Fifth Harmony Shows Who's Boss

Strike up them faux horns why don't you? It's Fifth Harmony taking names, kicking butts, and serving notice with "BO$$". This girl glam act cites Destiny's Child as one of its influences. Not too hard to see why. They've got the same attitude in spades as the group the artist currently known as Beyonce used to pay the bills, bills, bills with. It's in the delivery. Whatever door lurks nearby, these gals have the moxie to kick them down. Fifth Harmony is comprised of Ally Brooke Hernandez, Camila Cabello, Normani Hamilton, Dinah Jane Hansen, and Lauren Jauregui. They formed on the second season of The X-Factor. You have to hand it to them for combining brass and playfulness in diabolically clever measure. "I want a Kanye-ye, not a Ray J" they insist. Well, that likely puts them head and shoulders above Taylor Swift who, if she never heard the name Kanye West again in her lifetime she'd be as happy as a pig in slop. Towards the end of that same first verse they give a lyrical shout out to Dr Dre, in keeping with their who's who in hip-hop name check. Fifth Harmony gets cooking at the point where they call a hollering baller on the carpet because these ladies weren't brought up like that. To be sure their work ethic sparkles like the rarest of diamonds. As was stated earlier the horns play a monstrous role in priming this no holes barred attitude party. Michelle Obama is dropped into the mix as well. According to this song her purse is all heavy getting Oprah dollars. Sure, Fifth Harmony could, and for all I know will be tagged as one of those studio manufactured clone girl power acts, same as when TV network execs get an idea for what the public likes they promptly go out and find actors/actresses to fill nine more shows just like it. That's how trends come and go in the blink of an eye. However I give the foursome the short term benefit of the doubt because the fierceness with which they throw themselves into this material is hard to pass up and, equally hard to ignore. If you've got a sly shit-eatin' grin on your face, be warned that the femmes of Fifth Harmony are poised and determined to knock it clean off. You've got some real hand clapping vibes permeating from the front end of the song to the back. If you work up a real lather once the song grinds to a stop, chances are you are doing right by the spirit and letter of the song. The Destiny's Child influence bears its head in undisputed fashion with "I pledge my allegiance to my independent girls in here". You may or may not recall (depending on whether Destiny's Child was your thing in the early 2000s) that the trio had a monster hit with "Independent Woman", a track off the soundtrack to "Charlie's Angels". Destiny's Child The Next Generation? You decide. Too early in the game to tell if Fifth Harmony is going to strike a consistently pitch perfect note with music aficionados and the casual folks out there but "BO$$" does a commendable job of putting the haters on notice. This four way tribute to what some determination will get you comes off the blocks fast. If they remember this music business thing is also not a sprint but a consistent marathon Fifth Harmony could be harmonizing all the way to the big time Benjamins bank.