Destiny's Child Tackles Bee Gees, Booty, 'Nasty Girl'

March 15 -- "Bootylicious," a Bee Gees cover, and plenty of Beyoncé are what you can expect on Destiny's Child's third CD, Survivor, due out on May 1.

"Bootylicious," which the Grammy-winning trio is likely to be performing on its current Midwestern concert tour, is "rated G," says singer Michelle Williams on a break from a rehearsal for MTV's recent tribute to Janet Jackson. "It's a tasteful song — I know it's called 'Bootylicious'— that parents can let their children listen to. It's about having confidence and just knowing that you are beautiful."

"Survivor," the group's current single, is also part of the tour. Yes, it was inspired by the TV series of the same name, Williams says. It also came from a joke about the hitmaking Houston group's revolving door (three members left last year). "People say, 'Oh, Destiny's Child, let's see who's going to be the last one on the island,'" Williams says. "So Beyoncé turned that joke into something positive."

Beyoncé Knowles wrote all but four of the songs on the CD, according to Williams. Several producers worked on the project, including Dwayne Wiggins (formerly of Tony!Toni!Tone!), Rodney Jerkins, and newcomers Dent and Rod Sufari.

Williams says the album will show a growth in various aspects of the lives of the three members of Destiny's Child — spiritual, personal and romantic. "It's very conceptual, just like The Writing's on the Wall."

Vocally, the new album features all three singers — Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Williams — switching off on lead vocals on almost every selection. Previously, Beyoncé took most of the leads.

The new disc includes a version of the Bee Gees-penned "Emotion," which was a 1978 hit from Saturday Night Fever for Samantha Sang, and a love ballad, "Brown Eyes." The latter is about a guy's actions speaking louder than his words, Williams says. "When you look into his brown eyes, his eyes tell you that he loves you."

And there are a couple of songs on Survivor that could prove to be controversial — "Nasty Girl" and "Story of Beauty."