mixtape maestro (2.0)

After her last single, the underwhelming T-Pain assist “Go Girl”, failed to really go anywhere, Ciara pretty much understood that a re-launch of her Fantasy Ride era was needed. Unfortunately, rather than drop a club-shattering crunk & b ditty that plays to her floor-working strengths, replacement jump-off “Never Ever” opts to venture down a more mid-tempo ballad route; a major mistake since, save for the kitty-kat slink-fest that was “Promise”, Ciara really doesn’t do slow jams much justice.

Coming across like a less flashy “Love In This Club”, “Never Ever” plants Ciara in a predictable unrequited love situation, with her coming to grips with the fact that her man will never quite love her the way she wants so it’s best for her to move on. Her vocal contribution ends up just as stale as the thematic set-up reads, her lack of a broad range unable to give the flat lyrics the overblown spice that a Mariah or Keyshia could’ve offered. Even the all-too-important hook ends up feeling deflated, at first raising hopes with an interesting melody jack from “If You Don’t Know Be My Now”, than quickly snatching those same hopes away by senselessly dismissing the throwback reference only a short line later.

Some rescue does come forth with the far more exciting happenings that exist on the track’s bookends (Polow Da Don’s now-familiar hypeman seasonings and it’s later echoing in the hard-thumping bridge; a nice, breeze-by cameo from Jeezy) and “Great legs and elastic choreography”-showcasing video, but not even those bits can ultimately save “Never Ever” from being Fantasy Ride’s second consecutive forgettable first single.

Bets are on that yet another official single will drop before the already pushed-back Ride makes it to it’s April release.

Uncategorized ciara, polow da don, young jeezy