Ciara: Ciara
Details
Genre: Pop, r&bPros:
The synthpop sounds of "Overdose" feel very good on her;Cons:
Ciara's voice is still regulated to Janet whispers; Timbaland-lite productions and sex-crazed lyrics dominate; Nicki Minaj owns the openerStill filling the void Janet left, Ciara’s self-titled disc feels like an improvement
Still filling the void Janet left, Ciara’s self-titled disc feels like an improvement
For two albums straight, Ciara has struggled to reach the nirvana of diva dominance that Beyonce and Rihanna is now relishing in. 2009’s “Love Sex Magic,” her duet with pop heartthrob-turned-movie star Justin Timberlake, tried to boost her career but ended up looking like a bleep on the pop radar. And her risky decision to mask up as a Player’s Club private dancer for her videos certainly distracted us from her work. On her self-titled album, Ciara is equipped with enough artillery to launch her somewhere into the R&B heavens. Much of it is pomp and circumstance, the executive decision-making used to put Ciara in a higher class of grandeur. Guest spots by Future and B.o.B. are part of the big party. Rap queen Nicki Minaj totally dominates the bass-booming “I’m Out” to the point that Ciara sounds like she’s a Supreme. Minaj returns on the the synth-fused Top 40-friendly “Livin’ It Up,” but Ciara gets her chance in the spotlight as the rap star only shows up in a guest cameo spot. The album’s closer, “Overdose,” is where Ciara shines the brightest as she storms electro-disco using a melody Selena Gomez would envy. Veteran Rodney Jerkins even contributes a Rihanna-ready risqué track, putting Ciara and her vagina power to good use: “You gotta savor it, savor it/I know what’s your favorite dish.” And the sex-crazed episodes spill over unto “Super Turnt Up” and the Aaliyah-teased slow jam “Body Party.” But her voice hardly rises beyond the Janet Jackson-inspired quivers and she’s still being pampered with album filler (“DUI,” “Keep on Lookin’”) and Timbaland-lite productions that hardly lives up to the overhyped expectations. But at least on this effort, the “One, Two Step” singer tries to compete with the big dogs – even if she’s more bark than bite.
