Goodies

‧cRunk & B 旷课乐 - 一种结合超高超high能量节奏的最新进化混搭乐风！ ‧2004造成全美街头巷尾high翻天，2005就要向你"席"卷而来！ ‧「流行乐之王」亚瑟小子正宗师妹首支旷课乐单曲"Goodies"席卷全美流行单曲榜七周冠军、 ‧全美节奏蓝调/嘻哈单曲榜冠军、2004年度十大单曲No. 9！ ‧与「嘻哈教母」蜜西艾莉特对唱第二主打"1, 2 Step"全美流行单曲榜亚军！ ‧首张专辑"Goodies "全美流行专辑榜No. 3、全美节奏蓝调/嘻哈专辑榜冠军！ ‧由「旷课乐之王」Lil’ Jon、「R&B天皇」劳凯利、「嘻哈教母」蜜西艾莉特、 ‧「南方饶舌第一金童」路达克里斯等黄金制作阵容全面抬轿，走在流行最尖端的音乐甜头，请即开即尝！   亚瑟小子：「绝对要注意这号人物！」   她，19岁，已经拥有一首全美热门单曲榜七周冠军、R&B/嘻哈单曲榜冠军、2004年全年度第九名的单曲，一张全美流行专辑榜季军、R&B/嘻哈专辑榜冠军的专辑，以及一个没有人会否认的「旷课乐（cRunk & B）第一酷妹」称号。该怎么形容这位不一样的19岁女孩呢？把最棒的创作人和歌手的才华汇聚在一起，加上最火热的表演力道和最可爱的个性，再配上迷人的脸蛋和甜到不行的微笑---综合以上条件，就可以描绘出席亚拉的轮廓。   席亚拉自己可能也没想到，她会成为让旷课乐一发不可收拾地流行起来的女先锋。旷课乐是一种原本流行于美国南方的舞曲，用重低音击打出不断勾引脚底的节奏，并且以鲜艳的旋律色彩让人一听就上瘾，最近因火热表现而被称誉为「流行乐之王」的亚瑟小子（Usher）的12周超级冠军单曲"Yeah"即是旷课乐的第一支代表作，席亚拉则是第二位以这种风格作品走红的艺人（以女生来讲是第一人）。席亚拉挟带着她的多才多艺与诱人的歌声、无法抵挡的创作魅力以及技惊四座的舞步，不但强化了这种乐风涨满活力的炽热能量，同时也为原本阳刚味十足的旷课乐，注入了不同于以往的女性观点。   她一鸣惊人的七周冠军单曲"Goodies"就是最好的范例，这首由「旷课乐之王」也就是一手重新打造冠军曲"Yeah"的超级制作人Lil’ Jon制作、饶舌艺人Petey Pablo助阵的单曲不但示范了旷课乐的奔放劲力，充满挑衅意味且倡言女性主导大局的歌词更宣示了新世代女性独立自主的立场。   除了当红的Lil’ Jon，席亚拉在她的首张个人专辑中还请来了「嘻哈教母」蜜西艾莉特（Missy Elliot）、「R&B天王」劳凯利（R. Kelly）、「南方饶舌第一金童」路达克里斯（Ludacris）…等超级大牌助阵，在歌坛已有一席之地的这些前辈们愿意为这位年纪轻轻且刚刚出道的小妮子抬轿，足见他们对席亚拉的肯定与信心。其中蜜西艾莉特跨刀的"1, 2 Step"已经延续了"Goodies"的好成绩，目前已攻佔全美热门单曲榜的亚军位置。未来显然还有更多更优异的纪录等着席亚拉去缔造，而席亚拉与旷课乐的新时代，也将马上被写入21世纪流行文化史的扉页。   by Jason Birchmeier Thanks to a few productions by hitmakers Lil Jon and Jazze Pha, there are indeed some Goodies to be found on Ciara's debut album, even if the young dance-pop singer does little to distinguish herself from the legion of fellow young dance-pop singers filling the urban American airwaves. The title track is far and away the highlight here, one of seemingly countless Lil Jon songs to become hits in summer 2004 (others including Usher's "Yeah!," Trillville's "Neva Eva," Lil Scrappy's "No Problem," Pitbull's "Culo," and Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek"). "Goodies" is fairly similar to these songs, except that it's sung by a young girl. In fact, the song is an apparent response to "Freek-a-Leek," employing a near-identical beat and the services of that song's rapper, Petey Pablo. The difference is that while "Freek-a-Leek" took the hardcore rap perspective of courtship, boasting of Petey's sexual exploits and how he can provide all a woman could possibly want physically, Ciara takes the contemporary R&B perspective, boasting contrarily that she has what all the guys want but won't be exploited: "I bet you want the goodies/Bet you thought about it/Got you all hot and bothered/Mad 'cause I talk around it/If you're looking for the goodies/Keep on looking 'cause they stay in the jar." It's a simple song, yes, but it's quite a rousing album opener. From there, the next four songs -- "1, 2 Step," "Thug Style," "Hotline," "Oh" -- are good, if not great, as executive producer Jazze Pha serves up some first-rate beats and catchy hooks here and there. But just as Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love descended into boilerplate balladry during its second half, Goodies unfortunately follows suit, bringing the initial festivities to a cloying conclusion. In the end, the beats of Lil Jon and Jazze Pha are the true Goodies here. Ciara is likeable enough, especially on the dance songs, where she resembles a young Janet Jackson, not so much actually singing as projecting a personality onto the productions. However, when she turns to run-of-the-mill ballads on the album's second half, she seems just as faceless as the songs themselves, lacking panache and, at times, personality.