Ciara - Fantasy Ride

Tangled up in record label delays, the landing of 'Fantasy Ride' comes 3 years after Ciara initially mentioned her new album. And with a repeatedly pushed back release date, interest in the singer's latest record dropped - that is until the recent single 'Love Sex Magic' stormed the charts worldwide.

The hit collaboration with Justin Timberlake not only serves as a heavy single in its own right, but sets the general mood of the LP; a sexy, fun and high-energy listen. Unfortunately, despite the all-star cast of contributors (including Chris Brown, The-Dream, Ludacris, Missy Elliott) 'Fantasy Ride' isn't the way-out-there record it promised, or should have been.

Other than Timberlake, only Missy Elliott's contribution 'Work' is worth a repeated listen. The beat for 'Turntables' featuring Chris Brown is an attempt to recreate a Ne-Yo hit with disastrous results, 'Never Ever' (starring Young Jeezy) is a duet gone wrong, and the 80's soul of 'Lover's Thing' is best not mentioned again.

True, it has everything that should make a fun record - party vibes, slick production, big beats and the sexy, sassy vocals of Ciara. But after the opening blast of 'Love Sex Magic' magic, it goes downhill from there. On more than one occasion 'Fantasy Ride' feels like a collection of b-sides or bonus material than a solid album release, and considering the large inclusion of guest stars, the appearances seem like a wasted opportunity.

Battling it out with Keri Hilson's recent In A Perfect World this month, 'Fantasy Ride' is a let-down in comparison.