OH HEY! HAPPY FRIDAY! Anyone wanna win a copy of the new Ciara album, ‘Jackie’? Well, you’re in luck. Check below for details.

When I heard R&B songstress Ciara (AKA the voice behind mid-to-late-noughties SMASHES like “Goodies,” “1,2 Step,” “Get Up” and “Like A Boy“) was ready to release a new album (her sixth?!) I was cautiously optimistic. If I’m being completely honest, her last album, 2013’s ‘Ciara‘ just didn’t do it for me. Sure, “Body Party” brought the SEX and subsequent dance remixes brought the party to the dance floor, the album was just lacking something for me, namely a lot of up-tempo songs. So…a new album? Let me see what you got Ciara. Then Epic releases “I Bet” as the first single off of new album and my heart sank. It was a perfectly lovely song, and Ciara‘s vocals were on point but I was hoping for something more dance-floor friendly. While remixes did eventually come out, including this decent one from R3hab, it wasn’t enough for me. Then I listened to the whole album and Ciara gave me what I was looking for—sort of.

[youtube=https://youtu.be/okGcksYM0N8]

I was disheartened, listening to the first 2/3 of the album but then I got to track #8 and things changed. It was a non-stop party from there straight to the end. Easy stand outs for me include the Dr. Luke/Cirkut-produced floorfiller, “Give Me Love,” the 90s influenced “Kiss & Tell” (also produced by Dr. Luke), and the marching band-sampling (likely not a REAL marching band) club BANGER “One Woman Army.” WHOOSH! While I like a natural progression in intensity as you go through the album, I kind of wish one of these more up-tempo numbers were released as single No. 1. I will say that Track #4, “Dance Like We’re Making Love,” also hit me, despite it being mid-tempo (I don’t ONLY need dance music people). First off, it’s another Dr. Luke/Cirkut collaboration but more than that, Ciara‘s voice sounds amazing, especially on the bridge leading up to that BLOODY infectious “LA-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-VE-MA-A-A-K-I-N-L-A-A-H-V-E” chorus. Wow. This song alone makes ‘Jackie‘ worth the listen for me.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkrB5Yg7v1k]

‘Jackie‘ was released May 1st via Epic Records (iTunes) and boasts collabs with Pitbull, Missy Elliott and songwriting assistance from Ester Dean, Livvi Franc, Diane Warren and others. To date the album has peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200.

Check Out Ciara Online: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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