Album Review: Ciara - Beauty Marks

Ciara is a superstar artist in the body of a unappreciated singer. Maybe not anymore, because in “Beauty Marks,” it feels like she may have found her groove.

“Beauty Marks” has everything from pop hits to islandy tunes to soulful cuts to club bangers. In other words, Ciara shows every ounce of versatility an artist can display for the duration of this album.

One thing I would point out about “Beauty Marks” is the touching subject-matters the Atlanta singer covers on this song: They range from loving oneself to understanding the important of falling in love with someone that believes you are the most beautifulest person in the world. As I think about it, not a single song has a negative vibe attached to it. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t call this album an R&B one, but more like a pop one that hijacks elements of R&B.

While Ciara has never been the best singer in the world, she’s always been able to hold her own by not doing too much in her music. In “Beauty Marks,” she said, “Damn That,”
and made sure to reach the highest notes she could possibly reach, and display bundles of emotion in every word she says. For this reason, I think the album will touch you heart, just as much as your ears.

Every album has its flaws, and fortunately, this album only has one, to me: It’s identity. While I get that majority of the album is about loving yourself and all that, every once in a while, I felt like Ciara was loving everyone else musically. At times, she poorly mimics the hip hop artists of today by utilizing tired ass flows (i.e “Set” and “Girl Gang”) and played out approaches. She also comes across as seeking a hit as opposed to bubbling one up at times. Don’t get me wrong, none of the songs I’m mentioning are bad, they just don’t feel as authentic as I would want them to feel.

Overall, I think “Beauty Marks” is a pretty solid album, but more importantly, I get this feeling Ciara is in a good place in her life.

Stream the album below.