Beyoncé is and always was the brightest star, but all three of these girls have solo careers now. That means this could be their final album together. The title certainly suggests so. If that’s the case, they’ll be remembered, at least in my mind, for their obsessive infatuation with guys and romance. Every single track on this set has to do with those two things. When they’re not out looking for a new relationship, they’re either professing their “love” to the “boy” they’re with or breaking-up with him. That’s literally all they do. So even a song entitled Through With Love is followed by a song entitled Love.

Soldier is weak. It should’ve been limited to one rap verse by either TI or Lil Wayne. But it’s the only bad song. Cater 2 U and T-Shirt, both of which find the girls passionately in love with a guy who seems too lucky to exist, are sweeter on the ears. The next two songs are vocally overshadowed by their soulful 9th Wonder sample beats, but Kelly Rowland’s Bad Habit; the only solo on the album; sounds good. The music isn’t much, but there are melodic wonders happening during the chorus. I also like If, which does away with drums all-together and instead goes for a 1960s-style piano backdrop.

my rating : 3 of 5

2004