Ciara is really living the dream.
She’s got a good Christian athlete who’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars and a beautiful family. She’s come a long way from that rumor she had a penis. Seriously, we based that rumor off like 3 low quality photos in 2005, how did that shit get so popular? Anyway, Ciara’s growth as a woman has inspiring to many as she is a living breathing Tyler Perry movie plot. However what’s oft forgotten about Ciara is that she’s a singer.
People love talking about Ciara until it’s time to talk about her music. Luckily for y’all, I didn’t forget. Ciara dropped a new album and I took the time out to listen to it.
So here’s my review of Beauty Marks.
First things first, Ciara is a beautiful and multitalented but singing is not one of those talents. She’s built a career of melodic breathing and sexy pelvic movements and it works for her. However, if she’s motivated she’s pretty good at making a song.
A lot of this album isn’t motivated though.
To be fair, how motivated would you be to go to work if your spouse just signed a 100 million dollar deal? If I was married to a 100 million dollar athlete I would go from independent man to Stedman Graham so quickly. So I give Ciara a bit of a pass here. However some of these songs are really lazy. Like...why would you ever need a Macklemore feature in 2019?? He doesn’t have time to rap about love, he still has to solve racism.
For instance, she got a lot of typical songs about thinking about exes or being jealous of exes moving on, but we all know that shit is not true. Listening to Ciara sing about being stuck on an ex is like hearing Jay Z rap about selling drugs in 2019; there’s no way Hov has Fentanyl AND Beyoncé. I know that most music isn’t true and you gotta lose yourself in it, but Ciara’s breathy vocals only work when she’s being sincere. When she sang about being stuck on Bow Wow, I BELIEVED she loved Bow Wow. When she sang about her Goodies I KNEW she had Goodies. Shit when she sang about her 1-2 step I knew her and Missy Elliot were fu—you get the point I’m trying to make.
This album isn’t all misplaced songs though, when Ciara puts her energy in that breathy ass voice goes to work. There’s some solid “shake the last bit of Pink Lotion out the bottle” music here. Plus the songs that are clearly about Russ are great. You can tell she’s truly happy with him and that Boris Kodjoe would definitely play him in the movie about their love.
Overall this Ciara album is ok, it felt like I was getting a ride from my aunt who JUST got her shit together. She doesn’t mind that I’mhigh but she won’t let me leave the car until I take a pamphlet for her church.
I give Beauty Marks 5 long pre thanksgiving prayers out of 10.