Ciara

The last few years have been tough for Ciara Princess Harris. She has encountered many difficulties, chief among them changing labels, becoming Rihanna’s worst enemy, and being hit with a truckload of setbacks and delays. Although she had a stable run of averagely-performing singles and albums in the early stretches of last decade, Ciara had become something of a lost horse in the stable of music.

Her latest foray began with ‘Sweat’; last year’s released-and-rejected “buzz” single, which then led to a disappointing cycle of dead single releases. However, the deserved success of her sultry RnB jam ‘Body Party’ has ignited something different in Ciara, and her fifth album has certainly followed suit.

Ciara begins with a standard break-up track under the name of ‘I’m Out’. It’s an opener which does leave more to be desired, and its frequent uses of the n-word could outstrip a standard conversation with Paula Deen. Nevertheless, the simplicity of the clap-heavy production and its lyrical instantaneousness makes it somewhat bearable. Unexpectedly, Nicki Minaj’s guest rap is one of the highlights of the album, harking back to her better days as a rapper (and not as a warbler of RedOne “choons”). The icing on this cake is a cleverly-placed blast at Rihanna’s immature handling of social media websites (see if you can spot the line…!).

Another memorable cut from the album (and of Ciara’s muddled career) is the aforementioned single ‘Body Party’, which offers nuances of mid-90s Janet Jackson whilst remaining fresh and current. The production (by Mike WiLL Made It) is effortlessly modest, and when married with Ciara’s unstrained vocal attempts, it makes a fantastic product of a song. The track is also being happily eaten up by US radio stations, with its chart trajectory marking it as one of the artist’s best in the last few years – and rightly so.

Ciara has managed to carve a niche which rests between characterful dance tracks and soigné RnB jams…

Despite fears of filler derailing the album’s latter half, Ciara proves us wrong with ‘DUI’, a delicate and chilled RnB cut with cleverly formed lyrics, breathy undertones, and a beautifully serene production. But the best is yet to come: the one-two punch of ‘Overdose’ and ‘Livin’ It Up’ proves that she was more than ready to unleash this musical monster onto the world. Both songs have incredibly strong chorus hooks and – in spite of their somewhat generic appeal – they also have fantastic production values, echoing the work of electronic crafteers JUSTICE and Jacques Lu Cont. ‘Overdose’ in particular seems to be a fan favourite, with the track having leaked its way onto the internet early last year and becoming a hotly-anticipated addition to Ciara.

Although her second album was called The Evolution, perhaps such a title should have been granted to Ciara’s latest album instead. For once in a long while, she has managed to carve a niche which rests between characterful dance tracks and soigné RnB jams, whilst also leaving behind the stale smell of rejected ballads and bored rhythms. But the question is, will this development see her to the top of the charts, or will she remain in her perpetual impasse?

Similar To: Kelly Rowland, Ashanti

MP3: ‘Livin’ It Up’, ‘Body Party’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgD6tZCmxPY