Member Since: 9/6/2012
Posts: 2,507
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NYT raves about Jackie, I Bet, & Ciara's emotional evolution
In a new piece entitled "Ciara’s 'Jackie' Shows a Singer Evolving," the New York Times raves about "I Bet":
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For more than a decade, Ciara has been a stalwart of the R&B margins. At the beginning of her career, she was more a rhythm instrument than a singer — a high-energy, sleek dancer with chilly songs to match. That approach has sustained, but not nourished, her. She’s long been an unremarkable vocalist, meaning she’s been more memorable for delivery than content, for pulse over feeling. Her best songs — including “1, 2, Step,” and “Ride” — were often about literal movement, but almost never about what was happening on the inside...
“I Bet” — the first single from her new album, “Jackie” (Epic) — is Ciara’s emotional coming-out party, announcing the arrival of the heart pumping intensely inside that hardworking body.
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They also have this to say about Jackie:
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“Jackie” is among Ciara’s strongest albums, and her most varied. It includes a handful of songs with a fleet, bright thump that recall the heyday of Atlanta bass, and “I Got You,” a lullaby for her young son.
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And praised her tour's emotional depth:
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...Bravely, she returned to unadorned singing on several occasions. She did a quick take on “I Will Survive,” in which she added a line about fending off someone who wants to win her back — “How many times I told you it don’t work like that?” — and “I Bet” turned into a full-room singalong, her stern face giving way to softness from the embrace.
Right after “I Bet,” she sang “Goodies,” her first hit, and one of her most physical songs. It’s also a song about remaining demure: “If you’re looking for the goodies/Keep on looking/’cause they stay in the jar.” But in this new context, it read also as a statement of strength and resilience — her body and heart working as one.
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Queen continues to get that acclaim. When will others?
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