Review: Ciara, The Evolution

Two years after the release of her debut album Goodies, Ciara unveiled her sophomore effort The Evolution. With a new look and a new sound, the Princess of Crunk&B successfully evolved into a new chapter of her life while still showcasing her sweet vocals and unbelievable dance moves.

In many ways, The Evolution plays like a Janet Jackson album with its usage of interludes and mix of high energy dance tracks and smooth slow jams. As one of the standouts on the album, “Get Up” is a high octane club banger that serves brilliantly as a follow-up to Ciara’s smash hit “1, 2 Step” from her debut album. With its banging arrangement and solid vocals, it is one of the album’s catchiest tracks. Ciara further sticks to her crunk roots with the opening song “That’s Right” but due to the predictable composition and Ciara’s surprisingly uneven vocal delivery it falls short of being amazing. What Ciara makes good on with The Evolution, however, is in her willingness to explore different sounds. She incorporates elements of ‘80s R&B on tracks like “I Proceed” and “Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone” as well as ‘90s hip-hop on “Make It Last Forever” and “Bang It Up.” The latter song is another strong dance offering from Ciara with its thumping rhythm and assimilation of percussions beneath the electronic composition. She similarly experiments with more acoustic sounds on the string-led kiss-off track “Like a Boy.” As one of the most unique songs on the album, “Like a Boy” features stinging criticisms of the male half of the population and comes across as a satisfying anti-player anthem. Conversely, another one of the album’s strongest cuts comes in the form of the airy love song “Promise.” Making full use of Ciara’s purring breathy vocals, “Promise” is a scintillating slow jam that is tailor-made for an intimate night for two (candles sold separately). As with Goodies, many of The Evolution’s most interesting moments come from downtempo tracks. “So Hard” speaks of entering into a new relationship with baggage from the previous one all to a slightly Asiatic composition and “I’m Just Me” makes heavy use of a piano arrangement with lyrics of accepting oneself. The most ambitious song on the album also happens to be one of the most traditional. “I Found Myself” is an acoustic ballad speaking of self-empowerment with Ciara stretching herself vocally on the track. Thankfully, the Princess rose to the challenge.

There are some great things to say about The Evolution. The album is structured brilliantly thanks to the use of interludes, which help to group tracks thematically and sonically. Many of the songs on the record are incredibly infectious and there are moments of lyrical interest thanks to Ciara’s expansion into a more varied range of topics. Unfortunately, much of the album is tragically stuffed with filler. Many of the songs are either too generic or simply tend to blend together due to their similar sounds. Nevertheless, The Evolution deserves a spin even if it’s just for the standout songs (and the gorgeous pictures of Ciara in the accompanying booklet).

Recommended Listening: “Like a Boy,” “Promise,” “Bang It Up,” “Get Up,” “So Hard,” “I’m Just Me,” “I Found Myself.”

Grade: C+