As I lay on what felt like my deathbed this past weekend, I flipped past BET and noticed that Mama, I Want To Sing was on. So THAT'S what happened to that movie, I thought. After years of chatter about what was supposed to be Ciara's big screen debut, it all led to this -- being relegated to the bowels of BET on a Saturday night. While I thought it interesting that she was cast in the role at all, a small part of me thought that maybe the movie's producers knew something that I didn't. Perhaps her acting chops would prove better than her less-than-impressive vocal abilities. A few minutes into the flick though, it was quickly evident how this movie skipped theaters and went to straight-to-DVD. It definitely wasn't the vehicle to revive her faltering career. After years of riding high on the charts thanks to catchy hooks and sexy dance moves, she seemed to hit a brick wall. No matter how many hip gyrations and Matrix-like moves she pulled, it couldn't negate the fact that her music seemed to be falling on deaf ears.
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With her fifth studio album, One Woman Army, set for a December release, attempts to generate a buzz have kicked in. Although "Sorry" had been announced as the album's lead single, a different song, "Sophomore," has made its way to the internet thanks to a leak from DJ Orator. If this is any indication of what's to come on One Woman Army, then she may need to head back to the drawing board. Banking on the sex appeal that made songs such as "Promise" shoot straight up the charts, "Sophomore" is nothing to write home about. With a Soundz-produced beat that sounds like a throwaway from one of her previous albums, Ciara boasts about the softness of her skin, her bed and her booty (her words, not mine). She retreads the same old ground she's been rocking with since her second album. Though the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage works for some artists some times, it's not where it's at for CiCi. We already know she can vamp it up, but it'd be nice to see her pull some new tricks out the bag.
