Singer Chrisette Michele landed atop the Billboard 200 for the first time this week, beating out a new album from Ciara and the "Hannah Montana: the Movie" soundtrack.
In at no. 3 is Ciara's newest album, Fantasy Ride, giving the singer her third top three debut. In 2004, Goodies entered the list at No. 3 with 125,000, while 2006's The Evolution topped the charts at no. 1 with 338,000.
Despite a successful single with "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake), the album's performance is Ciara's lowest first-week sum ever.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Takin Back My Love Enrique Iglesias with Ciara
"Takin' Back My Love" - Enrique Iglesias feat. Ciara
"Takin' Back My Love" is a pop song from singer Enrique Iglesias. It is the second and final single from his English greatest hits album Greatest Hits.
The song was produced by RedOne who was a co-writer of the song alongside Iglesias and Frankie Storm.
The original version of the song features R&B/pop singer Ciara and is being released internationally.
A second version which features pop singer Sarah Connor in place of Ciara was released in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
In France, the song was re-recorded with the French R&B singer Tyssem singing her portion of the song in French and re-titled "Tackin' Back My Love (Sans l'ombre d'un remord)".
"Takin' Back My Love" is a pop song from singer Enrique Iglesias. It is the second and final single from his English greatest hits album Greatest Hits.
The song was produced by RedOne who was a co-writer of the song alongside Iglesias and Frankie Storm.
The original version of the song features R&B/pop singer Ciara and is being released internationally.
A second version which features pop singer Sarah Connor in place of Ciara was released in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
In France, the song was re-recorded with the French R&B singer Tyssem singing her portion of the song in French and re-titled "Tackin' Back My Love (Sans l'ombre d'un remord)".
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Ciara is starring Mama, I Want to Sing!
Mama, I Want to Sing! Poster
Mama, I Want to Sing! is an upcoming 2009 American musical film written and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, produced by CodeBlack Entertainment, and distributed by 20th Century Fox's Fox Faith division. The film is an adaptation of the off-Broadway gospel stage musical of the same name, written and produced by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro. Mama, I Want to Sing! (which is set for release on April 10, 2009) stars Lynn Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, and R&B singer Ciara.
The film is based on the life story of Doris Troy, a preacher’s daughter who sang in a church choir before being discovered by James Brown. Doris Troy's niece, Knoelle, who has played the star role in the off-Broadway production, makes her film debut in the movie in a principal role.
Conflict begins to ensue when her mother is confronted with, and unequivocally disapproves of, Amara's secular music and videos. Amara must learn to pursue her dreams while both navigating the often treac.
* According to Internet Movie Database, Mama, I Want to Sing! will be released in Theaters on April 10, 2009.
* Tarralyn Ramsey and Paris Bennett auditioned for the role of Amara until the CodeBlack Entertainment offered the role to Ciara.
* R&B singer Solange Knowles was the first choice for the role of Amara.
* Vy Higginsen, the original playwright for the off-Broadway production of "Mama, I Want to Sing!", assisted Charles Randolph-Wright with the script.
* According to the latest Billboard Magazine, promo trailers will begin to air on television in September. But no promo trailers were shown most likely due to the film being pushed back to 2009. But Ciara has been promoting the movie by herself on numerous interviews, but she has never said an official release for the movie.
Inspired by the hit off-Broadway play, Amara Winter (Ciara), a strikingly beautiful and charismatic young singer, is on the verge of pop stardom. Raised in the church by her father, Reverend Dr. Kenneth Winter (Ralph Tresvant) and mother, Lillian Winter (Lynn Whitfield), Amara and her younger brother Luke (Kevin Phillips) have a very strong bond. After her father's untimely death, her mother is thrust into the limelight in the role as preacher, a daring move that ultimately catapults her to the top of the gospel world. Paralleling her mother's success, Amara soon becomes a huge star in her own right, taking the pop music world by storm.
Mama, I Want to Sing! is an upcoming 2009 American musical film written and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, produced by CodeBlack Entertainment, and distributed by 20th Century Fox's Fox Faith division. The film is an adaptation of the off-Broadway gospel stage musical of the same name, written and produced by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro. Mama, I Want to Sing! (which is set for release on April 10, 2009) stars Lynn Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, and R&B singer Ciara.
The film is based on the life story of Doris Troy, a preacher’s daughter who sang in a church choir before being discovered by James Brown. Doris Troy's niece, Knoelle, who has played the star role in the off-Broadway production, makes her film debut in the movie in a principal role.
Conflict begins to ensue when her mother is confronted with, and unequivocally disapproves of, Amara's secular music and videos. Amara must learn to pursue her dreams while both navigating the often treac.
* According to Internet Movie Database, Mama, I Want to Sing! will be released in Theaters on April 10, 2009.
* Tarralyn Ramsey and Paris Bennett auditioned for the role of Amara until the CodeBlack Entertainment offered the role to Ciara.
* R&B singer Solange Knowles was the first choice for the role of Amara.
* Vy Higginsen, the original playwright for the off-Broadway production of "Mama, I Want to Sing!", assisted Charles Randolph-Wright with the script.
* According to the latest Billboard Magazine, promo trailers will begin to air on television in September. But no promo trailers were shown most likely due to the film being pushed back to 2009. But Ciara has been promoting the movie by herself on numerous interviews, but she has never said an official release for the movie.
Inspired by the hit off-Broadway play, Amara Winter (Ciara), a strikingly beautiful and charismatic young singer, is on the verge of pop stardom. Raised in the church by her father, Reverend Dr. Kenneth Winter (Ralph Tresvant) and mother, Lillian Winter (Lynn Whitfield), Amara and her younger brother Luke (Kevin Phillips) have a very strong bond. After her father's untimely death, her mother is thrust into the limelight in the role as preacher, a daring move that ultimately catapults her to the top of the gospel world. Paralleling her mother's success, Amara soon becomes a huge star in her own right, taking the pop music world by storm.
Ciara Fantasy Ride Album 2009
Ciara Fantasy Ride Album Cover
Fantasy Ride is the upcoming third studio album by American R&B/pop singer Ciara. Jive Records, in collaboration with Zomba Label Group and Sony Music Entertainment will release the album in North America, on May 5, 2009. It will also be released in the United Kingdom, on May 4, 2009. Ciara confirmed on Power 105.1 FM radio station that the album's new release date is not going to change.
A promo single, "Go Girl", which features T-Pain, was released September 30, 2008. The first official US single, "Never Ever", features rapper Young Jeezy and was released in January 2009. The second US single (first elsewhere), "Love Sex Magic", which features Justin Timberlake, was released in March 2009.
In early 2008, Ciara began working on her third album. She became executive producer of the album, with LaFace A&R coordinator Mark Pitts and music producer Tricky Stewart. First, Ciara completed recording sessions with producers Tricky Stewart, Danja, Jasper Cameron, and The-Dream. The Crunktown and Kingdom of Dance cuts are being helmed (executively produced) by Danja, while the Groove City offerings are overseen by Stewart and Jasper Cameron. Spike Stent has also mixed some tracks which Ciara recorded at Chalice Studios.
Near the album's deadline in 2008, Ciara scheduled recording sessions with Bloodshy & Avant, Scott Storch and Jim Jonsin. In an interview from a concert, Ciara stated that she did two collaborations with Justin Timberlake which will appear on the album. At the beginning of March Ciara stated on her official website that the album was due to be mastered this month ready for its release, later on March 19 it was confirmed that the album was in its final 'tweaking' stages and still on track for its release date of May 5, 2009. Ciara announced in a SayNow fan message that the finishing touches on the album would be "mixed and mastered" before or by her album's turn in date of March 23.
It is known that the album will feature collaborations with Young Jeezy, Chris Brown, Akon, Lil Wayne, The-Dream, Ludacris and Justin Timberlake.
Ciara stated back in 2008 that she wanted her third album "to take fans on a musical journey". It was recorded over several different recording sessions and features three themes.
The Groove City recordings are intended to remind fans of the Evolution era. The first single "Never Ever" (featuring Young Jeezy) falls into this bracket and the other songs recorded under this theme are expected to sound much like her one of her previous singles "Promise". Crunktown is the second theme, remincent of single "Goodies" and is the trademark genre that Ciara is associated with. The ditched lead single "High Price" (featuring Ludacris) was an example of what Ciara had created under the crunk theme. Finally she recorded tracks that have been described as up-tempo pop-tinged, house, and freestyle cuts under the theme Kingdom of Dance which can be seen in the album's second single "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake).
Billboard initially suggested that the album would take the three theme idea a step further by releasing the album accross three discs each featuring stylistically similar songs. However many music retailers such as Amazon, Target and HMV have listed a single-disc standard edition and 2-disc deluxe edition (with DVD) of the album although an official track listing has yet to appear. Nonetheless, the RapBasement.com report of the tracklisting maintains the three-disc format. No official official tracklisting has yet been confirmed by Ciara or her record label.
Fantasy Ride also introduces Ciara's comic book character, "Super C". Ciara said that Super C is a character she becomes when she performs onstage and in her music videos. The Super C character is set to become a major factor in Fantasy Ride promotion. She is a futuristic superhero-esque Ciara, based on the robotic character Ciara portrayed in the "Go Girl" music video.
DC Comics artist Bernard Chang helped Ciara create the character for the album artwork. Ciara said she worked on the artwork about nine months to a year.
Fantasy Ride is the upcoming third studio album by American R&B/pop singer Ciara. Jive Records, in collaboration with Zomba Label Group and Sony Music Entertainment will release the album in North America, on May 5, 2009. It will also be released in the United Kingdom, on May 4, 2009. Ciara confirmed on Power 105.1 FM radio station that the album's new release date is not going to change.
A promo single, "Go Girl", which features T-Pain, was released September 30, 2008. The first official US single, "Never Ever", features rapper Young Jeezy and was released in January 2009. The second US single (first elsewhere), "Love Sex Magic", which features Justin Timberlake, was released in March 2009.
In early 2008, Ciara began working on her third album. She became executive producer of the album, with LaFace A&R coordinator Mark Pitts and music producer Tricky Stewart. First, Ciara completed recording sessions with producers Tricky Stewart, Danja, Jasper Cameron, and The-Dream. The Crunktown and Kingdom of Dance cuts are being helmed (executively produced) by Danja, while the Groove City offerings are overseen by Stewart and Jasper Cameron. Spike Stent has also mixed some tracks which Ciara recorded at Chalice Studios.
Near the album's deadline in 2008, Ciara scheduled recording sessions with Bloodshy & Avant, Scott Storch and Jim Jonsin. In an interview from a concert, Ciara stated that she did two collaborations with Justin Timberlake which will appear on the album. At the beginning of March Ciara stated on her official website that the album was due to be mastered this month ready for its release, later on March 19 it was confirmed that the album was in its final 'tweaking' stages and still on track for its release date of May 5, 2009. Ciara announced in a SayNow fan message that the finishing touches on the album would be "mixed and mastered" before or by her album's turn in date of March 23.
It is known that the album will feature collaborations with Young Jeezy, Chris Brown, Akon, Lil Wayne, The-Dream, Ludacris and Justin Timberlake.
Ciara stated back in 2008 that she wanted her third album "to take fans on a musical journey". It was recorded over several different recording sessions and features three themes.
The Groove City recordings are intended to remind fans of the Evolution era. The first single "Never Ever" (featuring Young Jeezy) falls into this bracket and the other songs recorded under this theme are expected to sound much like her one of her previous singles "Promise". Crunktown is the second theme, remincent of single "Goodies" and is the trademark genre that Ciara is associated with. The ditched lead single "High Price" (featuring Ludacris) was an example of what Ciara had created under the crunk theme. Finally she recorded tracks that have been described as up-tempo pop-tinged, house, and freestyle cuts under the theme Kingdom of Dance which can be seen in the album's second single "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake).
Billboard initially suggested that the album would take the three theme idea a step further by releasing the album accross three discs each featuring stylistically similar songs. However many music retailers such as Amazon, Target and HMV have listed a single-disc standard edition and 2-disc deluxe edition (with DVD) of the album although an official track listing has yet to appear. Nonetheless, the RapBasement.com report of the tracklisting maintains the three-disc format. No official official tracklisting has yet been confirmed by Ciara or her record label.
Fantasy Ride also introduces Ciara's comic book character, "Super C". Ciara said that Super C is a character she becomes when she performs onstage and in her music videos. The Super C character is set to become a major factor in Fantasy Ride promotion. She is a futuristic superhero-esque Ciara, based on the robotic character Ciara portrayed in the "Go Girl" music video.
DC Comics artist Bernard Chang helped Ciara create the character for the album artwork. Ciara said she worked on the artwork about nine months to a year.
Ciara: The Evolution 2006
Ciara: The Evolution Cover
Ciara: The Evolution is the second studio album by American singer Ciara, released on December 5, 2006 (see 2006 in music) in North America on LaFace and Jive Records. It was released in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2007 (2007 in music).
Ciara went on a 17 city club tour, which started October 26, 2006 in Washington, D.C. until December 10, 2006 in New York City. She performed Evolution hits "Get Up", "Promise" and "Like a Boy", her earlier singles, and new material from Ciara: The Evolution. BET also aired an Access Granted of Ciara's The Evolution Tour.
Unlike Ciara's debut album Goodies, Ciara: The Evolution contains more stylized images. She expresses her "evolution of fashion" strongly through the photography. Markus Klinko and Indrani completed the album's artwork. Andy Kellman of Allmusic published "even the album's sleek cover, somewhere between Robocop and Pointer Sisters' Break Out, has a devolved look."
Ciara: The Evolution was released as the standard album with special limited edition DVD. The bonus DVD features Ciara and dancers teaching the choreography for "Get Up" and "Promise", the music videos for the songs, and behind-the-scenes of "Promise." The Japanese DVD edition is manufactured with an alternate album cover. The European limited edition DVD contains the video for "Like a Boy". A two pack of the album and a BET Official Package DVD was released the same day. It contains Ciara's BET Highlights such as, How I'm Living, 106 & Park interviews, and the 2005 Music Special: Sincerely Ciara, the videos for "Get Up", "Promise", and her debut album Goodies videos excluding "And I" and live performances.
There are four bonus tracks available on different editions. "Love You Better" appears on the U.S. and Japanese iTunes and Japanese pressing. "Addicted" and "Promise" [Go and Get Your Tickets Mix], which features R. Kelly, are on the European edition. "Do It", which features Will.i.am, is a European iTunes bonus track.
The album's opening track "That's Right" was produced by and features Lil Jon It is described as an "electrifying album opener". Ciara sings with a "sexy mellow voice with Jon's in your face type rapping." It received positive reviews from music critics. The song was scheduled as the fourth single, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons. A music video was released for the song in late December 2007. The second single "Like a Boy" was well-received by critics. It is a female empowerment song, which discusses double standards in society and love relationships. "The Evolution of Music", the third track, is an interlude which Ciara narrates how she wanted to record music for the album that is different from others on the radio. The interludes serve as monologues and a "welcome message to be yourself and be confident." Music critics published that the interludes are the album's low point.
The lead single and fourth track "Promise" was critical-acclaimed. The song described as "Prince-ly ballad" and "sci-fi R&B" became Ciara's first single without a featured act to peak in the U.S. Billboard top twenty. "I Proceed" is the fifth track on the album. Many critics compared the song to Janet Jackson in the 1980s and called it a Missy Elliott-style throwback" jam. The third and final single "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" received mixed reviews from critics. A negative review called the song "very bad pop-lite." A positive review published that the song is "simply another Darkchild classic". The J.J. Fad–ness C.R.U.S.H. is the seventh track. It details about a young woman having a high school crush on a guy and she yearns to be his girlfriend. The eighth track, "My Love" was co-produced by Ciara. The song is interpreted to be directed towards Ciara's former boyfriend Bow Wow. It received favorable reviews from critics.
"The Evolution of Dance" is the second interlude and the ninth track on the album. Ciara tells how she became a professional dancer. The tenth track, "Make It Last Forever" is a "real cool dance/party cut", which samples Rob Base's "It Takes Two." The crunk–pop "Bang It Up", the eleventh track, received favorable reviews from critics. The song is mixture of "half-spoken vocal style" and "sweetly, flirtatiously rapping." The album's prequel single and twelvfth track "Get Up" was released as the lead single from the film soundtrack Step Up. The single received mixed reviews from critics and fans, being called a "dead ringer for "1, 2 Step."
"The Evolution of Fashion" is the third interlude and thirteenth track on the album. Ciara gives influential advice about changing a unique fashion style and other will follow the trend. The fourteenth track "Get In, Fit In" is 1980s electronica track. The song follows with the same message as "The Evolution of Fashion" Interlude.
This song received mixed reactions. "The Evolution of C" is the fourth and final interlude on the album. Ciara details about her life change within the past two years. The album closes with three ballads, beginning with the sixteenth track "So Hard". The song received mixed reviews from critics. It has been called a "slog", but it "surpass the aching and breaking moments on the debut." The second-closing ballad and seventeenth track "I'm Just Me" had mixed reception. The final track "I Found Myself" is a "quite beautiful and moving epic suite."
Ciara: The Evolution received generally positive reviews from critics. Some critics focused on Ciara's vocal abilities on some album songs. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone said that "Ciara's still prone to diva blandness and silly little pop songs...but this time she's more interesting by half." For Allmusic, Andy Kellman wrote that "there are plenty of tracks geared toward letting loose and dancing, and most of them do deliver, even if they don't seem quite as fresh as Ciara's past hits", and Entertainment Weekly called the dance songs "rugged and terrific, but eventually the tempos slow and the album drags".
Ciara: The Evolution debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with sales of more than 338,000, which is 213,000 more than Ciara's debut album Goodies which debuted at number three. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in the January 27, 2007 issue of Billboard for shipping 1,000,000 units to retail outlets within only five weeks of its release. The album remained in the top twenty for eight weeks before dropping out and top fifty for sixteen weeks. As of February 2009, the album has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In Canada, the album debuted at thirty-two on the Canadian albums chart and five on the R&B albums chart. In Australia, Ciara: The Evolution debuted below the ARIA Top 50 at seventy-six. In the UK, the album debuted and peaked in the top twenty at #17, also the album debuted at #25 peaked at #21 in New Zealand. As of July 2008, The album has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
The album produced the U.S. top ten single "Get Up", which features rapper Chamillionaire and also appears on the Step Up soundtrack, the top twenty singles "Promise" (which is Ciara’s first single to enter the top twenty without a featured act) and "Like a Boy". "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" which features rapper 50 Cent, was the fourth and last single from the album.
Although the album received generally mixed reviews from critics, it was still able to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 338,000 copies in its first week. Overall the album has been just moderately successful in comparison to her debut album as it was only certified platinum by the RIAA in after five weeks of its release. The album is composed of Miami bass, Atlanta crunk, ballads, dance tracks, and old school songs with "big fat pop hooks".
According to Ciara, the title is "about so much more than just my personal growth -- it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion" . The source of the album's creativity such as the sound and edge comes from Ciara in general . Although, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna were influences on the album .
During a MTV News interview at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, Ciara wanted Ciara: The Evolution to be "Goodies to the 10th power", but she did not want to "stray too far from Goodies" and "rehash the same ideas" . Ciara decided to collaborate with up-and-coming producers, such as The Clutch, Calvo Da Gr8, Brian Kennedy, and Antwoine Collins who have not been any artist’s album, so she could be "all about that new person and that new energy" .
All-star producers also included production on Ciara: The Evolution. Polow da Don produced the first single "Promise" and "Bang It Up". In early June 2006, Ciara headed to the recording studio with Sean Garrett (who co-wrote Ciara's debut single "Goodies" and The Evolution track "Bang It Up"). She continued to say that she and Sean fight in the studio, but "it makes a good record". The Neptunes produced "I Proceed" and "I'm Just Me".
Bryan Michael Cox produced the emotional R&B ballad "So Hard" and Mr. Collipark produced the bonus track "Love You Better". Will.i.am's production included "Get In, Fit In" and "Do It", which samples Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and is a European iTunes bonus track. Also Ciara thought the album needed "some kind of flavor", so she brought in 50 Cent for the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" which was originally called "Dope Boys".
Jerkins also produced "Make It Last Forever", which samples Lyn Collins's "Think (About It)" and Rob Base's "It Takes Two." Dallas Austin helped with the inspirational pop ballad "I Found Myself". Ciara returned to the studio with her debut album collaborators Lil Jon ("That's Right", which samples Pretty Tony's "Fix It in the Mix" and "Jam the Box"and "C.R.U.S.H." samples "122 BPM" written by Larry Linn.) and Jazze Pha. Pha contributed the album prequel single "Get Up". She also wrote/co-wrote most of the songs and co-produced "Like a Boy" and "My Love". Album production wrapped between late-August and mid-September.
Ciara: The Evolution Japan limited edition DVD album cover
Ciara: The Evolution is the second studio album by American singer Ciara, released on December 5, 2006 (see 2006 in music) in North America on LaFace and Jive Records. It was released in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2007 (2007 in music).
Ciara went on a 17 city club tour, which started October 26, 2006 in Washington, D.C. until December 10, 2006 in New York City. She performed Evolution hits "Get Up", "Promise" and "Like a Boy", her earlier singles, and new material from Ciara: The Evolution. BET also aired an Access Granted of Ciara's The Evolution Tour.
Unlike Ciara's debut album Goodies, Ciara: The Evolution contains more stylized images. She expresses her "evolution of fashion" strongly through the photography. Markus Klinko and Indrani completed the album's artwork. Andy Kellman of Allmusic published "even the album's sleek cover, somewhere between Robocop and Pointer Sisters' Break Out, has a devolved look."
Ciara: The Evolution was released as the standard album with special limited edition DVD. The bonus DVD features Ciara and dancers teaching the choreography for "Get Up" and "Promise", the music videos for the songs, and behind-the-scenes of "Promise." The Japanese DVD edition is manufactured with an alternate album cover. The European limited edition DVD contains the video for "Like a Boy". A two pack of the album and a BET Official Package DVD was released the same day. It contains Ciara's BET Highlights such as, How I'm Living, 106 & Park interviews, and the 2005 Music Special: Sincerely Ciara, the videos for "Get Up", "Promise", and her debut album Goodies videos excluding "And I" and live performances.
There are four bonus tracks available on different editions. "Love You Better" appears on the U.S. and Japanese iTunes and Japanese pressing. "Addicted" and "Promise" [Go and Get Your Tickets Mix], which features R. Kelly, are on the European edition. "Do It", which features Will.i.am, is a European iTunes bonus track.
The album's opening track "That's Right" was produced by and features Lil Jon It is described as an "electrifying album opener". Ciara sings with a "sexy mellow voice with Jon's in your face type rapping." It received positive reviews from music critics. The song was scheduled as the fourth single, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons. A music video was released for the song in late December 2007. The second single "Like a Boy" was well-received by critics. It is a female empowerment song, which discusses double standards in society and love relationships. "The Evolution of Music", the third track, is an interlude which Ciara narrates how she wanted to record music for the album that is different from others on the radio. The interludes serve as monologues and a "welcome message to be yourself and be confident." Music critics published that the interludes are the album's low point.
The lead single and fourth track "Promise" was critical-acclaimed. The song described as "Prince-ly ballad" and "sci-fi R&B" became Ciara's first single without a featured act to peak in the U.S. Billboard top twenty. "I Proceed" is the fifth track on the album. Many critics compared the song to Janet Jackson in the 1980s and called it a Missy Elliott-style throwback" jam. The third and final single "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" received mixed reviews from critics. A negative review called the song "very bad pop-lite." A positive review published that the song is "simply another Darkchild classic". The J.J. Fad–ness C.R.U.S.H. is the seventh track. It details about a young woman having a high school crush on a guy and she yearns to be his girlfriend. The eighth track, "My Love" was co-produced by Ciara. The song is interpreted to be directed towards Ciara's former boyfriend Bow Wow. It received favorable reviews from critics.
"The Evolution of Dance" is the second interlude and the ninth track on the album. Ciara tells how she became a professional dancer. The tenth track, "Make It Last Forever" is a "real cool dance/party cut", which samples Rob Base's "It Takes Two." The crunk–pop "Bang It Up", the eleventh track, received favorable reviews from critics. The song is mixture of "half-spoken vocal style" and "sweetly, flirtatiously rapping." The album's prequel single and twelvfth track "Get Up" was released as the lead single from the film soundtrack Step Up. The single received mixed reviews from critics and fans, being called a "dead ringer for "1, 2 Step."
"The Evolution of Fashion" is the third interlude and thirteenth track on the album. Ciara gives influential advice about changing a unique fashion style and other will follow the trend. The fourteenth track "Get In, Fit In" is 1980s electronica track. The song follows with the same message as "The Evolution of Fashion" Interlude.
This song received mixed reactions. "The Evolution of C" is the fourth and final interlude on the album. Ciara details about her life change within the past two years. The album closes with three ballads, beginning with the sixteenth track "So Hard". The song received mixed reviews from critics. It has been called a "slog", but it "surpass the aching and breaking moments on the debut." The second-closing ballad and seventeenth track "I'm Just Me" had mixed reception. The final track "I Found Myself" is a "quite beautiful and moving epic suite."
Ciara: The Evolution received generally positive reviews from critics. Some critics focused on Ciara's vocal abilities on some album songs. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone said that "Ciara's still prone to diva blandness and silly little pop songs...but this time she's more interesting by half." For Allmusic, Andy Kellman wrote that "there are plenty of tracks geared toward letting loose and dancing, and most of them do deliver, even if they don't seem quite as fresh as Ciara's past hits", and Entertainment Weekly called the dance songs "rugged and terrific, but eventually the tempos slow and the album drags".
Ciara: The Evolution debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with sales of more than 338,000, which is 213,000 more than Ciara's debut album Goodies which debuted at number three. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in the January 27, 2007 issue of Billboard for shipping 1,000,000 units to retail outlets within only five weeks of its release. The album remained in the top twenty for eight weeks before dropping out and top fifty for sixteen weeks. As of February 2009, the album has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In Canada, the album debuted at thirty-two on the Canadian albums chart and five on the R&B albums chart. In Australia, Ciara: The Evolution debuted below the ARIA Top 50 at seventy-six. In the UK, the album debuted and peaked in the top twenty at #17, also the album debuted at #25 peaked at #21 in New Zealand. As of July 2008, The album has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
The album produced the U.S. top ten single "Get Up", which features rapper Chamillionaire and also appears on the Step Up soundtrack, the top twenty singles "Promise" (which is Ciara’s first single to enter the top twenty without a featured act) and "Like a Boy". "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" which features rapper 50 Cent, was the fourth and last single from the album.
Although the album received generally mixed reviews from critics, it was still able to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 338,000 copies in its first week. Overall the album has been just moderately successful in comparison to her debut album as it was only certified platinum by the RIAA in after five weeks of its release. The album is composed of Miami bass, Atlanta crunk, ballads, dance tracks, and old school songs with "big fat pop hooks".
According to Ciara, the title is "about so much more than just my personal growth -- it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion" . The source of the album's creativity such as the sound and edge comes from Ciara in general . Although, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna were influences on the album .
During a MTV News interview at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, Ciara wanted Ciara: The Evolution to be "Goodies to the 10th power", but she did not want to "stray too far from Goodies" and "rehash the same ideas" . Ciara decided to collaborate with up-and-coming producers, such as The Clutch, Calvo Da Gr8, Brian Kennedy, and Antwoine Collins who have not been any artist’s album, so she could be "all about that new person and that new energy" .
All-star producers also included production on Ciara: The Evolution. Polow da Don produced the first single "Promise" and "Bang It Up". In early June 2006, Ciara headed to the recording studio with Sean Garrett (who co-wrote Ciara's debut single "Goodies" and The Evolution track "Bang It Up"). She continued to say that she and Sean fight in the studio, but "it makes a good record". The Neptunes produced "I Proceed" and "I'm Just Me".
Bryan Michael Cox produced the emotional R&B ballad "So Hard" and Mr. Collipark produced the bonus track "Love You Better". Will.i.am's production included "Get In, Fit In" and "Do It", which samples Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and is a European iTunes bonus track. Also Ciara thought the album needed "some kind of flavor", so she brought in 50 Cent for the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" which was originally called "Dope Boys".
Jerkins also produced "Make It Last Forever", which samples Lyn Collins's "Think (About It)" and Rob Base's "It Takes Two." Dallas Austin helped with the inspirational pop ballad "I Found Myself". Ciara returned to the studio with her debut album collaborators Lil Jon ("That's Right", which samples Pretty Tony's "Fix It in the Mix" and "Jam the Box"and "C.R.U.S.H." samples "122 BPM" written by Larry Linn.) and Jazze Pha. Pha contributed the album prequel single "Get Up". She also wrote/co-wrote most of the songs and co-produced "Like a Boy" and "My Love". Album production wrapped between late-August and mid-September.
Ciara: The Evolution Japan limited edition DVD album cover
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
