| Ciara: The Evolution | |||||
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| Studio album by Ciara | |||||
| Released | December 5 2006 (U.S.) December 20 2006 (IDN) April 6 2007 (Italy) April 9 2007 (U.K.) April 13 2007(Germany) April 16 2007 (France) |
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| Recorded | 2005—2006 | ||||
| Genre | R&B, dance-pop, electro | ||||
| Length | 59:26 | ||||
| Label | LaFace/Jive | ||||
| Producer | Ciara Harris (executive), Antwoine Collins, Brian Kennedy, Bryan Michael Cox, Calvo Da Gr8, Dallas Austin, Jazze Pha, Kendrick Dean, Lil Jon, Mr. Collipark, The Neptunes, Polow Da Don, Rodney Jerkins, The Clutch, will.i.am | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Ciara chronology | |||||
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| Alternate cover | |||||
Japan limited edition DVD album cover
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| Singles from Ciara: The Evolution | |||||
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Ciara: The Evolution is the second studio album by American singer Ciara, released on December 5, 2006 (see 2006 in music) in North America on LaFace and Jive Records. It was released in the UK on April 9 2007 (2007 in music). The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold over 338,000 copies in its first week of release. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album is composed of Miami bass, Atlanta crunk, ballads, dance tracks, and old school songs with "big fat pop hooks".[1] The album produced the U.S. top ten single "Get Up", which features rapper Chamillionaire and also appears on the Step Up soundtrack, the top twenty singles "Promise" (which is Ciara’s first single to enter the top twenty without a featured act) and followed by the singles "Like a Boy", "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" featuring 50 Cent, and "That's Right" featuring Lil Jon.
Contents |
Title and production
According to Ciara, the title is "about so much more than just my personal growth -- it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion."[2] The source of the album's creativity such as the sound and edge comes from Ciara in general.[3] Although, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna were influences on the album.[4] During a MTV News interview at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, Ciara wanted Ciara: The Evolution to be "Goodies to the 10th power", but she did not want to "stray too far from Goodies" and "rehash the same ideas".[5] Ciara decided to collaborate with up-and-coming producers, such as The Clutch, Calvo Da Gr8, Brian Kennedy, and Antwoine Collins who have not been any artist’s album, so she could be "all about that new person and that new energy".[6] All-star producers also included production on Ciara: The Evolution. Polow Da Don produced the first single "Promise" and "Bang It Up". In early June 2006, Ciara headed to the recording studio with Sean Garrett (who co-wrote Ciara's debut single "Goodies" and The Evolution track "Bang It Up"). She continued to say that she and Sean fight in the studio, but "it makes a good record".[5] The Neptunes produced "I Proceed" and "I'm Just Me". Bryan Michael Cox produced the emotional R&B ballad "So Hard" and Mr. Collipark produced the bonus track "Love You Better". Will.i.am's production included "Get In, Fit In" and "Do It", which samples Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and is an European iTunes bonus track. Also Ciara thought the album needed "some kind of flavor", so she brought in 50 Cent for the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" which was originally called "Dope Boys".[7] Jerkins also produced "Make It Last Forever", which samples Lyn Collins's "Think (About It)" and Rob Base's "It Takes Two." Dallas Austin helped with the inspirational pop ballad "I Found Myself". Ciara returned to the studio with her debut album collaborators Lil Jon ("That's Right", which samples Pretty Tony's "Fix It in the Mix" and "Jam the Box"and "C.R.U.S.H." samples "122 BPM" written by Larry Linn.) and Jazze Pha. Pha contributed the album prequel single "Get Up".[8] She also wrote/co-wrote most of the songs and co-produced "Like a Boy" and "My Love". Album production wrapped between late-August and mid-September. Ciara went on a 17 city club tour, which started October 26, 2006 in Washington, D.C. until December 10, 2006 in New York City. She performed Evolution hits "Get Up", "Promise" and "Like a Boy", her earlier singles, and new material from Ciara: The Evolution. BET also aired an Access Granted of Ciara's The Evolution Tour.
Chart performance
Ciara: The Evolution debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with sales of more than 338,000, which is 213,000 more than Ciara's debut album Goodies that debuted at number three. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA in the January 272007 issue of Billboard for shipping 1,000,000 units to retail outlets. The album remained in the top twenty for eight weeks before dropping out and top fifty for sixteen weeks. As of July 2007, the album has sold 1,200,566 copies in the US.[9] In Canada, the album debuted at thirty-two on the Canadian albums chart and five on the R&B albums chart. In Australia, Ciara: The Evolution debuted below the ARIA Top 50 at seventy-six. In the UK, the album debuted and peaked in the top twenty at #17, also the album debuted at #25 peaked at #21 in New Zealand. The album has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide as of October, 2007. The single "Get Up", an upbeat dance track, was released in July 2006 for the film soundtrack Step Up and released as the second European single in June 2007. After its fourth week on the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number seven and number ten on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song remained in the top forty for fourteen weeks. "Promise", the official first single, debuted at forty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 making the single Ciara’s highest debut on the chart. The song has reached number eleven on the Hot 100 chart, and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The official remix for "Promise" was released the week of January 152007 and was produced Polow da Don and features R&B singer and producer R. Kelly. The remix helped the single reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The third release, "Like a Boy" was released on February 13 2007. It was the first single in the Europe. The song debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts at seventy-five, and peaked at six. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at eighty-one and peaked at nineteen. "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" received minor radio airplay without promotion, but still managed to peak at forty on the Hot 100 and ten on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[10] It was officially released on June 12, 2007.
Album packaging and editions
Unlike Ciara’s debut album Goodies, Ciara: The Evolution contains more stylized images. She expresses her "evolution of fashion" strongly through the photography. Markus Klinko and Indrani completed the album's artwork. Andy Kellman of All Music Guide published "even the album's sleek cover, somewhere between Robocop and Pointer Sisters' Break Out, has a devolved look."[11] The cover has also drawn comparsions to the late R&B singer Aaliyah.[12] Ciara: The Evolution was released as the standard album with special limited edition DVD. The bonus DVD features Ciara and dancers teaching the choreography for "Get Up" and "Promise", the music videos for the songs, and behind-the-scenes of "Promise." The Japanese DVD edition is manufactured with an alternate album cover. The European limited edition DVD contains the video for "Like a Boy". A two pack of the album and a BET Official Package DVD was released the same day. It contains Ciara's BET Highlights such as, How I'm Living, 106 & Park interviews, and the 2005 Music Special: Sincerely Ciara, the videos for "Get Up", "Promise", and her debut album Goodies videos excluding "And I" and live performances. There are four bonus tracks available on different editions. "Love You Better" appears on the U.S. and Japanese iTunes and Japanese pressing. "Addicted" and "Promise" [Go and Get Your Tickets Mix], which features R. Kelly, are on the European edition. "Do It", which features Will.i.am, is an European iTunes bonus track.
Reception
Ciara: The Evolution received generally positive reviews from critics. Some critics focused on Ciara's vocal abilities on some album songs. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone said that "Ciara's still prone to diva blandness and silly little pop songs...but this time she's more interesting by half."[13] For All Music Guide, Andy Kellman wrote that "there are plenty of tracks geared toward letting loose and dancing, and most of them do deliver, even if they don't seem quite as fresh as Ciara's past hits",[11] and Entertainment Weekly called the dance songs "rugged and terrific, but eventually the tempos slow and the album drags".[14]
Track listing
- Disc 1
| # | Title | Writers | Producer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's Right" 1 (featuring Lil Jon) | Ciara Harris, Jonathan Smith, LaMarquis Jefferson, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, Jasper Cameron | Lil Jon | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Like a Boy" | Harris, Nelson, Muhammad, J. Que, Ezekiel Lewis, Calvin Kenon | Calvo Da Gr8 and The Clutch | 3:57 |
| 3. | "The Evolution of Music" (Interlude) | 0:10 | ||
| 4. | "Promise" | Harris, Cameron, Jamal Jones, Elvis Williams | Polow Da Don | 4:27 |
| 5. | "I Proceed" | Harris, Pharrell Williams | The Neptunes | 4:13 |
| 6. | "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" (featuring 50 Cent) | Harris, LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Curtis Jackson | Darkchild | 4:04 |
| 7. | "C.R.U.S.H." 2 | Harris, Smith, Craig Love, Jefferson, James Phillips, Adonis Shropshire, Larry Linn | Lil Jon | 4:17 |
| 8. | "My Love" | Harris, Nelson, Brian Kennedy, Antwoine Collins, Muhammad | Kennedy, Harris, Collins | 4:00 |
| 9. | "The Evolution of Dance" (Interlude) | 0:15 | ||
| 10. | "Make It Last Forever" 3 | Harris, Daniels, Jerkins, James Brown, Robert Ginyard | Darkchild | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Bang It Up" | Harris, Sean Garrett, Jones | Polow Da Don | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Get Up" (featuring Chamillionaire) | Harris, Phalon Alexander, Hakeem Seriki | Jazze Pha | 4:21 |
| 13. | "The Evolution of Fashion" (Interlude) | 0:15 | ||
| 14. | "Get In, Fit In" | Harris, Will Adams | Will.i.am | 4:13 |
| 15. | "The Evolution of C" (Interlude) | 0:19 | ||
| 16. | "So Hard" | Harris, Nelson, Muhammad, Bryan Michael Cox, Kendrick Dean, T.Clark | Cox, Dean | 4:49 |
| 17. | "I'm Just Me" | Harris, Williams | The Neptunes | 4:32 |
| 18. | "I Found Myself" | Harris, Dallas Austin | Austin | 4:32 |
| 19. | "Love You Better" (U.S. and Japan iTunes bonus track only) | Harris, Michael Crooms, Cameron, W.Jones | Mr. Collipark | 4:29 |
| 20. | "Addicted" (European bonus track only) | Harris, Nelson, Demetrius Spencer | French | 3:06 |
| 21. | "Promise" [Go and Get Your Tickets Mix] (featuring R. Kelly) (European bonus track only) | Harris, Cameron, Jones, Williams | Polow Da Don | 4:59 |
| 22. | "Do It" 4 (featuring Will.i.am) (European iTunes bonus track only) | Harris, Adams, Raymond Davies, Herby Azor | Will.i.am | 3:50 |
1 Contains samples from "Fix It in the Mix" written by Tony Butler, as performed by Pretty Tony and "Jam the Box" written by Tony Butler and Sherman Nealy, as performed by Pretty Tony.
2 Contains a portion of the composition "122 BPM," written by Larry Linn
3 Contains a sample from "Think (About It)," written by James Brown, as performed by Lyn Collins and contains a portion of the composition "It Takes Two," written by James Brown and Robert Ginyard.
4 Contains samples from "You Really Got Me," written by Raymond Davies, as performed by The Kinks and "Push It," written by Herby Azor and Raymond Davies, as performed by Salt-N-Pepa.
- Disc 2
| Special Limited Edition DVD | Duration |
|---|---|
| Ciara and Dancers Teach Move from "Get Up" | |
| "Get Up" Music Video | 5:01 |
| Ciara and Dancers Teach Moves from "Promise" | |
| "Promise" Music Video | 4:22 |
| Behind-the-Scenes of "Promise" | |
| "Like a Boy" Music Video (Europe Only) | 4:00 |
Singles by region
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Unreleased songs
The following tracks are registered in the ASCAP database.[15]
| Title | |
|---|---|
| "More Than a Queen" (Ciara Harris, Charles Davis, Jr.) | -- |
| "Role Call" (Balewa Mauhammad, Brian Michael Cox, Candice Nelson, Ezekiel Lewis, Patrick Smith) | -- |
Production credits
- Executive Producers: Ciara Harris and Phillana Williams
- Management: Phillana Williams for TPF Management
- Mastered by Chris Athens at Sterling Sound, NYC
- A&R: Mark Pitts and Ethiopia Habtemariam
- A&R Administration: Shay Young
- A&R Coordination: Leticia Hillard and Jill Tschogl
- Sample Clearance: David Schmidt, Kobie "The Quarterback" Brown, Donato Guadagnoli
- Art Direction and Design: Courtney Walter
- Photography: Markus Klinko and Indrani
- Styling: John Moore
- Make Up: Yolonda Frederick for Goldfinger Creative
- Hair: Shirlena Allen for Dawn To Dusk Agency
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 32 |
| Canadian R&B Albums Chart | 5 |
| Oricon International Album Chart[16] | 8 |
| United World Chart[17] | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[18] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[18] | 1 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
| Australian Top 50 Albums Chart[19] | 76 |
| Australian Urban Albums Chart | 12 |
| Austria Albums Chart[17] | 68 |
| Belgium Albums Chart[17] | 43 |
| French Albums Chart[17] | 49 |
| German Albums Chart[17] | 32 |
| Irish Albums Chart[17] | 29 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 Albums Chart[20] | 21 |
| Switzerland Albums Chart[17] | 15 |
| Taiwan Albums Chart | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart[21] | 17 |
| Japan Oricon Album Chart | 30 |
| Preceded by Light Grenades by Incubus |
Billboard 200 number-one album December 23, 2006 - December 29, 2006 |
Succeeded by The Inspiration by Young Jeezy |
References
- ^ "Ciara The Evolution Review". PopMatters. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
- ^ Hope, Clover. "Ciara Previewing 'Evolution' On Tour". Billboard. October 10, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
- ^ "Ciara Continues Her "Evolution" with New Album". Vibe. September 19, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
- ^ Ciara The Evolution - review Retrieved April 12 2007
- ^ a b Ciara Stays Tight-Lipped About Her Next Batch Of Goodies Retrieved April 11 2007
- ^ From Crunk To Yeek — Ciara Steps In A New Direction For Goodies Follow-Up Retrieved April 11 2007
- ^ Corey Moss50 Cent Gives Ciara The 'Flavor' She's Looking For Retrieved April 12 2007
- ^ Ciara Dances In The Dark With Chamillionaire In 'Get Up' Video Retrieved April 12 2007
- ^ Billboard Top 200
- ^ "Ciara Says She And 50 Cent Are Not An Item" MTV News. Retrieved March 12 2007.
- ^ a b "Ciara: The Evolution All Music Guide Review" All Music Guide. Retrieved December 14, 2006.
- ^ Montreal Mirror CD reviews Retrieved April 15 2007
- ^ "Ciara: The Evolution Rolling Stone Review" Rolling Stone. October 10, 2006. Retrieved December 14, 2006.
- ^ "Ciara: Entertainment Weekly Review" Entertainment Weekly. October 10, 2006. Retrieved December 14, 2006.
- ^ ASCAP Retrieved February 7 2007
- ^ Oricon Albums Chart
- ^ a b c d e f g Ciara - Ciara:The Evolution - Music Charts Retrieved September 30 2007
- ^ a b Ciara Billboard Albums Chart History Retrieved April 5 2007
- ^ ARIA top 100 albums March 19 2007 Retrieved April 16 2007
- ^ New Zealand Albums Chart
- ^ Ciara EveryHit Albums Search
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|---|---|
| Albums | Goodies · Ciara: The Evolution |
| DVDs | Goodies: The Videos & More |
| Singles | "Goodies" · "1, 2 Step" · "Oh" · "And I" · "Get Up" · "Promise" · "Like a Boy" · "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" · "That's Right" |
| Filmography | All You've Got · Mama, I Want To Sing! |
| Concert tours | The Evolution Tour · Screamfest '07 · Good Girl Gone Bad Tour |
| Related articles | Discography · Awards |
