According to the first two tracks on Destiny's Child's latest album, Destiny Fulfilled, Beyoncé and the girls are back—with a vengeance—on their fourth full-length. Fulfilled starts boldly with "Lose My Breath," a fast-paced song with heavy breathing reminiscent of Britney Spears's hit "I'm A Slave 4 U." But the song's pop genius lies in its marching-band beat and addictive hook. Next is "Soldier" featuring rappers T.I. and Lil' Wayne. Both "Breath" and "Soldier" are catchy enough to rocket to the top of the singles charts.

Unfortunately, though, they're also strong enough to get the CD to the top of Billboard's album charts and give the wrong impression of the album as a whole. Of the 11 tracks, only the first two and one other ("Through With Love") have the pop appeal expected of Destiny's Child. The rest of the album consists of ballads syrupy enough to make the listener choke. Granted, a few of the songs may be well written, but they're arranged in a block without anything upbeat in between, making them seem to lag on forever. If you want to be "fulfilled," don't waste your money. Pop a past DC album in your CD player for your listening pleasure.