| Compared--inevitably--with TLC's Fanmail, Destiny's Child's sophomore
effort is a distinctly second-rate product. Sure, this R&B vocal quartet
isn't a total clone of the "Waterfalls" zillion-sellers; there are only
three members of TLC. The Writing's on the Wall's standout single, "Bills,
Bills, Bills," however, is a blatant knockoff of Fanmail's "No Scrubs."
(Thank producer-songwriter She'kespeare, who worked on both tracks.) Wall
links random songs under a "Commandments of Relationships" umbrella concept,
tossing in a superfluous Godfather parody to further confuse things. Vocally
adept enough, Destiny's Child does little to stand out from the pack of
hip-hop-bred female singing outfits--save for moments like the chorus
of "Bug a Boo," sung to the tune of "This Old Man," one of 1999's most
irritating hooks. |
