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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The pros outweigh the cons on Fantasy Ride, but the overall experience might fall a little short for seasoned fans.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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It's not just that 'Love Sex Magic' is the highlight, it's Fantasy Ride's only saving grace.
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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.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 38 out of 73
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Mixed: 10 out of 73
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Negative: 25 out of 73
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Dec 10, 2012
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Jun 25, 2021
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May 13, 2015