Survivor

iTunes Review

Survivor unveiled Destiny’s Child’s streamlined, three-person lineup, which helped to transform them from one of the most successful girl groups of the 90s to one of the most successful R&B groups of all time. Few albums from this era pack an opening punch as potent as Survivor, which opens with three knockout songs in a row. “Independent women, Part I,” “Survivor” and “Bootylicious” established the group’s unique point-of-view. These are club songs but they are authentically pro-woman, a rarity in the R&B world up to that point. Sure, “Bootylicious” is a song about female objectification, but that objectification is carried out on the woman’s terms. While some of the production is dated, Destiny’s Child always attempted interesting feats with its vocal arrangements, as heard in the interlocking, cascading harmonies of “Apple Pie a la Mode” and “Sexy Daddy.” “Emotion” and “Dangerously In Love” show the era’s penchant for acoustic-based ballads, but the acapella emotion of “Gospel Medley” shows just how divine their singing can be.