Rated: Ciara - Ciara

Ciara's never been big news in the UK and personally I think it's a shame, considering she's more talented/likeable than many of the female pop stars filling airspace at the moment. Her last album Basic Instinct stumbled into the lower reaches of the charts after a lack of support from her management & label - paying for the promotion of lead single 'Gimme Dat' herself. After some reshuffling at her label Jive, she was released from their clutches and fell back under the bald wing of LA Reid. Now she's back with her fifth album Ciara, self titled, more experimental & sexier than ever before.

'Got Me Good' was one of the promo releases, a song akin to her trademark hyperactive bass sound and not disimilar to 'Gimme Dat' and 'Work'. It had a video and it's pretty tight, but it didn't make the final cut; this is a good thing. Ciara sees a very welcome change in sound for the chanteuse of r'n'b. The album has a darker, more brooding production than anything she's released. The likes of 'I'm Out' featuring Nicki Minaj showcase a rougher, more sassy Ciara, complete with its own Beyonce 'Run the World' lyrics about celebrating a break up and 'toasting goodbyes'. 'I rap for everyone' Minaj opens and closes the track, and for a change her contribution is actually semi-enjoyable, harking back to her 'Roman's Revenge' bite. 'Sophomore' is captivating and Ciara is commanding, as she sings over a thick bass line you'd hear in an underground car park party (someone please invite me to one of these?).

Things never go beyond mid-up tempo. Gone are the cocaine fuelled productions of her past albums and the perfect example is 'Super Turnt Up', a song that constantly threatens to explode into an array of rapid fire synths and beats so insane your ears would up & leave. However, it never does and it's this threat that keeps the song interesting. The song even features 'Ciara', giving her own supporting rap in the middle, a convincing turn that clearly separates her two personas. On 'Where You Go' featuring boyfriend Future, the production is subtle with some sweet bleeps and lilting acoustic riffs, behind Ciara's smooth vocals and Future's echoes of "Where you go-o-o". It's a class A track.

Ciara's no stranger to a Janet Jackson comparison. Her stage outfits, her slick dance moves and her smooth, modest vocal prowess all garner constant links to the stylings of the pop legend. While her voice isn't packed with the power of Whitney or Beyonce, it often makes the listen far easier. There's no over sing on the likes of 'Body Party', a smooth r'n'b jam where Ciara's vocals are authentic and non-jarring. 'My body is your party/baby' she coos on the lead single. It was a brave move releasing a song so laid back in production, but its sultry lyrics and mocha beats are inviting & enticing. 

What we're seeing here is Ciara's evolution. She's moved forward from her routine of predictable r'n'b synth insania and delved deeper into the sweat and heat of her very own underground r'n'b party. I don't think the album will make waves on UK shores, mainly because we've never really appreciated her talents before. That being said, I hope to be proven wrong as Ciara is an accomplished collection of r'n'b songs so chocolatey & smooth, it makes Nutella look like shit.

4/5

Download: Body Party / Where You Go / Super Turnt Up / Sophomore