

The song is tremendous, one of the sexiest, slow-tempo, non-breakup songs of the past ten years. Take 'The Evolution of Music,' where she states, 'I feel like music is so different than what it used to be, and because of that, I was inspired to do something different this time around.' And then in comes 'Promise,' yet another song referencing Kraftwerk and Zapp, and it also takes cues from prime Janet Jackson and Aaliyah - so, no, it's not different at all. Ciara's second album, The Evolution is held together by a handful of immaterial monologues that would be best left to an interview disc. Tammy La Gorce, Įvolution is a slow process, so it shouldn't be startling that The Evolution is not a quantum leap forward from Goodies. The striking part, and the part she should take into account the next time she's considering a disc with interludes, is that she didn't even need to tell us so. And the buzz and fuzz of 'I Proceed' plump her breathy vocals enough to put a point across, that being that few modern songstresses work a beat better. 'Get In, Fit In' finds her putting the sizzle in a space-age soundscape. Helpers and inspirers aside, though, this is Ciara's party, and she knows how to please a guest.

The Evolution is a door-buster of a CD-Lil Jon gets the speakers jumping in milliseconds on opener 'That's Right,' Ciara dabbles in Curtis Mayfield-style creative phrasing on 'Promise' (and it works), and Chamillionaire pumps 'Get Up,' a play-it-loud club number, full of hip-hop heat. But her momentary digressions will probably make up more than a few minds that Janet Jackson, and only Janet Jackson, ought to be allowed to ramble before the mic: when the music is this hot, it doesn't matter how sincere or saucy the dialogue-it's a distraction. Should the music always speak for itself? Or is the occasional verbal breakdown useful? Ciara, R&B's most tantalizing goodie (without the two shoes), makes clear on The Evolution that she prizes the chance to tell listeners how it is-four between-song snippets dot the disc. The jury's still out on discs with spoken-word interludes.
