Destiny's Child

Trying to keep track of who's in Destiny's Child is almost as hard as trying to get "Say My Name" out of your head. The Houston R&B gals aren't just a pop group, they're a soap opera, each hit single another chapter in their ongoing saga of lineup changes, lawsuits, sex, shopping, gossip, and all-around fabulousness. The star is Beyonce Knowles. Her father is the manager, and her mother is the stylist. With her oft-nervous-looking band mates, Michelle (formerly Tenetria) Williams and Kelly (formerly Kelendria) Rowland, she rules the radio with fluid R&B harmonies, skitter-skatter beats, and more floss than the American Dental Association. Their message to the world is a simple one: Bounce, baby, bounce! Shake, baby, shake! Twist, baby, twist! Oh, and stay in school!

Destiny's Child first appeared as a quartet with the 1998 hit "No, No, No," which wiggled seductively while begging the question, Since there are four ladies in the group, shouldn't that be "No, No, No, No"? Or is one still making up her mind? The first hit from The Writing's on the Wall, "Bills, Bills, Bills," took the same three-out-of-four-divas approach as "No, No, No," for a lackluster rip of TLC's "No Scrubs." But "Say My Name" (seething paranoia!) and "Jumpin', Jumpin' " (way, way down with O.P.P.!) were catchy enough to turn any no-no-no scrub into yeah-yeah-yeah paying customer. By the time of their Charlie's Angels theme, "Independent Women," the D-Child ladies were down to three, with some lovely part-ing gifts for the other contestants (thanks for the memories, Farrah; keep in touch, LaTavia; don't ever change, Toya). They were also on a major roll, saluting the kind of "Independent Women" who require an army of hair stylists, nail techs, and publicists just to clear their throats.

"Survivor" should have been called "Survivor, Survivor, Survivor." The ladies kissed off their former band mates with the immortal words, "I'm not gonna dis you on the Internet/'Cause my mama taught me better than that." But mama didn't teach them a thing about jelly, so it was time for "Bootylicious," an absolutely filthy sugar-walls anthem set to a Stevie Nicks guitar sample. All that remained to establish Destiny's Child as an American institution was (1) a pathetic performance at George W. Bush's inauguration, and (2) a Christmas album, both of which were accomplished in 2001. Overall, The Writing's on the Wall is a little catchier than Survivor, and remains the one to get until the inevitable greatest-hits album, which will be a doozy. Recommended title: Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce!

Beyonce finally made her solo debut in the summer of 2003, Dangerously in Love, and although she didn't have any other songs as great as "Crazy in Love," she didn't need any. "Crazy in Love" made Beyonce the most important person in the world for a few months, a position she will no doubt continue to hold intermittently for the rest of her life. (ROB SHEFFIELD)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide