Ciara: The Evolution
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Ciara: The Evolution
Studio album by Ciara
Released	December 5, 2006 (2006-12-05) (See release history)
Recorded	2005—2006
Genre	R&B, pop, dance-pop, electro
Length	59:26
Label	LaFace/Jive
Producer	Ciara Harris (executive), Antwoine Collins, Brian Kennedy, Bryan Michael Cox, Calvo Da Gr8, Dallas Austin, Jazze Pha, Kendrick Dean, Lil Jon, Mr. Collipark, The Neptunes, Polow da Don, Rodney Jerkins, The Clutch, will.i.am
Professional reviews
About.com link Allmusic link Billboard link Entertainment Weekly (B+) link Newsday (B) link PopMatters link Rolling Stone link USA Today link
Ciara chronology
Goodies (2004) Ciara: The Evolution (2006) Fantasy Ride (2008)
Alternate cover
Japan limited edition DVD album cover
Singles from Ciara: The Evolution
"Get Up" Released: July 2006 "Promise" Released: October 16, 2006 "Like a Boy" Released: February 13, 2007 "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" Released: June 12, 2007

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). Although the album received generally mixed reviews from critics, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 338,000 copies in its first week. It was also certified Platinum by the RIAA in only 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".^[1]

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.

Title and production

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."^[2] The source of the album's creativity such as the sound and edge comes from Ciara in general.^[3] Although, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna were influences on the album.^[4]

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".^[5] 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".^[6] 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".^[5] 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".^[7] 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".^[8] 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 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.

Album packaging and editions

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."^[9]

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.

Songs

CD's cover

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.^[10] 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."^[11] 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.^[12] "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.^[13][14] 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."^[15] A positive review published that the song is "simply another Darkchild classic".^[16] The J.J. Fad–ness C.R.U.S.H. is the seventh track.^[17] 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.^[18] It received favorable reviews from critcs.

"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."^[19] 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."^[19]

"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.^[19] 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."^[1][9] 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."^[1]

Reception

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."^[20] 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",^[9] and Entertainment Weekly called the dance songs "rugged and terrific, but eventually the tempos slow and the album drags".^[21]

Chart performance

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 that 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. The album remained in the top twenty for eight weeks before dropping out and top fifty for sixteen weeks. As of July 2007, the album has sold 1,200,566 copies in the US.^[22] 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 2.2 million copies worldwide.^[23]

Track listing

• Disc 1

¹ Contains samples from "Fix It in the Mix" written by Tony Butler, as performed by Pretty Tony and "Jam the Box" written by Tony Butler and Sherman Nealy, as performed by Pretty Tony.
² Contains a portion of the composition "122 BPM," written by Larry Linn
³ Contains a sample from "Think (About It)," written by James Brown, as performed by Lyn Collins and contains a portion of the composition "It Takes Two," written by James Brown and Robert Ginyard.
⁴ Contains samples from "You Really Got Me," written by Raymond Davies, as performed by The Kinks and "Push It," written by Herby Azor and Raymond Davies, as performed by Salt-N-Pepa.

• Disc 2

Singles by region

Charts

Release history

Production credits

References