Destiny's Child

For their second full-length, the ladies of Destiny's Child return triumphantly, delivering poignant vocals over sleek tracks produced by Missy Elliott, Dwayne Wiggins and Rodney Jerkins, among others. The Writing's on the Wall features some of the group's biggest hit singles, such as "Say My Name" and "Bills, Bills, Bills."

I like teenpop fine, but please, one song at a time. And since teenpop likes this glamorous femme quartet, individual songs are all a reasonable grownup would expect. Uh-uh. Lyrics are the usual problem--if there's a quotable quote here, I haven't noticed it. But that may just be because the multivalent harmonies, suavely irregular beats, and, not incidentally, deep-seated self-respect have been keeping me busy ever since I heard through the visuals. (Grade - B+)