Ciara, Ciara, Ciara

So, I'm really feeling sorry for Ciara as of late. The girl was fiyah when she blasted onto the music scene in 2005 with "Goodies." I mean, Beyonce had released her debut 2 years prior (2003), Rihanna's *ish was whack (how long did it take her to get another hit after "Pon 'de Replay"?), and Ciara was that bridge that connected the gap between Beyonce and Janet Jackson. The pop and hip hop world embraced her! She was the princess of this new and exciting 'crunk' sound. So what happened between then and now? Why is a platinum, mult-platinum even, artist opening with 75k-80k? Is the recession really THAT bad?

Because she lost her direction. Goodies was fresh as hell. It was simple, fun, and the uptempos were the *ish. "Goodies," "1,2 Step" and "Oh" dominated both the pop and urban charts...3 consecutive top 2 hits! From a debut artist, that's impeccable! Evolution still worked, despite losing the appeal of bangin' uptempos, because the slow-jams were classic R&B. She created her own sound and really did show how she evolved lyrically (as she co-wrote every track) and vocally (ie) My Love, So Hard). But then came Fantasy Ride and the attempt to bite off more than she could chew. She wanted to please all...her 'crunk' fans, her 'R&B' and her 'pop' fans. But where she fell short was in the music quality. It seems like there was too much 'experimenting' and not enough perfecting. Let's be real. Those leaked tracks were WHACK AS HELL!!! I mean, no wonder she had all of those push backs. And not to mention the poor single choices. Did the record labels actually HEAR "Go Girl"? How does someone with a track record of top 10 hits come up with that as a LEAD single *cough, cough* excuse me, what was I thinking? A PROMO single, of course. And then, why, when you've obviously lost your pop appeal, lead off with a mid-tempo URBAN record? But, not all hope is lost on Fantasy Ride. Whoever had to make the final decision on the cuts did a decent job and almost got rid of all the screw ups, bar "Pucker Up" and "I'm On." There are a few stand out tracks even! Tracks like the laid-back "Keep Dancin' On Me," the sensual "Ciara to the Stage," the Aalyiah-esque "Like A Surgeon," the thumpin' (although corny) "G is for Girl." and the crunkalicious "High Price." is where Ci Ci really shines and reminds us why we fell for her.

So the verdict: B.
Not near the polishedness of Evolution or the freshness and funness of Goodies, but still a solid effort non-the-less, and in my opinion, worth the purchase.

What can save this sinking ship?
Singles, singles, singles!!! At this point, it is CRUCIAL to Ci Ci's CAREER, not just the success of this album, that the right singles are chosen! No need to mess around with URBAN singles. This is where her fan-base remains most intact and everyone should realize that this is in general NOT the album/single buying demographic. POP is where the money is! It may be risky, but risky is what is needed currently. Don't ignore the opinion of the masses! When "Turntables" is leading the pack on iTunes downloads, even jolting past current slow-burner "Never Ever," it should be a sure-sign that this is strongest single contender!!! Don't want Brown on the track? Then replace him with some other A-lister, but the high-energy attention-grabbing beat on this track is too good to waste. Please, please, please!!! Don't let this album fail because of continued poor single choices. That's it. Rant over...all thoughts are welcome!