She Lost Focus :-(
Charlie B. | Washington, D.C. | 05/20/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I feared the worst for this album when it kept getting pushed back, for one. Then when 'Go Girl' failed to make noise, and the follow-up 'Never Ever' as well, I was just done. 'Love Sex Magic' was a decent rebound, but it was more than clear that it was a possible left over from Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds album and a desperate attempt to draw people in last minute. And it still hasn't generated anything compared to the singles on her last two albums. When I saw the cover I was even more mortified. And from my years of listening to music, you know you're in for a crap of an album when there are tons of guest appearances noted (with the exception of a few). The original concept of a 3-CD set crossing different genres of music and her alter ego 'Super C' was a bit exciting for a young lady who is clearly the heir to Janet Jackson and Aaliyah's throne, but looks like someone by the name of Beyonce beat her to the punch.
All jokes aside, this CD is disappointing and really all over the place. I expected so much more. It seems that she tried too hard and just lost focus and sight of what she wanted in the end, which could be at the fault of the label. Up-tempo cuts like 'G is For Girl (A to Z),' 'Turntables' f/ Chris Brown, and 'Work' f/ Missy Elliot are not the cream of the crop and all over the place musically. Ciara overdoes it on 'Ciara to the Stage' and 'Keep Dancing On Me,' and 'I Don't Remember' is a horrible attempt to recreate a theme perfectly created by Britney Spears's 'Blur.'
'Tell Me What Your Name Is' and 'Pucker Up' are tossups, but there are some high points. Two of the singles that have already been released make the final cut ('Go Girl' isn't featured for some strange reason but included on the Limited Edition CD/DVD as a video only) and are to Ciara's standards vocally and musically. The-Dream puts her in her comfort zone with the opera-like 'High Price' f/ Ludacris and the duet with himself on 'Lover's Thing.' 'Like a Surgeon' has a Prince-esque type of vibe similar to how she won people over on her sophomore album with 'Promise.' The two bonus tracks on the Limited Edition CD/DVD, 'Echo' and 'I'm On' are phenomenal and should've replaced the weakest tracks on the main album. Even 'Click Flash' from the Sex and the City The Movie Soundtrack is worthy. With these songs it puts in prospective how the vibe of the album would've been had she stuck it through because they are classic Ciara R&B/Pop bangers.
This album is definitely the worst of the three. I expected her to progress even more with the positive response from her sophomore release, but this is below the bar she set by far. I guess every artist has that one album that just wasn't on point for whatever reason and this is Ciara's unfortunately. Thank goodness she's in her early 20s and still has a long career ahead of her.
I expect to see her revamped and in normal form whenever the next album drops, but this simply is not her best work. Could've been a lot better."
CIARA COME BACK!!!!
Roby Cian | Milan, Italy | 05/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow!!! I'm so happy for a new album of Ciara!!! After Goodies and The evolution, the Queen of R&B is come back!!! I love all songs especially Love sex magic, Never ever, Pucker up, Tell me what your name is, Echo, I'm on (this last two songs are bonus-track). Ciara is so sexy girl and singer!!!"
Not a bad album, just not what i expected for ci ci
Drew T. Williams | Gray, Tn. United States | 05/06/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, So i am a huge fan of ciara and always have been since the release of GOODIES. When i found out the album dropped today i ran right out and bought it. After listening to it i like it, but NOT was i was expecting from cici. I expected more up tempo Crunk and B' music that ciara is well known for. I like High Price ( the vocals are very trippy and different and i like that) Work featuring Missy Elliott, Echo, Never Ever and Im On. I loved her first two albums and i watched the dvd that came with the cd today and Ciara stated about how she has grown and her music is in a new direction, and i totally support that but i also think that there should be some of the "staples" mixed in. I love Ciaras music becuase it was very uptemp and crunk and can dance to but i find very few tracks on Fantasy Ride that i can do that to. But like i said, not a bad album at all, just not what i expected."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
