Ciara - Jackie

Ciara showed up her critics with her self titled opus back in 2013. Ciara was an R&B masterpiece from start to finish, an array of sensual slow jams, gritty underground beats and an introduction to Ciara the rapper. It was a flashback of sorts, taking you to a time when R&B was the governing commercial genre, but she injected enough modern woman sass to make it relevant in the electronic synth dominated market. 

What was truly refreshing about Ciara, aside from not having one skippable track, was that it stepped away from the hyperactive psychobabble of her past efforts. That's not to say her earlier music is without charm, it's just highly inaccesible on any level other than a superficial one. This change worked for her, an artist who was never able to maintain a steady grip on the charts once again became commercially viable as the album reached number two in the United States. 

Ciara's sixth album Jackie doesn't continue the tone of its predecessor, nor does it match or improve on the quality. Opening track Jackie (B.M.F) opens like a West End ballad, before Ciara demands "Harmony drop that beat" and instantly the vibe is transformed into a mildly annoying rap segue with Ciara stating she's a "bad mother f*cker" for delivering a 9lb 10oz baby. The track drops another beat at around the two minute mark and becomes a bit more Ciara and one of the album's most memorable moments. You'd think that the album would continue in this vein, with the theme of motherhood and Ciara just being badass (if not coming across a tad self indulgent). Therein lies another issue. The album doesn't have a clear theme or message, the sounds changing too much between shallow pop and serious odes to an ex. If you're naming your album after your mother, I expect a moral to the story. 

It strays into the nonsensical, cheap sounding blips and pops that littered her early days productions, the one thing I didn't want to get lifted from the Ciara vault. Fly, Lullaby and That's How I'm Feelin' are prime examples of bargain store pop that shouldn't be here, not on the follow up to an album that set standards so high and exploited R&B and Hip Hop production so perfectly. Pitbull's appearance cheapening things even further of course. 

The one thing Ciara does well though, is good pop. 2014's Overdose was a triumph and one of the strongest pop songs of the year. This time she's serving up Dr. Luke produced Let's Dance Like We're Making Love which seduces with repetitive finger snaps and smooth soulful vocals layered over a pulsating synth beat as she coos "It's really late/You're getting close and the lights are off/Your body's in synch to the beat of my heart..." Stuck On You is another success, a repetitive synth riff drawing you in from the start and rapid fire lyrical hooks in abundance. There's even a europop sound slipped in on another Dr. Luke production, Give Me Love which is a simple yet satisfying frivolous thumper. 

Jackie is not its predecessor. It would be unfair to constantly compare the two albums, however I'm going to be unfair because that comparison strengthens the argument that this is not good and certainly not great. That said, it isn't complete waste of time. The album's lyricism often strays into generic and predictable and the production often feels cheap and unimaginative. Thankfully though, there are a handful of solid pop numbers worth a listen but for those of us who were expecting another well thought out, nostalgic R&B musical triumph, we'll have to wait a bit longer. 

2 / 5