Album Review: Ciara "Basic Instinct"

Recorded soon after last year's Fantasy Ride was released, Ciara's fourth album Basic Instinct is a return to her roots... or that's what it was initially marketed as at least. Having executive produced the project with Tricky Stewart & The-Dream, Ciara certainly looked to some of her breakout hits for inspiration, but what they came up with is much more sophisticated than her debut. Basic Instinct finds Ciara right where she should be, ready to offer up her most polished work to date.

1. "Basic Instinct (U Got Me)": Obviously I don't think Ciara should be rapping, but the attitude is just right on this track & she sounds great on the latter half. 4.5/5

2. "Ride" (ft. Ludacris): The album's first single channels one of my favorite CiCi hits "Oh" & although it's stale at this point (the album should've come out in August when this was rising up the charts), I still love it. 5/5

3. "Gimmie Dat": Quite honestly, I haven't had this banger off repeat for months. The brilliant accompanying video doesn't hurt either! 5/5

4. "Heavy Rotation": This jam features Ciara's gorgeously soft vocals on full display (see: the very end of the song), one of the outstanding qualities of Basic Instinct. 5/5

5. "Girls Get Your Money": "They always wanna holla, but they ain't got no dollas!" CiCi sure GETS it on this one! 5/5

6. "Yeah I Know": She certainly figured me out..! I love the way she rides this beat! 5/5

7. "Speechless": Her vocals on this song are stellar! 3:25 - 3:31 are my favorite! 5/5

8. "You Can Get It": In a perfect world where Basic Instinct were to receive the success it deserves & Ciara had a label that properly supported her, this fabulous slow jam would be her next single, not... 5/5

9. "Turn It Up" (ft. Usher): At first, I wasn't excited about the idea of Usher taking CiCi over to the dark side & turning her into a pop star, but seeing as how her album turned out, I don't mind this song after all. I actually enjoy hearing both of them on the same track, although my favorite part is her lead-in to the chorus ("they play it loud"). 4.5/5

10. "Wants For Dinner": Her adlibs on this song absolutely make the album for me. Oh, who am I kidding... so does the chorus... & her accent. Need I go on? 5/5

11. "I Run It": It's been no secret since this track leaked that it's a work of genius. 5/5

If you're anything like me, at this point, you've been non-stop jamming & you simply cannot accept that the album is over yet. My suggestion would be to tack the iTunes bonus track "Listen To My Song" onto the end of the album because it fits & it's terrific! Now, while I love everything about Basic Instinct, if I could add to it a little bit, I would stick a few more bangers in there a la "Get It Girl" & "Shut 'Em Up". Why she would leave these two fantastic tracks off the album (besides the fact that I griped her butt out last time about putting almost all leaked songs on the album...) is beyond me, as they are two of the best songs from this era, but at least we have them! All-in-all, Basic Instinct is an excellent album & I believe that this era is Ciara's strongest thus far.

Rating: 5/5 Stars