Goodies - Ciara > Reviews > IT'S GOODY!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	will get you up dancing, catchy stuff
Disadvantages:	she should ditch the ballads

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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!

PLAY - £8.99
AMAZON - £9.99
CD WOW - £8.75