Ciara: The Evolution

The jury's still out on discs with spoken-word interludes. 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. 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. 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. Helpers and inspirers aside, though, this is Ciara's party, and she knows how to please a guest. "Get In, Fit In" finds her putting the sizzle in a space-age soundscape. 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. 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. --Tammy La Gorce

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