it’s welcome after awhile. But great stuff here, from the hits to B-sides like Emotion. Didn’t know they had joints like that. Honestly, just when I thought the album lost me, the b sides go crazy.

"Survivor" is the third studio album by American girl group Destiny's Child. Prior to the album, group members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Robinson departed the group and were replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Of course, the group still retained Beyoncé Knowles who produced and co-wrote almost all the songs on this album. Other producers included Anthony Dent, Damon Elliot, Mark J. Feist, Rob Fusari and Keybeats. The music is R&B/pop incorporating elements of dance, funk and hip hop. The lyrics address dynamics between women, self-esteem, independence and romantic relationships. The album had generally positive reviews and, commercially, hit #1 in the US and UK. The album opens with "Independent Women Part I" which was used and partly written for the movie "Charlie's Angels." A start-stop beat and melody. Strings in the background. Soaring lead and backing vocals. Nice production. It's about empowerment. The lead single "Survivor" was written after a radio station wondered how Destiny's Child is going to survive after two of the three members left. Of course, the real answer is that you have Beyoncé but the girls also address this in this song. Quick beats layered with a hip hop beat. Looped strings. This is a really good song. The guitar riff from Streie Nick's "Edge of Seventeen" carries on throughout "Bootylicious." Complex beats. "Come dance with me tonight. I don't think you're ready for this jelly." They continue to successfully and creatively use samples of two songs in "Nasty." More layered stop-stop abd electronic beats. The melody is a sample of Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It." And, they finish with another melody sample of Baltimore's "Tarzan Boy." You knew a ballad was coming and we get it with a cover of the Robin and Barry Gibb's "Emotion." Acoustic guitar. Finger snapping beat. Strong vocals by Beyoncé as she expresses wanting her man back There is a high level of production with the beats, melodies and vocal arrangements. There are a catchy songs. Very strong lead and backing vocals. It does suffer the cd-era trend and should have been trimmed a bit. Overall, this a solid R&B/pop album of its time. Beyoncé would obviously go on to bigger things but this one is worth a listen if just for their hit songs.

Onhan tämä aikamoinen voimapoppiklassikko! 4/5

Kelly Rowland and Michelle deserve more recognition, imo. Lots of super dancey tracks beyond the well known singles. Not a huge fan of the gospel elements on this one

Is it great? I dunno. Is it super fun? Hell yeah.

First ever Beyonce! production is really good. 7/10

I dont think you’re ready for this jelly!! This was awesome! So many classic hits and a couple new finds like Brown Eyes, too! The outro thank you song is so lovely, the sisterhood almost made me tear up. 😢

She's right. I wasn't ready for that jelly.

Starts off like a greatest of greatest hits albums but slowly loses impetus even though still a good listen - poptastic perfection at some points

I don't care if you're the whitest goober in the world, you CAN'T NOT (grammar be damned), enjoy the early 2000s bangers from Destiny's Child.

Such great sounds. Beyonce is top form here, but the group makes it sound right

Actually a nice diversion from the otherwise very bad or old albums. This is an absolute materpiece of an album compared to what I sometimes get. I jammed to pretty much every song and I knew quite a lot of them. The thing here is that it's not really ABSOLUTELY amazing but it's pretty good on its own. I would give it 3.5 stars but I can't give halves, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt for getting me to bop to most of the songs.

Wow! What a confident stride forward. The harmonies are tight, and the vocals bring a lot of energy. There’s a fierceness that reminds me of TLC’s swagger. The production is sharp and catchy. It feels empowering, with a lot of heart behind the words. The blend of R&B with pop sensibilities works really well.

Very fun to hear something different on here. I think the first half of the album is clearly stronger. All of the mega-hits are in the front of the album. While it's clear from this how talented Beyonce is, I don't think I would have been able to predict how massive her star would become, and how great her solo albums would be if I had only heard this. Would do a 3.5 if possible.

Good stuff, great harmony, solid songwriting, lots of powerful woman theme.

LOT'S OF HIT SONGS THAT ARE CATCHY GREAT RYTHYM AND VOCALS

I was not ready for that jelly

Listened to this twice and feel like there's more I'm missing. I like the voice and general vibe though

Fun, but Beyonce has so much better.

Good.

I thought I’d hate this. I did not.

I was at the first show they did as a trio as part of a festival in 2000. I didn’t know who they were at the time, but I remember talking to a friend after their set and saying I thought the woman in the middle was a standout and seemed like she could have a pretty good career in front of her. Seems like I underestimated her a bit.

Great album

The lyrics had little to no relevance for me. I'm very picky with Pop and RnB music. Generally, I really dislike Beyoncés singing voice. And yet: very fun listen, really enjoyed it.

Fine R'n'B Girlpower

This album is a classic for my generation and solidified Destiny’s Child’s lasting impact on music.

It's of course a classic! Legendary songs on here. I thoroughly enjoyed listening in full. Some of the ballady ones aren't my bag. Motivational girl power panache

It wasn't all bangers but was pretty darn good. Can't say I've ever listened to Destiny's Child properly but glad I have now.

gud

I don’t know what it is about their third album, but they seem to be a more focused unit. They’re still having fun like they did on their previous two albums, but they’re having fun making quality music. Not to say their earlier albums weren’t quality, just that this feels like it’s on another level. The biggest flaw here is the unjustified length of the project. Vocals are obviously flawless, but the production is a step up. The structure is better. The arrangements feel unique and original. Just better all around. 4/5

I have tried to listen to the album so many times. Yet I have never got past ‘Fancy’. I have the European CD, but it has all the original songs alongside a few new ones. Songs I had heard before: ‘Independent Woman Part 1’, ‘Survivor’, ‘Bootylicious’, ‘Nasty Girl’, ‘Fancy’ Favourite new songs: ‘Happy Face’, ‘Brown Eyes’, ‘Dangerously in Love’ and especially ‘The Story of Beauty’ I had quite a scathing review written, but instead I’ll take the message of the first part of the album and be positive. The album is more cohesive than many reviews here claim. It transitions from empowerment to upbeat love songs and ends on love ballads. Overall an interesting listen but far too long. I won’t be listening again. 6.5/10

Surprisingly good. Very upbeat and danceable. I give this 4 stars.

Great but it tails off

Iconic girl group. Top tier.

Some good tracks from my childhood (shout out to my sis). Forgot they were so religious!

Some excellent and iconic tracks on here, but also a lot of filler - too long

Heard most of these. At first I thought they were all starting to sound the same but then the back half of the album switched things up.

Great Friday vibes that have me feeling empowered and independent this AM!

Muy bonico cantan.

As a 7 year old boy when this album first came out, it's safe to say I missed the boat on my appreciation for Destiny's Child. But hearing it now as an adult I can see the power and influence that this album brought to all women. I wanted to give this album a 5 as it has a really strong start, powerful messaging, and some great songs throughout. But it does feel like it has just a tad too many filler tracks in the middle.

Very nostalgic. I owned this on cassette and used to listen to it walking to school on my Walkman haha. I think if it weren't for that I'd have rated it much lower.

Undoubtedly the album that set Beyoncé, Michelle and Kelly onto divergent paths while remaining tethered for however long it would take, Survivor is the document of a trio not only determined to prove detractors and defectors wrong but to stamp their place in the history books. And, for the majority of the record, that's exactly what they did. A ceaseless run of incredible pop bops characterizes the album's magnetic appeal before it is brought down by balladry that, although understandable in its positioning in the tracklist, threatens to derail Survivor's momentum. But ultimately, given what came afterwards, Destiny's Child proved that they were here to stay; if not together then, in a myriad of ways, forever. Favorites: Independent Women Part 1, Survivor, Bootylicious, Nasty Girl, Fancy, Apple Pie à la Mode, Perfect Man, Independent Women Part 2, Happy Face, Dance With Me, Emotion, Dangerously in Love.

#GIRLPOWER✊

I did enjoy hearing the 3 big hits again. Also enjoyed "Brown Eyes"

This shit slapped front to back. This is tight, colorful, memorable pop + r&b. Stellar. The ultimate compliment i can give an album is the honor of going to its Wikipedia page to see who has production credits on it. They produced the hell out of this album. It’s obviously a Y2K pop album (rimshot snare, the use of a triangle/bell shake, synthetic strings everywhere). But the lead on Perfect Man? That intro to Independant Woman II? Cmoooon this is masterful.

Anapologetically 2000s - plus it's refreshing to listen to music by Beyoncé that was considered great based on its' merit rather than her status. Enjoyed this a lot, will definitely go back.

There’s some filler in the back half which stops in from being wall-to-wall hits, but it gets pretty close. In hindsight you can really appreciate what a seismic impact this album had on the sound of pop music for the decade after it came out. I mean it was huge at the time too, but you can’t really just the size of the impact crater when you’re under the asteroid.

Very fine

This brings me back to my childhood. Everything is so different now –even Beyoncé‘s voice has changed.

Bop after bop.

Plus divertissant et beaucoup plus varié en son aussi que ce que je m'attendais. Par contre, comme beaucoup d'albums RnB, il y a toujours le moment après la moitié de l'album qui est quasiment juste des trucs plus doux jusqu'à temps qu'on retrouve quelques bangers pour finir. Généralement un très bon album, je comprends l'importance du groupe sur la scène RnB. Même si ce n'est pas tellement mon genre, ça mérite amplement sa place ici. 7/10

Banger album,dangerously in love, survivor and independent woman are all great,the rest of the album is just fine though.