Earth To Chaka?

This is NOT your average slice of CK!She drop-kicks the

hip-hop of her previous outing and lays down the heavy dance-rock!"Love Of A Lifetime" is a classic pop single (why she didn't choose it for her Epiphany complitation I don't know) and

"Earth to Micky" is one of the Jam/Lewis soundalike dance hits

and one of my favorites on the album."My Destiny",as with almost

everything else here falls into a mid 80's dance-rock vibe-Rufus

flirted with rock early in their career's but this is Chaka's

hardest rocking album,aside from some dancey material."It's You"

is another song that would've made a KILLER single but I doubt

Warner Bros. did anything to promote that OR the excellent

"Earth To Micky".

Chaka of course ends off everything with the

vital jazz tribute "Coltrane Dreams"-a less then two minute

theme that should have been extended into a singlong jam or

something.That not having been done 'Destiny' is'nt terrible

but it's not ammong her stronger records and doesn't have

perfectly written songs.But it's not that off putting and it's

alot better then what it could've been!

Forgotten gem

Chaka Khan was one of the biggest names in pop music in the mid-1980's. 1984's "I Feel For You" spawned 3 hit singles and won her a Grammy. In 1986, Chaka released the follow-up to "I Feel For You," called "Destiny." It got a Grammy nomination, but is one of her most forgotten albums and didn't sell anywhere near as much as its predecessor. But sales figures don't tell the whole story-this album contains numerous gems.
Much of the album has a rock feel, with lots of guitars and Chaka's "big strong voice." The sexy "So Close," the quirky "Who's It Gonna Be," "Watching the World" (featuring Phil Collins), and Chaka's own "My Destiny" are the best examples of the rockers. (A bit of trivia--a slightly different version of "My Destiny" was featured on the soundtrack of the Richard Pryor movie "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.")
The album technically spawned four hit singles (4 charting on the R&B charts, only 1 on the Pop charts.) The biggest hit was "Love of a Lifetime," which is a joy to listen to, with a memorable moelody and the typical awesome vocal by Chaka. The steamy "Tight Fit" was a moderate R&B hit, but lacks the excitement of the other tracks to me. "Earth to Mickey" barely charted on the R&B charts, and is comical lyrically, but is a good dance groove. "The Other Side of the World," also featured on the "White Nights" soundtrack, was another low-level R&B hit, with a breathtaking melody and vocal.
One of my favourite tracks is "Watching the World" (a single in Europe), with Phil Collins on drums and back-up vocal. I'm not much of a Phil Collins fan, but his "sound" goes good with Chaka. (Another good example of a male artist combining well with Chaka is Steve Winwood's "Higher Love.")
Not every song on this is great. "I Can't Be Loved" is too sluggish for me, and "It's You" is ear candy at best. "Coltrane Dreams" would have stood a chance if it didn't sound like it was put together in a hurry and if it was longer than approximately a mere minute and a half. "Who's It Gonna Be" is good, but is a little boring--it lacks the hook of the other songs.
Chaka sort of reminds me of Tina Turner on this album, with the larger-than-life vocals and the rockier sound. But she remains original, and doesn't really sound like anyone else. Part of why I love Chaka is because she is original, and is instantly recognizable as a singer. Thi album is hard to find, but I recommend it for people looking for a solid Chaka Khan album, or something that would fit easily into the mid-1980's Pop-Rock vein.

Rockin' Chaka

"Destiny" was Chaka Khan's answer to Tina Turner's successes with 'Private Dancer', but Chaka wasn't able to connect with the listeners in the same way with her brand of Pop Rock. After all, Chaka was well know for her funkier tunes like 'Ain't Nobody', 'I Feel For You', etc. What would make her think she'd be able to capture the rock audience with songs like 'Watching The World' and 'So Close' which each have their share of crunch guitars?

On "Destiny" Khan's voice was strong as ever, and in some cases it was overly husky on tracks like 'Otherside of the World', but it somehow managed to get buried deep in the mix. Possibly for good reasons.

Khan's executive producer, Arif Mardin, was very creative with his use of various instrumental textures and mixes on 'Destiny. Sonically, 'Coltrane Dreams' was a stretch, considering most instruments in the song were samples of Chaka's own voice.

The best cuts for Khan's longtime fans would have to be the funky rave 'Tight Fit', with its warmer, jazzier feel, and the lead track 'Love of a Lifetime', a quirky funk/dance tune with lots of magic dust and swirling synths dancing around Chaka's voice.

Neither Chaka's best or worst work. "Destiny" was an attempt made for mass commercial appeal. Emotional punch, typically associated with Khan's work, is somewhat lost or exaggerated depending on the track. Creatively the collaborative effort with her longtime producer Arif Mardin had to have been a lot of fun. Grade C+.