Ciara: The Evolution

Did You Know?

• The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with over 338,000 copies sold in its first week.
• The track 'Do It' samples Salt-N-Pepa's 'Push It' and Uncle Louie's 'I Like Funky Music'.

Production and development

Ciara stated that the album's title refers to more than her personal growth, encompassing the evolution of music, dance, and fashion. She cited Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna as influences. In an interview, Ciara said she wanted the album to be 'Goodies to the 10th power' but avoided straying too far from her debut or rehashing the same ideas. She collaborated with up-and-coming producers such as the Clutch, Calvo Da Gr8, Brian Kennedy, and Antwoine Collins, who had not previously worked on any artist's album, to bring new energy.

Established producers also contributed: Polow da Don produced 'Promise' and 'Bang It Up'; the Neptunes produced 'I Proceed' and 'I'm Just Me'; Bryan Michael Cox produced 'So Hard'; Mr. Collipark produced the bonus track 'Love You Better'; will.i.am produced 'Get In, Fit In' and 'Do It', the latter sampling Salt-N-Pepa's 'Push It'; Rodney Jerkins produced 'Can't Leave 'Em Alone' (originally called 'Dope Boys') featuring 50 Cent, and 'Make It Last Forever', which samples Lyn Collins's 'Think (About It)' and Rob Base's 'It Takes Two'; Dallas Austin contributed 'I Found Myself'; Lil Jon produced 'That's Right' and 'C.R.U.S.H.'; and Jazze Pha produced the lead single 'Get Up'.

Ciara co-produced three tracks: 'Like a Boy', 'My Love', and 'Get In, Fit In'. Album production wrapped between late August and mid-September 2006.

Composition

The album's artwork includes many stylized images reflecting Ciara's 'evolution of fashion'. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described the cover as 'somewhere between RoboCop and Pointer Sisters' Break Out'. The album contains several interludes, each beginning with 'the Evolution', addressing topics such as fashion and dance; the songs following each interlude relate to that theme. The opening track, 'That's Right', produced by Lil Jon (who also appears on it), was described as an 'electrifying album opener' with Ciara singing in a 'sexy mellow voice' over Jon's rapping.

'Like a Boy', a female empowerment song about double standards, was well received. The third track, 'The Evolution of Music', is an interlude where Ciara narrates her desire to record music different from what is on the radio; the interludes serve as monologues and a 'welcome message to be yourself and be confident'. 'Promise', a 'Prince-ly ballad' and 'sci-fi R&B' song, became Ciara's first single without a featured act to peak in the Billboard top twenty.

'I Proceed' drew comparisons to Janet Jackson in the 1980s and was called a 'Missy Elliott-style throwback' jam. 'Can't Leave 'Em Alone' received mixed reviews, with one critic calling it 'very bad pop-lite' and another deeming it 'simply another Darkchild classic'. 'C.R.U.S.H.' details a young woman's high school crush. 'My Love', co-produced by Ciara, is interpreted as being directed toward her former boyfriend Bow Wow.

Promotion

Ciara performed 'Get Up' on several occasions, including the second season finale of So You Think You Can Dance, The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 5, 2006, the 2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 2006 St. Lucia Jazz Festival, and MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007. On April 3, 2007, she performed 'Like a Boy' on Dancing with the Stars, executing her signature matrix move in high heels. During the song's popularity, Ciara's name appeared in a Sprint campaign alongside Joss Stone and My Chemical Romance.

On June 26, 2007, she performed a medley of 'Like a Boy' and 'That's Right' at the 2007 BET Awards. She performed 'Can't Leave 'em Alone' with 50 Cent at the 2007 World Music Awards on November 24, 2007. In November 2006, Ciara embarked on The Evolution Tour, previewing songs from the album and performing past hits at seventeen clubs across the United States; the final date aired on BET's Access Granted. In August 2007, she headlined Screamfest '07 with T.I. She was also a supporting act for Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad Tour in the United Kingdom in December 2007, alongside Chris Brown and Akon.

'Get Up', featuring Chamillionaire, was released as the worldwide lead single on July 25, 2006, and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Step Up. It peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and reached the top five in New Zealand. 'Promise', the second single, was released on October 16, 2006, peaking at number eleven on the US Hot 100 and becoming her third number-one hit on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it topped for two weeks; its official remix featuring R. Kelly was released digitally on February 13, 2007.

Critical reception

Ciara: The Evolution earned a generally favorable reception from critics, landing a 65 out of 100 on Metacritic. Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard felt Ciara still leaned toward diva blandness and lightweight pop, but found her "more interesting by half" this time. Andy Kellman of AllMusic observed that while many tracks are built for dancing and mostly succeed, they lack the freshness of her earlier hits. Entertainment Weekly praised the dance numbers as "rugged and terrific," though noted the album loses momentum as the tempos drop.

Billboard offered a mixed take, calling "Make It Last Forever" and "Get Up" surefire club tracks but dismissing ballads like "It's Over" as flat, while still predicting the album would push Ciara closer to superstardom. Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention, singling out "That's Right" and "Like a Boy" as highlights. Vibe's Jason King described the album as a "mixed bag," arguing that Ciara should focus on perfecting her pop-locking rather than filling the record with self-reflective, inspirational filler.