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

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.

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.

"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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Easy 5, classics and bangers galore

Good

All the women who independent…ABSOLUTELY!

yea

love it. true classic

i have already listened so many times...

A modern classic - very enjoyable listen

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

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

Really fun and easy to listen to

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

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.

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

Pretty good.

Great album.

Wow! Why have I waited so long?

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

Bootylicious!

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.

i'm survivor too

I obviously owned (and maybe still own?) this CD. The music videos for these are ingrained in my brain. It’s funny listening to this realizing it’s basically a Beyoncé album when I did not even realize that when it came out. The repetition in these songs can get annoying at some points. However according to my rating scale it gets a 4 because Bootylicious and Emotion are songs I could listen to once a week for the rest of my life

So many hits

good r&b album, definitely defining the genre during this time.

Pretty good pop/R&B album. Not much lyrical content through most of the album. Great vocals. Favorite track: Apple Pie À La Mode

Zamn… this bumps. Very well produces and performed

Strong first half of the album, the soulful ballads in the second half kind of dragged on and didn't innovate very much (each sounded pretty repetitive). Funny to hear about 20-year-old Beyonce's beef with the previous members of Destiny's Child, resulting in this album.

So many great pop songs on here. Super fun listen.

Now here are the kind of albums I’m wanting to see on this list! Three bangers right out the gate and then a bunch of R/B greatness. Awesome album.

Nice pop/hip hop

What a lot of fun. Hit after hit

The entire album is produced to perfection, the best sounding R&B with infectious rhythms and top class vocal performances by Beyonce and the entire group’s harmonies. The quality of the songs significantly dips in the second half, but overall, great album!

Yes. it's good. Let's move on.

a true work of art

It is a delicious pop R&B tour. Lots of catchy melodies and beats, with some clear highlights with Survivor, Bootylicious and Dangerously in Love. However, i have no idea what to make of Outra Thank You. I could tolerate maybe 30 seconds of them doting on their bandmates, but holy god... 4 minutes?!??! I'm giving them a pass on this, pretending it wasn't added to the album.

Pop perfection. Intricate rhythms. Enough variation in chord progressions and melodies. Too many ad libs for my taste, but I can live with it. Favorite song: fancy.

So much more enjoyable than a Queen B album. Don't be jelly Beyonce!

Malgré quelques passages sirupeux, arrangements pop convaincants, paroles assertives et interprétation convaincue

Good album, famous tracks, nothing quite like it. Very typical late 90s, early noughties R&B partly because it's so influential. Loose in some areas and very much targeted towards a listener other than myself but nevertheless an icon of the genre.

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

It personifies the struggles of an early 2000s black woman - being independent but still looking for a daddy while still hating on his other woman. I was debating 3 or 4 but then the dangerously in love put it over the edge and the shade of the last song to the two former members of Destinys Child is amazing and makes me laugh.

Standouts: Independent Women Part I, Survivor, Bootylicious, Emotion, Nasty Girl. 4/5

Bom demais

8 did not know I can enjoy pop music so much. Very pleasant album with a few absolutely hit songs

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

Snitched idyls to make an album with powerful track, and the music is pretty good too

Mooi album, wordt wat veel van hetzelfde na een tijd

Great pop album.

Great!

An R&B classic

I’m not going to dispute this albums place on the greatest list. I was there, this thing was huge. All the videos were on all the time. This is the lasting legacy from the Charlie’s Angels movie. 3 incredible bangers right off the top that no one is going to miss off biggest songs of the 2000s. Who among us can claim that? No one. I was ready to hand out a 5 on this one but after Bootylicious the rest of the record is so aggressively mid it’s wild. Also weirdly the next song is Nasty Girl which is hating on other women not wearing a lot of clothes. Such a bizarre heel turn.

3 chansons que j'ai entendu beaucoup dans ma vie . Je crois que le reste suis la vague en baissant le niveau un peu. Cependant, c'était vraiment un hit à la sortie et je crois que ça.fittait très bien avec l'époque car on l'écoutait tout le temps à la garderie . 4 très bon r&b et en plus je suis pas le.plus grand fan de ce genre et encore moins de ce.trio.

Muy bonico cantan.

good album. beyonce def did her thing and its impressive. it could be easily 14 tracks than 18. the highs are high and the lows are low. 3.5!

Some real chart topping bangers. What a fun time for early 2000s pop & interesting to see the start of Beyoncé & Kelly's career. And let's not forget Charlie's Angels - good times.

I was taken back to being 11 years old and jamming out to this cd on my Walkman, I still love it after all these years

These three were R&B in the early ‘00’s. Enjoyed listening to the album in its entirety.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Independent women, Survivor, Bootylicious

This album is certainly a time capsule. R&B has changed a lot since this album was popular, and it's neat to go back and listen to stuff from that era that helped define a sound that has long since passed. At least, it's neat to go back and listen to the good stuff from that era (I'm still angry that I had to listen to that Limp Bizkit album). This album really holds up, both in terms of its music and its messaging. It's packed full of monster hits, but there's also really no filler on the album 4/5

Some hits. Some cheesys. Fairly good. Would listen again

Iconic.

If this doesn't get you boppin' at least a little you may not actually like music.

Catchy as hell. I mean, the first three tracks were massive hits and that's because they took/sampled the right beats, put them on repeat, and combined them with some of the best pipes in the business at the time. I love meaningful lyrics and this ain't that (Independent Women and Survivor are well-meaning but a little drivel-y) but you have to tip your hat when Bootylicious and its lyric "I don't think you're ready for this jelly" are now both pop culture mainstays. That's kind of this album in a nutshell - trying to empower women and be some new age feminism, sometimes doing that (The Story of Beauty) and sometimes sounding like juvenile schlock (Apple Pie a la Mode, Sexy Daddy) or even taking down other women (Nasty Girl, Fancy). But the beats are tough to resist. Rock is my thing, and there are rock albums out there that are 5-start despite throwaway lyrics because the music slays. This is close to that. The first third is banger and the middle third holds strong (with a different feel in the upbeat Happy Face and sorrowful Emotion) but the songs dip slightly in the last third. A strong 4, maybe it deserves more.

Good album with some great songs

albeit a little long, this album makes me feel like a bad bitch

Want

Another banger of an album that was a re-listen.

Bangers off the top. The later songs get a bit much but still a great listen

Bop after bop.

Tijdloos

Une équipe de professionnels surentraînés vient d'être envoyée par mes soins au domicile de mon affreux camarade d'écoute robespierre afin d'éliminer ce dernier. Ses avis désastreux sur la rnb ont en effet dépassé les bornes avec le 5 accordé à cet album, auquel j'accorde un minuscule 4/5.

Obviously iconic and era defining, but I’m still not sure about the message. I remember mocking the idea of boasting about “buying my own shoes” back in the day. Listening now the slut shaming of Nasty Gurl caught my attention. Some weird disconnects and/or hypocrisy in play here.

Pretty great harmonies and rhythms. Gets a little repetitive, but enjoyable overall.

Wow! This was so much better than j remember. This definitely shaped the genre in the early 2000s

first time listening have heard independent woman pt 1 survivor bootylicious

Add one star for Brown Eyes...

This was really fun and really bounced.

Pretty middle of the road, nice if you like this kind of pop

What’s the opposite of poptimism? Cause I’m seeing a lot of it in these reviews. Listen, I was a fifteen year-old boy when this came out: I scoffed at it. But it’d be stupid to deny this after a listen. It’s just so smooth.