Just three months ago, no one in the UK had heard of Ciara - that is, until her song "Goodies" hit the airwaves. If you are reading this and haven't heard of her, this may still not mean anything to you - but, more than likely, if you heard the song (which bet one of Elvis's many releases to ... Read review
Advantages: will get you up dancing, catchy stuff Disadvantages: she should ditch the ballads
...
1. Goodies featuring Petey Pablo
2. 1, 2 Step featuring Missy Elliot
3. Thug Style
4. Hotline
5. Oh featuring Ludacris
6. Pick up the phone
7. Lookin at you
8. Ooh Baby
9. Next to you
10. And I
11. Other Chicks
12. The Title
13. Goodies featuring TI and Jazzie Pha
"Goodies" opens the proceedings and it is instantly infectious, ... ...decidedly understated on this tune but the lyrics are clever and tightly wrapped around the beats. It truly lives up to the "crunk 'n'b" label - I have spent many a crazy and drunk time getting my groove on along with it in a pub or club just in the last couple of months! "1,2 Step", her forthcoming single, follows along in a similar vein - a catchy hook, clever style of singing - but is possibly even more infectious. It has been ... more
Just three months ago, no one in the UK had heard of Ciara - that is, until her song "Goodies" hit the airwaves. If you are reading this and haven't heard of her, this may still not mean anything to you - but, more than likely, if you heard the song (which bet one of Elvis's many releases to the top spot a few months ago) you would recognise it. It is one of the best r & b tunes to be released in years, seeming to follow no formula whatsoever. But, in fact, it is following a NEW formula - "crunk 'n' B"!
This nineteen year old American is apparently one of the first to release a song of this new genre - the most well known song of this type before is Usher's "Yeah". "Crunk" itself is a word which was essentially invented by rapper and producer Lil' Jon and is a mixture of crazy and drunk - I guess this is the ideal way to feel on a night out in a club. So it seems that crunk 'n' b is the way to express this feeling through music.
The songs on Ciara's debut album, also called "Goodies", fall into three distinct camps - crunk 'n'b (or with a similar vibe to crunk 'n' b), more laid back r & b, and ballad territory. The tracks which could be put in the first two categories are definitely superior to the latter category.
1. Goodies featuring Petey Pablo 2. 1, 2 Step featuring Missy Elliot 3. Thug Style 4. Hotline 5. Oh featuring Ludacris 6. Pick up the phone 7. Lookin at you 8. Ooh Baby 9. Next to you 10. And I 11. Other Chicks 12. The Title 13. Goodies featuring TI and Jazzie Pha
"Goodies" opens the proceedings and it is instantly infectious, built around a high pitched whining hook. Ciara's vocals are decidedly understated on this tune but the lyrics are clever and tightly wrapped around the beats. It truly lives up to the "crunk 'n'b" label - I have spent many a crazy and drunk time getting my groove on along with it in a pub or club just in the last couple of months! "1,2 Step", her forthcoming single, follows along in a similar vein - a catchy hook, clever style of singing - but is possibly even more infectious. It has been co-written by Missy Elliot and she features on the track along with Ciara. I think it will definitely be another huge hit!
"Hotline" is possibly the best tuneon the album - fast paced, with a hypnotic backing track. It is a seemingly simple tune but boasts a fantastically catchy chorus. The final most upbeat tune on the album is "Lookin' At You" with also features an infectious chorus and an unusual snake-charmer style hook. All four of these tunes are fantastic, will get stuck in your head, and would force you onto your feet if played in a club. It's funny to think that none of them really have a proper tune as such behind them - it is all clever hooks and electronic noises, but very slickly produced all the same.
The more laid back r & b on the album is really only laid back in comparison to the previous tracks - basically it's the same type of style only slowed down while still managing to retain the catchy quality of the other tunes. "Thug Style" is sexy and sultry and sounds like the kind of song Beyonce Knowles SHOULD have featured on her album - Ciara even sounds like Beyonce on this track. "Oh" features rapper Ludacris and a menacing beat - Ciara sings "round here we ride 'em slow" and this claim is backed up by fairly slow music combined with comparatively fast paced singing. This is a track you could imagine the late Aaliyah singing and, as far as I can see, it's the only song that actually uses the word "crunk" in the lyrics.
"Pick Up The Phone" sounds fairly exotic but in fact is a tale of paranoia. Ciara wonders why a certain someone won't answer her calls - "I know you see me on your caller ID, so pick up the P-H-O-N-E" - and phone noises are cleverly encompassed within the track. Strangely, it actually sounds a little like George Michael's "Faith" at times, but maybe that's just me! "Oooh Baby" is the final tune of this particular category - it has a slight reggae vibe to it in the verses but still manages to sound sexy - nice for a hot summer's night in, if you get my drift!
However, the final category, the ballads, totally let the side down on this album. They weaken the strong beats and music of the other tracks and fail to impress with their overall blandness. The best of the bunch is "Next To You" a track written by R Kelly which he really should have kept to himself. I feel that the song he wrote for Britney "Outrageous" would have fitted in better on this album. "And I" sounds like an Alicia Keys tune - I'm not a fan of hers. "Other Chicks" initally sounds like it will fit into the laid-back r & b category - for about the first ten seconds then it descends into balladry hell once more. And "The Title" simply sounds old fashioned and soppy sounding. It's unfortunate that these four tunes have to be on the album at all. If she'd kept the R Kelly tune as the requsite ballad and then provided a few more dancey tunes, the album may have been worthy of the full five stars. But the inclusion of so many bland ballads ALL IN A ROW, was a bad decision. Luckily, there is a second version of "Goodies", this time featuring TI and Jazzie Pha instead of the Petey Pablo rap on the original, which ends things on a high note and distracts from the dreadful slow tunes.
Although the infectiousness of the tracks in general may distract from Ciara's own musical talent, she clearly has a very good voice. At her best, she sounds like Beyonce - at her worst, Jennifer Lopez. As well as having a great voice (and, if you've seen any of her videos or live performances, a fantastic dancer), she has co-wrote nearly all of these tracks, also an impressive feat given the number of pop puppets in the business.
There's definitely a string of potential hits on this album - only the ballads are fillers. So if you liked "Goodies", love your r & b and, like me, will start dancing in the middle of a pub when a tune you like comes on - EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE IS DANCING!!! - then this is the album for you!
Advantages: Some hits Disadvantages: Not consistant
"Goodies" is the debut album by the Atlanta R&B sensation Ciara, who shot to fame with her single "Goodies" in 2004, and since there she has managed to pave the way for other R&B musicians from the Dirty South who have attempted to use the distinct Hip Hop sound from this region of the US and put it together with R&B, which doesn't tend to have regional differences. Since then Cherish, Akon and T-Pain have used what she started (with the aid of Jazzy Pha's production) to make up the new style of Crunk & B.
The album managed to top the US Billboard charts, and didn't do as well here as it only made the top 30. The three main singles "Goodies", "1,2 Step" and "Oh", all made the top 5 the America too, showing that it was well-received over there, and if you tend to follow their trends more than in the UK, then you will probably enjoy ...
XICripZ 20.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Goodies - Ciara
Advantages: different style of music Disadvantages: not a very strong voice
Ciara is the latsest sensation from america, she stormed the charts over there and she's looking to storm the charts here in the u.k. But is she good enough? Her first single "goodies" was number 1 when it was released over here! this track is also on her debut album! Her album also called goodies has a mixed style of R'n'B and the latest music senstaion Krunk music. which is basically r'n'b music that has a stronger beat and is basically what u can easily get up and dance to. "goodies" is an example of krunk music! Ciaras album features duets from starts such as - R Kelly, Petey Pablo, Missy Elliot and loads of other big R'n'B stars! although her songs are good., her voice isn't strong enough fto compliment the strong beat of her songs! One of the best songs on the album would have to be "1,2, step" which features Missy Elliot ...
leelee132 03.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Goodies - Ciara
Advantages: A new sound Disadvantages: There is still room for growth in her voice
Ciara is the newest crunk sensation. She is the fist female to bring the genre of crunk into the lime light. Usher was the fist male with his hit 1 single 'yeah'. Then Ciara then followed suit with the addictive track 'Goodies' feat the Hip Hop heavy weight Petey Pablo. Which went straight into #1 on both the US billboard charts and the UK charts.
The album is jam packed with funky rhythms. Working with the likes of Missy Elliot, R. Kelly, ludacris, Lil Jonn and Jazze Pha to name a few. Not many new artists can add that to their cv. To be honest this is one of those albums that you can listen from beginning to end without skipping a track. One of those albums that you can dance to until your hips break! (Believe)
Tracks to look out for on the album include: Pick Up The Phone, Other Chicks, The Title and if you have invested ...
As a rare female voice in the world of crunk, Ciara is in the unique position to offer a counterpoint to the multitude of hits like Lil Jon's "Get Low" and Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek," which feature men going into clubs and calling out any attractive female. On Ciara's breakout single, "Goodies," the singer coos sultrily--but forcefully--about her independence and how she refuses to be treated like an object, even enlisting the aforementioned Lil Jon and Pablo help out, producing and guest rapping, respectively. It's no wonder "Goodies" was a 2004 summer smash, with its singularly disarming combination of an empowering message backed by an intoxicatingly sexy beat. Ciara's debut record takes its name and direction from the aforementioned hit, backing up her outstanding single with a slew of aggressive, seductive dance-floor hits cut by sweet ballads (a la Beyonce), as the vocalist asserts both her self-dominion and her natural vulnerability. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a friend in Jazze Pha, one of the ablest producers in the game, who seems to have an affinity for Ciara's every sway. Nor does it hurt to boast guest shots from Missy Elliott (on the "Goodies" companion piece "1,2 Step") and Ludacris (on the sinister "Oh"). With GOODIES, Ciara reveals depth beyond her potent first hit.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Goodies - Ciara & Petey Pablo
2.
1 2 Step - Ciara & Missy Elliott
3.
Thug Style
4.
Hotline
5.
Oh - Ciara & Ludacris
6.
Pick Up The Phone
7.
Lookin' At You
8.
Ooh Baby
9.
Next To You - Ciara & R. Kelly
10.
And I
11.
Other Chicks
12.
Title
13.
Goodies (bonus track) - Ciara & TI/Jazze Pha
14.
Crazy (bonus track)
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Listed on Ciao since
16/03/2005
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