Along the way, she checked the boxes to become a household word - costarring in Austin Powers in Goldmember; contributing to Nelson Mandela's anti-AIDS initiative; signing deals with L'Oreal and Pepsi; singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl; and getting her own Tommy Hilfiger fragrance, True Star, which can be sampled through a peel-and-sniff sticker included with the new Destiny's Child CD, Destiny Fulfilled.
That's right, Beyonc hasn't left Kelly Rowland and Michele Williams behind. Not yet, anyway. She doesn't need Rowland and Williams the way they need her, but the girl group in which she made her name still has its uses. It's too soon for another solo album, and this way Beyonc, who coproduced Fulfilled with beat-makers such as Rodney Jerkins and Rockwilder, can get a new blockbuster product in stores in time for the Christmas buying season.
Fulfilled (** out of four stars), which came out yesterday, is one of a number of high-profile discs to have its release date pushed up due to Internet piracy concerns. And in the heated battle for chart domination, it should do just fine. Demand for the disc is being stoked by "Lose My Breath," the Jerkins-produced, aerobic dance-floor workout that is Fulfilled's first single and kicks off the album in locomotive fashion.
That's immediately followed by "Soldier," which enlists thugged-out rappers T.I. and Lil' Wayne for support as the church-raised Destiny's trio play-act like they're girlz from the hood. It's another banging, if uninspired, club track, with Rowland saying she needs a "rude boy who's good to me with street credibility."
