Ciara ALBUM REVIEW

In 2004, Ciara Princess Harris burst on to the R&B scene with quite the sassy and cocky attitude. Her debut single that year "Goodies" was one of the biggest hits that year. But it also had a lot of people turning heads asking "who is this barely legal girl talking about her 'goodies' "? Well soon enough, everyone became quite familiar with her. Four albums and some chart topping hits later, Ciara is one of hip hop and R&B's most popular and talented artists. Her combination of the hip hop and R&B sound stands out from many other artists. Everything from radio songs, club songs, dance/pop songs, slow ballads, even some southern trap-style music. She can make any kind of song. Not to mention she's one hell of a dancer and performer. Again, very talented and versatile. Well now, CeCe is back with her self titled fifth album (originally titled One Woman Army). Now her previous album, 2010's Basic Instinct, to many people was forgettable. Though I never got to hear it all the way through the general response to it wasn't good. Nor were the album sales. In fact the only full album I heard from her was her sophomore 2007 album Ciara: The Evolution which was a okay album. Well this time around, I feel a slight bit the same. This album was actually pretty good. Again, no other singer can blend the sounds of hip hop, R&B and pop better than her and it shows perfectly on this album. Though it was decent, the album to me had more of a mixtape feel to it than a album. It's a short ten track project and mostly all the songs on here sound like radio singles. I literally can picture this entire album being played in the club. This maybe in large part because of production which I thought was the best thing about this album. For such a radio/club sounding project the production was pretty good. Maybe the best production of any R&B project I've heard this year. Now let me get to the highlights and low lights of the album. I don't think I have like a favorite song but if I had to pick a stand out track for me it maybe the second track "Sophomore". Of all the great beats on here this one was my favorite. It has that deep vibrating southern trunk bass that's perfect for the car. The clubs should love it as well. "Keep On Lookin" was a okay track. It has the Houston chopped and screwed sound and ironically she sounds like a female Kirko Bangz on it. I don't know about that opening line though ("maybe it's Maybelline, or maybe I'm just born with it"). I don't know I found that kind of corny. But the song was still cool. The sexual tension began to surface on "Read My Lips". Now at first I didn't think this would be anything too crazy. Just an ordinary love/relationship song. Boy was I wrong. On here she sings about treating her man by feeding him his favorite "dish". Telling him that "he's not leaving until he eats it all up". Now with that and the song title, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what sexual act this song is talking about. Ciara did this before on that single from her last album "Ride". Those hidden sexually explicit messages. It's safe to say she's extremely comfortable with her sexuality. The first track and second single "I'm Out" still has to grow me. It's not necessarily a bad song it's just something I don't think I could listen to consistently. I honestly like "Body Party" better. Although, Nicki Minaj's verse on there, and on the track "Livin' It Up" weren't bad. She'd be much more tolerable if she rapped calmly like that. The track "Overdose" has this really cool electric funk/flash dance beat. It actually sounds a bit like vintage Janet Jackson. The person most people compare Ciara to. The worst song on here for me is "Where You Go". It features her new boyfriend Future and quite frankly, he should have waited for her in the bedroom until she left the studio instead of hopping on this. His nauseating singing made this almost impossible to listen to. I know he was gonna be on this album regardless but man this song did not need him. The track "Super Turnt Up" was okay but I was expecting this song to have more energy considering the title. But the one thing that did kind of ruin the song...Ciara's "bars". I know a lot of her songs, well beats sound like rap beats but leave the rapping to the professionals. She sounds like another Lola Monroe when she raps. However, she's a better rapper than Future is a singer that's for sure. "DUI" is the only song on here that sounds like actual slow R&B. But even that has somewhat of a mainstream hip hop beat. That song needed a much more slower and mellow beat considering the content of the song. Well overall, the production is what really made this album easy to listen to. Otherwise, this wouldn't be all that fun to listen to. I give it a final grade of a B-. While many people thought Ciara was done or wasn't the same anymore considering previous album sales, she has now shown that she's far from done. The hits are gonna keep coming and the clubs/parties will continue to be satisfied. As a fan I'm happy to see her silence the critics and show why is still Atlanta's princess. Keep killin' them CeCe. End.

Final Grade: B-