Ciara - Fantasy Ride

For a while there, Ciara probably wondered if Fantasy Ride would ever shake off the slew of leaks, controversies, and creative changes that plagued the album’s production for over a year. Even with a few bumps and scrapes, the album is a surprisingly solid production that features a mix of silky slow jams, fast-paced club tunes, and rhythmic ballads.

While Fantasy Ride starts off with some fairly mediocre music (except for the sexy, fun single ‘Love Sex Magic’) the album takes a sudden leap in quality starting with the song ‘Never Ever’ that lasts all the way to the end. Showing a broad range of styles, from 90’s soul to more introspective fare like ‘I Don’t Remember’ Ciara puts forth some strong, sassy tracks that are sure to be future hits for the multi-platinum star.

Fantasy Ride might not be Ciara’s best album, but it marks a nice return for the singer after a long three-year absence.

- Kristine Atterbury