Goodies (by Ciara, Hip-hop)

Ciara, a lovely young singer from Texas, brings a silky-smooth voice and a lot of attitude to GOODIES, her debut album. Dubbed by producer Lil' John as the "First Lady of 'Crunk & B'," she delivers a mild message of female empowerment with lyrics like "If you're looking for the goodies keep on looking 'cause they stay in the jar." It's a refreshing change of pace, as far as it goes. After the first couple of songs, though, the CD goes downhill fast. There's very little variation; one song after another features Ciara's sweet little voice over monotonous pre-fab tracks.

The whole project comes off sounding like a nice girl trying her best, but without any of the sparks of genuine brilliance that put a newcomer in front of the pack. The album's saving grace is a collection of delightful cameos by colleagues Petey Pablo, Missy Elliot, and Ludacris. When this CD was recorded, Ciara was just 18 years old; it will be interesting to see how her voice and songwriting develop as she matures.

Released on: September 28, 2004
Label: La Face
Genre: Hip-hop