Fantasy Ride [PA]

Performer: Ciara
Artist: Justin Timberlake; Ludacris; Chris Brown; Young Jeezy; The-Dream; Missy Elliott
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Ciara (vocals). Ciara's albums can always be relied upon to include a clutch of first-rate floor fillers. GOODIES boasted the skittering rhythms of "One, Two Step" and the elegantly uncluttered title track while 2006s CIARA: THE EVOLUTION impressed with "Promise" and "Like A Boy," a pair of down-tempo numbers that overshadowed brash would-be centerpieces like the Lil' Jon-produced "That's Right." Though FANTASY RIDE hardly represents a stylistic left turn for Ciara, the album's standout moments, like the Justin Timberlake-produced "Love Sex, and Magic" and Polow da Don's "Never Ever," list towards icy, `80s-derived electro-funk that borrows from the keyboard-saturated sheen of contemporary Atlanta hip-hop and the subtle pop futurism of more indie-oriented dance acts like Justice and MGMT. The final version of Ciara's third album, issued after several months of delay, is quite dissimilar from the one detailed in an August 2008 Billboard cover story. According to the article, Fantasy Ride was to be divided into three sections tentatively titled "Groove City," "Crunk Town," and "Kingdom of Dance." At some point between then and the album's May 2009 release, this concept was mercifully scrapped, quite possibly because the track list underwent some changes. Regardless, it would not be difficult to construct an imaginary three-part Fantasy Ride from the finished product, with each song easy to slot into one of the designations. Had Ciara stuck with the city/town/kingdom concept, "Groove City" would have been the most populous and happening of the three. A couple of these ballads and slow jams are up there with the highlights from Goodies and The Evolution -- no coincidence that both were written and produced by the-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (Rihanna's "Umbrella," Beyonc�'s "Single Ladies"), the Jam and Lewis or Neptunes of their time. On the hypnotically winding "Like a Surgeon" (not a cover of Weird Al's Madonna parody), the-Dream provides some of his best, gimmicky, post-R. Kelly similes and metaphors, delivered by Ciara with all the necessary arrogance: "I appreciate your recovery time, but you need a physical one more time." "Keep Dancin' on Me," its opposite in sentiment, is as resigned and alluring as the-Dream's own "Fancy," swapping dejection for a kind of blissful yearning. Blink and you will miss what was to be "Crunk Town": "High Price" is a decent "Oh" revamp, with booming, low-end, creature-feature synths, and Ludacris all part of the mix, though Ciara's outlandish operatics are a new (and nice) touch. The five uptempo tracks that would have been "Kingdom of Dance" are uneven, exemplified by the hobbling flop that is "Love Sex Magic," an easily forgettable Justin Timberlake collaboration, and "Work," an over-stuffed dancefloor mess that does not benefit from Missy Elliott's hoarse hectoring. Even if Ciara imaginatively develops the "Super C" superhero introduced in the disc's booklet, she and her collaborators will have to work extra hard on the next album to ensure that she does not stall in a creative cul de sac. ~ Andy Kellman

Not yet 20 years old when her debut single, "Goodies," hit number one on Billboard, former military brat Ciara quickly established herself as one of R&B's most promising young stars. Originally a protege of producer Jazze Pha, Ciara has since gone on to work with the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, including R. Kelly, will.i.am, Missy Elliott, Lil Jon, 50 Cent, and Pharrell, among others. Ciara's sophomore album, THE EVOLUTION, debuted at number one on the charts in late 2006, and marked a step away from the bubblegum sexuality she flaunted on her previous album and toward a more mature persona, both aesthetically and personally.

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