Review from CDNow
Houston-based Destiny's Child returns with the eagerly anticipated follow-up to its debut, the self-titled, gold-certified album that spawned the chart-topping hit "No, No, No." With this sophomore effort, the talented foursome displays maturity as both vocalists (which was already known) and as songwriters (which still needed proving), constructing a diverse and stimulating album that explores the full emotional gamut of intimate relationships.
Granted, the subject matter of love and relationships is, especially in R&B, a given (some may even say it's played). But Destiny's Child injects enough of its characteristic assertive, even sassy and tongue-in-cheek style to keep the entire 16-track collection fresh and personal. Indeed, The Writing's on the Wall glistens with powerful material, thanks to the help of some of R&B's finest producers and songwriters: Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins, Daryl Simmons, and hot newcomer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs. The incendiary "Bills, Bills, Bills," and uptempo jams like "Bug-A-Boo" and the semi-autobiographical "So Good," would sound ordinary in other people's hands, but with Destiny's Child, they become instant highlights.

The most enduring moments come on seductive, slower-paced confections like the melancholy "Now That She's Gone" and "Temptation," a sultry tune produced by Tony Toni Tone's Dwayne Wiggins. Along with others, like the so-so-sexy "If You Leave Her," featuring Next, these songs can be wonderfully consuming.

It's obvious the members of Destiny's Child are determined to become R&B's latest divas and, as the title of the album indicates, their time may come much sooner than they imagine.