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Fantasy Ride - Ciara
  • Band Name: Ciara
  • Record Label: La Face
  • Release Date: May 5, 2009
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. The Guardian
    80
    At her best, her pace is furious, and keeping up is exhilarating.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Her solo turn on the morning-after ballad 'I Don't Remember' hints at something deeper under the high-gloss sheen
  3. Los Angeles Times
    63
    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.
  4. All Music Guide
    60
    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.
  5. Slant Magazine
    60
    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.
  6. NOW Magazine
    60
    The pros outweigh the cons on Fantasy Ride, but the overall experience might fall a little short for seasoned fans.
  7. Billboard
    60
    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.
  8. Vibe
    60
    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.
  9. The New York Times
    60
    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.
  10. PopMatters
    60
    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.
  11. Dot Music
    50
    It's not just that 'Love Sex Magic' is the highlight, it's Fantasy Ride's only saving grace.
  12. Rolling Stone
    50
    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.
  13. Boston Globe
    50
    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.
  14. Pitchfork
    44
    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.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. iamanicon
    5
    Its ashame that Ciara has made these far from amazing albums. If she were to take the singles and the few album tracks that arent filler from each of her albums she would create an amazing r&b record. But alas, we're stuck with ripping discs onto our laptops and making them playlists.… Full Review »
  2. jmagicvamp
    4
    After 2 great albums, Ciara has lost her sense of touch. This album is sloppy and lacking in personality. While Love Sex Magic, Turntables, Never Ever and Keep Dancin' On Me keep us entertained, they are brief moments of real pleasure on this record. Much of the rest is merely filler. Better luck next time.… Full Review »
  3. DerekB
    9
    Work and Like A Surgeon are among the best songs of the year.
See all user reviews »