“I’m not the queen of Crunk&B, by no means been that, by no means wanna be that,” Ciara instructed Rolling Stone in 2008 as she described the idea of her third album, Fantasy Journey. Satirically, the publication topped the singer, born Ciara Harris, because the “Princess of Crunk” in October 2004. The intent wasn’t solely fallacious.
Earlier that 12 months, Ciara made her presence felt along with her debut single, “Goodies,” that includes rapper Petey Pablo. The crunk&B banger, produced by Lil Jon, shortly solidified her as a promising act. Ciara’s first solo document bolstered to No. 1 on the coveted Billboard Sizzling 100, the place it spent seven consecutive weeks atop the chart.
Regardless of the success of “Goodies,” Ciara was conscious of misconceptions surrounding her as an artist, notably relating to her vocal functionality. “I’m not going to sit down right here and say I’m a Whitney Houston, however there’s positively vocal expertise right here,” Ciara instructed AOL Periods in 2004. “I’m conscious that my single ‘Goodies,’ everyone and their mom can sing that music; it’s like one word all through the entire music. But it surely’s all good, although, it’s all about what feels good to me. It’s all about making good music.” This was simply considered one of a number of situations the place Ciara was already letting folks know there’s extra to her than meets the attention.
Following the blockbuster launch of Goodies, Ciara returned in 2006 along with her sophomore album, The Evolution. The critically acclaimed album earned Ciara her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with an enormous 338,000 copies bought in its opening week. (For context, Goodies debuted at No. 3 with 125,000 copies bought.)
Two singles paved the way in which for The Evolution, together with the Jazze Pha-produced “Get Up” that includes Chamillionaire and the Polow Da Don-helmed “Promise.” The latter easy jam spent two weeks atop the Sizzling R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, whereas the previous reached its peak at No. 7 on the Sizzling 100.
The Evolution captured Ciara’s progress since her coming-of-age debut album. That progress wasn’t simply restricted to at least one explicit album, although. In some ways, it was a motto and Ciara’s method to how she visualized herself as an artist.
Laying The Groundwork
Ciara’s imaginative and prescient for her third album, Fantasy Journey, was much more grandiose. It appeared as if she wished to take her profession to even larger heights whereas exploring extra pockets of her artistry. She didn’t permit the success of The Evolution to drive her to recreate what she already had executed.
For her third album, Ciara’s intention was to fulfill her core base with the sound they fell in love with whereas additionally making area to push her sonic envelope. It was as if she wished to create an immersive expertise for followers with contact factors together with music, a comic book guide and compelling music movies. Ciara sought to assemble a brand new world in her inventive universe.
Fantasy Journey was initially deliberate to be a three-disc album, permitting Ciara to discover totally different sectors of her sonic palette. The unique idea was to take followers on a journey via “Crunk City,” a nod to her roots and “power music that retains you goin’,” as she defined to Rolling Stone; “Groove Metropolis,” a peak into her sensual facet; and “Kingdom Of Dance,” songs to ignite the dance flooring.
Progress was (and nonetheless is) Ciara’s lifestyle. It’s why she by no means was eager on inserting herself in a field again in 2004. She knew she would ultimately outgrow these obstacles. “I’ve grown in many various methods,” she instructed Rolling Stone. “Even from the final document, which was referred to as The Evolution as a result of I actually had grown from my first document.”
Courtney Walter, the inventive director who labored carefully with Ciara and the label on the album’s packaging, says Ciara was impressed by The Met’s Superheroes: Vogue and Fantasy exhibit.
“Ciara and I went to it, and she or he fell in love with all of the costumes,” Walter solely tells Rated R&B. This might change into the launch level of Ciara growing a persona named Tremendous C. “We got here up with this concept like why don’t we flip you right into a superhero and that you simply’d be Tremendous C, which was sort of her alter ego.”
Ciara then teamed with illustrator Bernard Chang, identified for his designs for DC Comics and Marvel, to work on the Tremendous C idea.
In a YouTube video uploaded in 2008, Ciara, who had her album within the works on the time, mentioned that they spent over 9 months growing ideas for Tremendous C.
Round that point, her single “Go Lady” that includes T-Ache was initially launched because the lead-off to her third album.
The cult basic video brings Tremendous C to life. “Go Lady” debuted and peaked at No. 78 on the Sizzling 100. It was one of some indicators that there could be a shake-up. In comparison with her earlier releases, the music was one thing of a industrial downturn for the label, inflicting some delays with the album.
“The response to ‘Go Lady’ wasn’t sturdy sufficient to ignite an album,” a rep for Zomba Label Group instructed Leisure Weekly in November 2008. “It’s a pleasant setup single as a result of [the video] introduces Ciara’s new look and her new physique, however it’s not the opener.”
Because of this, the album, initially scheduled for launch in summer time 2008, was subsequently delayed.
In January 2009, Ciara reignited the album rollout with the Younger Jeezy-assisted “By no means Ever” because the lead single.
The tenderhearted midtempo, sampling Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ basic “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” had a barely greater affect on the charts than the scrapped lead. “By no means Ever” peaked at No. 66 on the Sizzling 100, 12 spots larger than “Go Lady.”
It wasn’t till Ciara launched the Justin Timberlake-assisted “Love Intercourse Magic,” the second single, that she returned to acquainted territory on the charts. Launched two months shy of the album, “Love Intercourse Magic” peaked at No. 10 on the Sizzling 100.
Fantasy Journey was finally launched within the U.S. Might 5, 2009, by way of LaFace Information/Jive Information.
Breaking Down Fantasy Journey
Although Ciara didn’t get to launch the three-disc album that she had as soon as envisioned, the ultimate model of Fantasy Journey was nothing to gloss over. That album is full of a few of Ciara’s most underrated, noteworthy gems in her decade-spanning catalog.
The album’s opening monitor, “Ciara to the Stage,” was a unique feeling than her prior two album openers. As a substitute of beginning with high-octane dance cuts like her hit “Goodies” and the twerk-worthy “That’s Proper” that includes Lil Jon, who produced each tracks, Ciara opted for one thing extra sensual.
“Tonight I’m gon’ do one thing totally different / To have your undivided consideration is my mission, pay attention,” Ciara coos over a syrupy manufacturing helmed by Difficult Stewart. Granted, she’s referencing intimacy within the bed room, however it additionally units the thesis for the album.
Though Ciara finally deserted the three-disc album idea, its essence nonetheless lingers within the ultimate product.
Groove Metropolis
Ciara started laying the inspiration for Groove Metropolis with 2006’s “Promise” from The Evolution. The pillowy jam positioned Ciara in a unique mild, which even had her label a bit hesitant with releasing it. Polow Da Don instructed Rated R&B {that a} label exec reportedly tried to get him to persuade Ciara to not launch “Promise.”
“He was telling me how a lot he didn’t prefer it and the way it wasn’t going to work as a result of he [was] getting suggestions from his city division and employees,” Polow Da Don revealed. In fact, “it labored out for him in the long term.”
On Fantasy Journey, Groove Metropolis evokes the smoothness of a “Promise” however with a extra sensual really feel. Songs like “Ciara To The Stage” and “Lover’s Factor” that includes The-Dream are as tender as ever, however “Like A Surgeon” is the one that basically cuts deep.
Penned and produced by The-Dream and Difficult Stewart, “Like A Surgeon” finds Ciara in her scrubs, working her man’s physique within the bed room with the precision of an working doctor. “I’ma make your physique higher after we get in the proper place,” Ciara assures in an alluring, assured tone.
“I keep in mind we wished to indicate love and homage to Timbaland and Missy [Elliott] for his or her wonderful contributions to music,” Difficult Stewart tells Rated R&B. “I’m an excellent fan of each of them, however I like them collectively collectively. We caught a wave that sort of gave that vibe.”
Stewart provides, “Ciara introduced Missy over to listen to the document, and Missy was like, ‘Yo, this sh*t is loopy! This shit’s wonderful.’ And that was the cherry on prime in that state of affairs.”
Kingdom of Dance
Ciara didn’t simply play a music for Missy Elliott; she additionally labored on one along with her. Fantasy Journey marked a reunion between the 2 artists since they received a Grammy for 2005’s “Lose Management” with the late Fatman Scoop from Elliott’s album The Cookbook.
Elliott makes an look on the album’s ultimate single, “Work.” The high-powered confidence booster would have appeared on the Kingdom of Dance, together with its previous single “Love Intercourse Magic.”
Singles apart, the Chris Brown-featured “Turntables” is without doubt one of the most underrated dance moments on the album. Danja helms the manufacturing, which is constructed round a pattern of A. R. Rahman’s “Kehna Hello Kya” from the 1995 Tamil movie Bombay.
The throbbing groove marked the 2 R&B-pop stars’ first collaboration. They wouldn’t reunite on the identical monitor till 2023’s “How We Roll” from Ciara’s CiCi EP.
Crunktown
As Ciara talked about, her imaginative and prescient was to discover numerous sounds on Fantasy Journey whereas additionally not neglecting her core base, who fell in love along with her early crunk&B bangers like “Goodies” and “Get Up.” Curiously, not one of the singles from Fantasy Journey catered to these sounds.
The trunk-rattling “Excessive Value” that includes Ludacris just isn’t solely a standout on the album, however it’s a necessary choice in Ciara’s canon. Vocally, it’s left-field. Ciara’s operatic vocals move over a backdrop that buzzes like a swarm of honey bees. Thematically, “Excessive Value” is about understanding your self-worth and never settling for much less. The confident banger was additionally written and produced by The-Dream and Difficult Stewart.
“‘Excessive Value’ is without doubt one of the greatest Difficult and The-Dream data ever,” Stewart declares to Rated R&B. On the time, he and The-Dream had a hand in writing and producing a pair of Sizzling 100 No. 1s, together with Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Beyoncé’s “Single Girls.”
“I really feel after delivering ‘Single Girls’ for Bey, and after having an ‘Umbrella’ for Rih, our hometown famous person had a subsequent degree game-changing factor that no person may activate and say, ‘I bought one like that,’ Stewart continues. “I actually really feel that ‘Excessive Value’ was our model at the moment of the magnitude of what ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Single Girls’ ought to have been to Ciara for us.”
Sadly, “Excessive Value” was not issued as a single. It was additionally among the many tracks that leaked earlier than the album’s launch, inflicting delays. “Jive Information didn’t hear the document in any respect,” says Stewart. “They thought we have been loopy, and we have been like, ‘That is it.’” Stewart admits “it was tremendous disappointing” that “Excessive Value” was not launched as a single. “It’s one of many greatest regrets of my profession that that document along with her and Ludacris didn’t come to fruition.”
“‘Excessive Value’ was an absolute game-changer for all of us,” Stewart continues. “It might’ve been a sport changer for me, The-Dream, Ciara, and for Ludacris. It’s considered one of Luda’s craziest verses as a visitor rapper ever. The manufacturing is insane. The innovation is insane. There’s no person that may’ve had a document like that. We gave that document all of the power that we may. However then we needed to take it to some motherf——s from New York they usually didn’t perceive.”
Fantasy Journey: 15 Years Later
Whereas Fantasy Journey didn’t carry out in addition to The Evolution or Goodies, it nonetheless ranked excessive on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 3 with 81,000 copies bought. Some might view the industrial efficiency of Fantasy Journey as a stain in Ciara’s discography. Nonetheless, all of it depends upon perspective. Fantasy Journey is extra like a magnificence mark than a blemish. Positive, the album didn’t produce commercially viable singles like her earlier two albums.
And sure, the frequent delays and leaks examined her followers’ persistence. However past that, when the main focus is shifted again to the music itself, Fantasy Journey is considered one of Ciara’s most audacious albums in her catalog. It’s the opening of a doorway to Ciara’s sonic expansiveness. Goodies turned heads, The Evolution averted the sophomore jinx, and Fantasy Journey carved out a brand new path for longevity.
“As a girl, I’m rising and I’m beginning to really feel issues somewhat bit in a different way,” Ciara instructed Rolling Stone in 2008. “Now I’ve realized I’m who I’m. I’m simply gonna go forward and be that and never fear about what anybody has to say.”
In some ways, Fantasy Journey ready Ciara to push her sonic boundaries later in her profession. Songs like “Ciara to the Stage” cued the viewers for extra sensual moments later explored on albums like Fundamental Intuition (“I Run It,” “You Can Get It”) and her self-titled LP (“Physique Get together,” “DUI”). The radio-friendly “Love Intercourse Magic” summoned pop bangers like “Flip It Up” (Fundamental Intuition), “Overdose” (Ciara), and “Kiss & Inform” (Jackie).
Over time, Ciara has additional explored different genres, together with Afrobeats (“Freak Me” that includes Tekno), alt-rock (“Paint It, Black”), nation (“The Git Up,” “Y’all Life”), and gospel (“In Spite of Me” with Tasha Cobb, “On and On” with Maverick Metropolis Music), amongst others.
In a common sense, Fantasy Journey was the launchpad that led Ciara to her passionate Fundamental Intuition (2010), her return to kind self-titled (2013), her pop-leaning Jackie (2015), and her defiant Magnificence Marks (2019), all topped off along with her nostalgic CiCi EP (2023).
Although Fantasy Journey didn’t obtain its fullest potential, Ciara held onto that imaginative and prescient and used it to propel her profession going ahead. Fifteen years later, Ciara continues to indicate no indicators of staying in a single lane that others envisioned for her. As she sings in her BossMan Dlow-assisted “Run It Up”: “I’m in a league of my very own.”
Revisit Ciara’s Fantasy Journey album under.