Ciara: Basic Instinct - review

Shifting release dates and patchy promotion have played a large part in hampering the prospects of the fourth studio album from Ciara, making it her lowest-charting LP to date. That is unfortunate, because Basic Instinct is a strong return to her slick crunk origins, with solid production courtesy of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. Speechless and You Can Get It breathe silken-voiced romance into the crunk&B ballads that have previously been prone to losing their warmth amid the piston-powered synths Ciara favours, and the jack-hammered BPM beats on lead single Gimmie Dat feel joyfully exuberant. Ride is wickedly seductive with its raunchy, slow-grind rhythms, and gained mild infamy when the accompanying video was banned by US music channel BET. Basic Instinct sees Ciara grasping the wheel of crunked-out R&B pop with authoritative ease.