As far as pop stars go, Ciara is pretty buttoned up. She rarely strays from talking points in interviews, and until recently has avoided getting specific or personal in her music. So when she used her breakup with rapper Future as the inspiration for the searing, acoustic guitar-led R&B ballad I Bet complete with Future-esque call-back vocals it felt like a jolt in a new direction.
Save for the cursing on the title track, her sixth album only sporadically takes that uncharacteristically expressive tack, instead falling back on a familiar mix of fun ‘n’ flirty R&B and pop (Kiss & Tell), nostalgic club beats (Fly) and Dr. Luke-assisted dance-floor evacuating (Give Me Love).
Not for the first time, Ciara is suffering from a case of mixed-bag syndrome, a situation that seems even direr on the 16-track deluxe version, which has two unnecessary alternate versions of I Bet. Jackie contains a few gems but ultimately doesn’t flatter her flat vocal delivery as successfully as 2013’s self-titled album.
Top track: I Bet
