- Artist
- Ciara
- Label
- Sony BMG
- Release date
- 9th April 2007
- Genre
- R&B/Pop
Second album from crunk star serves up more Goodies when sticking to the original recipe
Like Joss Stone, who on her recent album Introducing Joss Stone was at pains to declare how she’d changed, much-lauded "Princess of Crunk & B" Ciara's sophomore album is also concerned with the grand statement. Two years on from her breakthrough with number one single Goodies, the Atlanta starlet wants y'all to know she’s "evolved". Surely a press release would suffice?
Rather than letting the music speak for itself, Ciara rams the point home by filling The Evolution with toe-curling, spoken-word interludes: "The past few years of my life have truly been a journey" she declares on The Evolution Of C. Hope she had decent legroom.
Such self-indulgent nonsense handicaps an album that works when she actually sticks to her previously successful recipe – edgy, electro-tinged, floor-filling R&B that echoes the late Aaliyah, Janet Jackson and Sexyback-era Timberlake. Ciara’s forte is draping her seductively breathy, staccato vocals over spasmodic left-field beats as she does on album openers That’s Right (an electrifying slammer from Goodies producer Lil Jon) and excellent single Like A Boy (like Prince twiddling knobs for Destiny’s Child). Alongside Promise, Get It Fit It, Bang It Up and Get Up, you have the quality EP you’d expect from collaborations with Jazze Pha, will.i.am and The Neptunes.
However, she’s evolved, remember? The irony is that by bidding for heavyweight diva status, The Evolution is bloated with snooze-some, formulaic, R&B slow jams. Ciara’s voice is far too weak to bolster such flimsy filler as So Hard, I’m Just Me and I Found Myself (yes, Ciara, we get it!) and devalues all the good work she can do on the dancefloor.
Part of growing up is realising that change is inevitable. Ciara should stop trying to force her growth towards pop royalty and be happy to remain a Crunk & B princess.
More to try: Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape Destiny’s Child: The Writing’s On The Wall Janet Jackson: Control Aaliyah: One In A Million
