Blogger's Circle: Is This The End Of The Road For Ciara?

From her innocent dance jig “Goodies” to the steamy sexpot-peddling “Promise,” Ciara can still pop lock and drop it with the best of them. But for some folks, the Atlanta-bred performer is two-stepping on her last legs. The-Dream—who’s co-spearheading the singer's entire next album, Basic Instinct, with his production partner Tricky Stewart—thinks it's Ciara's last chance to reach that Beyoncé apex. He told Parlour last week: “You only get so many times to, and I won’t say fail, but not achieve. There’s an expectation of where Ciara should be in her career...” We won’t say fail either. Ciara’s latest single “Ride” bumps hard in the whip and on the dancefloor but for how long? Check what some top Web gurus have to say about Ci Ci's potential.

SAM (That Grape Juice): While I’m a little baffled as to why The-Dream—as an executive producer of Ciara’s new album—would make such comments, I do see where he is coming from. We’re at a point in the music industry where artists are getting fewer chances for career missteps. Labels of today simply have neither the budget nor the patience to push artists who aren’t generating a profit. That said, I don’t believe this is Ciara’s last chance—not by a long shot.
Fortunately for her, she’s an amazingly talented performer, and has successfully carved out her own lane (making it difficult to compare her to any other artist out at present). What’s more, despite her last album tanking, it still spawned "Love Sex Magic"—which was a smash. So, while the success of her Basic Instinct LP is important in terms of the here and now (current chart relevancy, whether or not her current label keep her on etc), there’s no doubt Ciara will be around for a long time. Funnily enough, it’s some of today’s talent-challenged chart toppers (“Eh Eh Eh”) who I doubt we’ll be hearing much from years down the line.

JAVID LOUIS (The Life Files): No goodies? Gotta love Ciara for keeping Janet Jackson's spirit alive, but The-Dream does have a point, her heat is not as hot. Call it the Ashanti syndrome - high expectations and a super hot introduction to the music world can be the curse of a new artist if there is no evolution. Since making her big splash into the game Ciara hasn't had that huge song that crosses her over to a new audience who wasn't familiar with her early stuff.
And if she did, we were all too busy looking at Lady Gaga's boots, but alas. Being the next hot thing on the R&B scene is cool, but we're in the age of the microwave POP star and if you don't keep your fans interested through your music or antics they're on to the next one. Maybe she was too private about the alleged 50 Cent "thing," maybe it was the song selection, but somewhere along the line we took her name out the "queen" bracket and placed her with the "princesses." I say keep dancing Ciara, sooner or later somebody may wonder what you're listening to. Hopefully it's your music...

KID FURY (So Furious): I don't see it. Ever since Ciara became an adopted Kardashian and started running circles with the L.A. Tan Mafia, she has been failing. We all know that she needs a good hoodrat boost in her diet in order to hit the spotlight again. Keri Hilson diss records and bikinis that barely conceal her penis are not going to help young CiCi...neither will The-Dream's breast milk. God bless her.

HILLARY CROSLEY (Parlour): Ciara is talented but I agree with The-Dream's statement, though I think he was misunderstood in his Parlour interview. He was only being honest, Cici's career IS at a critical point. After creating a brand as the lovable (and possible stripper) girl next door, she switched it up, went glam and fell flat. "Ride" is her attempt to reclaim her brand, and I like the song. The almost crotch shots are a bit much, but like any other artists in a slump, Ciara just needs to make hits. Damn, everything else, just make hits and people will forget about that entire "Love Sex Magic" period.

MISS JIA (Miss Jia): Although I’m slightly inclined to believe that The Dream’s comments regarding Ciara (and subsequent deletion of his Twitter) are primarily due to a lack of oxygen supply to his scrotum and insecurities about his man-boobs, I can’t say that I disagree. Since moving out to L.A. and hanging with the Kardashians, Ciara has lost her venom. I believe that she has the chance to revitalize her career without issue if she takes us back to the days of “Oh.” Otherwise, “oh” would be the only word we could use to describe her future. Here’s to hoping she brings it back.

Do you agree or disagree with our bloggers? Can Ciara still win you over?

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