Goodies is the debut studio album by American singer Ciara. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Jazze Pha's Sho'nuff Records and LaFace Records. After writing songs for several established acts, Ciara's talents were noticed by Jazze Pha, and she began to work on what became Goodies. The album's conception came through the title track, produced by Lil Jon and created as a female crunk counterpart to other singles produced by Lil Jon such as Usher's "Yeah!" and Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek". Ciara worked with additional writers and producers on the album, including Jazze Pha, Bangladesh, R. Kelly, Johntá Austin, Sean Garrett, and Keri Hilson, among others.
With Goodies, Ciara was referred to as the "Princess" or "First Lady of Crunk&B". The album uses dance music while utilizing pop, R&B, and hip-hop influences. Critics gave the album positive to mixed reviews, commending the "Goodies"-esque songs, while deeming others as unoriginal and noting Ciara's limited vocal abilities. Most critics compared the work to late singer Aaliyah, and also said it had qualities of Destiny's Child.
The album was a commercial success. In the United States, the album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 124,750 copies in its opening week. It was later certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.[4] The album also fared well internationally, being certified platinum by the Music Canada (MC) and gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Goodies earned Ciara two Grammy nominations at the 48th Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "1, 2 Step" in 2006.
In her mid-teens, Ciara formed the all-girl group Hearsay with two of her friends. The group recorded demos, but as time went on, they began to have differences and eventually parted ways.[5] Despite this setback, Ciara was still determined to reach her goal and signed a publishing deal as a songwriter. After leaving the group Hearsay, Texas native Ciara earned a writing job via her manager, for Atlanta's Tricky Stewart and The-Dream's RedZone Entertainment, penning songs for Mýa and Fantasia among others.[6] According to Ciara, no one believed in her dreams of hearing her own music on the radio until she met producer Jazze Pha in 2002.[6] Within five months of meeting her, Pha signed her to his Sho'nuff label and they had already recorded five tracks.[6] About Ciara, Jazze Pha said, "What was really lacking is the Janet Jackson, high-energy dance [music]. Ciara fills that void. She's pretty, she can dance, she can write music, and kids love her. Everyone loves her.
After graduating from Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia in 2003, she was signed by LaFace Records executive, L.A. Reid, whom she was introduced to by Jazze Pha.[7] She began production on her debut album later that year. Recording sessions for the album took place at Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Darp Studios, Atlanta, GA; Doppler Studios, Atlanta, GA; Futuristic Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; Ground Breaking Studios, Atlanta, GA; Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; Hitco, Atlanta, GA; Patchwerk Recordings, Atlanta, GA; Phoenix Ave. Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Studio 609 Recordings, Philadelphia, PA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA.[8]
In early 2004, Ciara wrote a demo with record producer Sean Garrett, co-writer of Usher's crunk hit "Yeah."[9] After hearing a demo, crunk producer Lil Jon, who also produced and was featured on "Yeah", began to work on the full record, to have it released on LaFace.[9] Originally, Ciara was reluctant to work with the track produced by Lil Jon, reportedly disliking crunk music at first.[citation needed] However, she decided to use the song to go against the grain and deliver lyrics in contrast of female promiscuity lines delivered by fellow female artists.[citation needed] To give her a title to stand out, Lil Jon dubbed Ciara as the "Princess of Crunk&B."[citation needed] Dubbed the female counterpart to "Yeah" and fellow crunk hit "Freek-a-Leek" by Petey Pablo, Laface looked to capitalize on the success of the previous songs.[citation needed] In addition to working with Jazze Pha, who produced most of the album, Lil Jon, and Garrett, she worked with several other Atlanta-based writers and producers including Bangladesh, Johntá Austin, Jasper Cameron, and others, while featuring collaborations from Atlanta's T.I. and Ludacris. R&B singer R. Kelly wrote and produced a track.[10]
When talking about the album's theme, Ciara said it was universal, stating, "It's about everybody. You'll have songs with different emotions, happy, sad, 'my heart is broken.' What everybody goes through." On her success with the preluding title track, Ciara said, "I'm very content right now. I take everything a day at a time. Every time I hear good news, I'm shouting out, 'Praise God.' Everybody around me is so excited, I still haven't got it. I haven't really felt it like they're feeling it for me."
The album consists of bouncy dance music mixed with crunk, combined with either R&B, pop or hip hop music.[2] The ballads on the set utilize Ciara's breathy vocals, as the uptempo pieces.[2] Lyrical content varies on the album. Songs like "Goodies" issue a message of female empowerment and abstinence,[12] and this is contradicted as she hints at teasing sex.[13] Slant Magazine compared this to Britney Spears-esque "layer of tease to the mature" in her early work.[14] Utilizing influences from 80's dance music, qualities of the work of Destiny's Child and Aaliyah are evident.[14]
"Goodies" is heavily influenced by male counterpart crunk song "Yeah" and also has been compared to Kelis's "Milkshake."[14] The song makes use of a repeated whistle, "faux operated vocals" in parts and a western guitar riff near the end.[14] "1, 2 Step," which continues the club music theme, is built around a simple dance and features Missy Elliott in a pas de deux.[15][16] and according to Mike Pattensden of The Times, "owes plenty to classic New York electro."[16] "Oh," a downtempo song, features a heavy bassline and has been called "brooding electronic grind,"[13][15] and, according to Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian, "sounds like R&B reimagined by Gary Numan."[13] "Pick Up the Phone" was described as a rip-off of Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" by Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine.[14] "Next to You," written by R. Kelly, is part of the album's second half of ballads, and was said to capture "Ciara's youthful indecisiveness."[14] "Hotline" features a "funky clap" and beatboxing.
Goodies' lead single, the title track, featuring Petey Pablo, was released on June 8, 2004. Conceived as a crunk female counterpart to Usher's "Yeah," the lyrical content goes against the grain, speaking of abstinence, rejecting advances because "the goodies will stay in the jar". Critics hailed it as an "anthem of the summer" and one of the best singles of the year, complementing its dance-feel and beat, and the irony of the "clever" lyrics. The single performed well worldwide, topping the charts in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, and charting in the top ten of other charts, receiving Platinum certification in the United States.[17] The music video shot for the song features Ciara partying with friends. "1, 2 Step", featuring Missy Elliott, was released as the second single,[18] incorporating a hip-hop and dance-pop feel, deriving influences from 1980s electro music.[14] While topping the charts in Canada, it additionally appeared in the top ten of six other countries, and was certified Platinum or Gold in multiple regions.[17] The accompanying music video features Ciara and others performing the dance. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.[19]
"Oh", featuring Ludacris, proclaimed as a love song to Atlanta, was released as the album's third single on March 5, 2005.[20] Carrying a slow, dark tone, critics noted "Oh" as a standout track from Goodies. The song performed well worldwide, appearing the top ten of seven charts, and certified either Platinum or Gold in multiple regions.[17] The song's music video, which is similar to that of "Goodies", takes place at a block party, and was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. In May 2005, Ciara mentioned that the album's fourth single would be "Thug Style" or "Pick Up the Phone" - or maybe even "And I".[21] The final choice, "And I", was released on August 30, 2005,[20] and only managed to peak at ninety-six on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "And I" is loosely based on the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, and NBA player Carmelo Anthony portrayed Ciara's love interest.[22] In December 2005, The Washington Post reported that "Hotline" would be the album's fifth single, but the release failed to materialize.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire