Image courtesy of ciaraworld.com

Gregory Brand, Jr.
Entertainment Editor
SOTG Magazine

Fantasy Ride
Ciara
Rating 3.5 out of 5

Ciara's third album, "Fantasy Ride," marks a new and richly different transformation in both style and sound for the newly crowned R&B pop diva.

From beginning to end the album uses tight production and Ciara's airy vocals to vibrate speakers and minister to partygoers everywhere.

It is apparent that Ciara has a goal in mind with the release of this album. There is a void left in mainstream music and Ciara aims to fill it.

Janet Jackson, Madonna and Britney Spears are actually losing power with lovers of dance music so this album is the opportunity for Ciara to step up to the plate.

In effect, Ciara hits it out of the park. Aiming to fill the void left by the aforementioned divas with substance instead of getting it by default, Ciara succeeds for the most part.

With smart production and intelligent songwriting, Ciara brings a fresh voice to the dancefloor and does so with flair.

This flair makes one of its most poignant appearances on the T-Pain assisted lead single, "Go Girl." This track has the young chanteuse musing about her sexual prowess to the man she wishes to put to work. On top of the bouncing track Ciara shines and blends beautifully with T-Pain’s playful and boastful rhymes.

Realistically, this album could have been more aptly titled, "Last Night at the Club," because the album is probably the most club friendly album of the year so far.

In fact, nearly every sector of club life is represented. The dance club, the nightclub, the strip club and in some cases— the gay club, all have representations here and the resulting LP is stronger for it.

The point seems to be people dancing and if the album is played, people will indeed dance.

While dancing is paramount here, there is also an underlying concept that points to a continued evolution of the artist.

The last album was titled "Evolution" and it is apparent that she has not stopped developing.

On the Justin Timberlake assisted "Love, Sex and Magic," Ciara makes a gamble for pop prominence and the track, which glides with a slick, old-school vibe, sings with overly sweet and sassy conviction.

Other tracks on the album show Ciara playing with her range under the cover of some infectious beats.

Ciara jumps wholeheartedly into her sexuality with the stripclub-ready banger "Ciara to the Stage" and the brilliantly seductive, "Surgeon."

Despite the highs of the LP she can get a little too "club."

This is most clearly represented in the Chris Brown featured track, "Turntables." With its hard to decipher lyrics and repetitive thump, it is made for the voguers and runway walkers at the club. Snap for the kids anyone?

Featuring solid production from Danja, Polow Da Don, Tricky Stewart and The Dream, she may not be able to notice potential interruptions anyway.

Bottom Line: Filled with pulse-pounding beats and sexy innuendos, Fantasy Ride may be what dance fans have been waiting for.

Labels: music, reviews