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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Fantasy Ride
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 14 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: La Face
Release Date: 05 May 2009
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): R&B, Soul, Pop
Summary
The third album for the Atlanta, Georgia singer features guest appearances by Missy Elliot, Justin Timberlake, The-Dream, Ludacris, Chris Brown, and Young Jeezy.
Also By This Artist: The Evolution
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
Her solo turn on the morning-after ballad 'I Don't Remember' hints at something deeper under the high-gloss sheen
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
While Fantasy Ride doesn't include as many obvious peaks as Ciara's previous discs, the only major disaster is 'Like a Surgeon,' which is filled with creepy, ill-conceived metaphors for sex and should not to be confused with Weird Al's "Like a Virgin" parody. And that makes Fantasy Ride Ciara's smoothest ride to date.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
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.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times
Originally intended as a triptych divided into one hip-hop-flavored disc, another featuring futuristic club cuts and yet another of seductive ballads, this final version is intriguing but inconsistent.
Read Full Review >Vibe
Ciara is most comfortable in the nook of choreography-driven tracks....What Fantasy Ride lacks are the career-defining highs of songs like 'Promise' and 'Like a Boy,' songs that were romantic and indelible and altogether original.
Read Full Review >Billboard
On 'High Price,' where she takes her vocals to an opera-like pitch, and her collaboration with the-Dream, 'Lover's Things,' whose faint tenor would seem like an ideal match, Ciara seems to go almost unnoticed. Thankfully, 'Work,' featuring Missy Elliott, has Ciara showing fly-girl antics over a house-like, clap-laden production, and the breakup song 'Never Ever,' featuring Young Jeezy, which samples 'If You Don't Know Me by Now,' pick up the slack.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
If she’s sweating, though, it’s not audible. As per usual Ciara, a singer who prizes rhythm over texture and technical fluency, can’t do much to outmaneuver the beats, which are consistently inventive here.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
The pros outweigh the cons on Fantasy Ride, but the overall experience might fall a little short for seasoned fans.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Fantasy Ride is at worst a highly competent contemporary R&B album. It’s also oftentimes thrilling, which is no small feat considering how much the album was labored over and how often its format and players were changed.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
It's not just that 'Love Sex Magic' is the highlight, it's Fantasy Ride's only saving grace.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
On her third release, the queen of the club wastes way too much time trying to convince the listener that she's some kind of chanteuse....When she puts the emphasis back on the groove, which is about half the album, however, Ciara soars.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Ciara sounds a bit incidental on her third disc's dance jams. She fares even worse whenever the tempo drops, thanks to meek vocals and a stale sensibility.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
A few brilliant left turns that feel almost accidental mixed in with a sort of end-times hunger for a top-40 audience that doesn't seem to exist anymore.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Derek B gave it a9:
Work and Like A Surgeon are among the best songs of the year.
remi b gave it a9:
Not her best, bust still works. watch out for plucker up and like a surgeon.
Keenan C gave it a10:
Though it does have the usual collaborators and featured guest Fantasy Ride has a plethora of different tracks ranging from hip-hop (High Price) to RnB (Whats your name). All the songs on the album have potential to be singles, and all of them being strong vocally with the strong hot beat. I think Fantasy Ride is the best album out in 2009!
Luke M gave it an8:
If this album had shown up in stores without every song having leaked first, peoples' reactions would be much more positive. Reviewing it based solely on song quality, the production is inventive and modern, and the album is highly listenable from front to back (unlike Goodies and The Evolution, which both trailed off into treacly ballads). Ciara sounds good and shows off a harder edge to her personality, but balances this with more emotional tracks like "Lover's Thing" and "Never Ever", ensuring she doesn't dehumanize herself. (Ok, "Never Ever" isn't very good, but it's the biggest misstep here). The deluxe edition is also even better - Echo and I'm On should have made the standard edition.
Clif C gave it a3:
"Goodies" and "1, 2 Step" period is really far far far from her now. And we can feel it so deeply: The electronic sounds are (almost everytime) naive and badly used. No personnality. No standout track ("Never Ever" and "Work" being very good songs though, almost standout tracks). Recyclage ("High Price" being a "Oh!, Part 2" for example). The artists featuring on this album were predictable. Not only the artists, but the album in itself is predictable.
