Fantasy Ride

Ciara was executive producer on the album along with co-executive Mark Pitts and, Ciara worked with several record producers, including Blac Elvis, Benny Blanco, Blade, Jasper Cameron, The Clutch, Darkchild, Danja, Dr. Luke, Jason Nevins, Jim Beanz, Los da Maestro, Ne-Yo, Osinachi Nwaneri, Polow da Don, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain.

The album featured several guest vocalists, including Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Young Jeezy, The-Dream, Missy Elliott.

Fantasy Ride became Ciara's third consecutive album to debut within the top three on that chart, making her only the fourth female artist to do so during that decade.

[3] In an interview from a concert, Ciara stated that she worked on two tracks with Justin Timberlake[4] and his production team The Y's which will appear on the album.

[7] Billboard magazine initially reported that the album would be released across three discs, each representing a different theme and featuring stylistically similar songs.

[3] Danja executively produced the Crunktown and Kingdom of Dance cuts while the Groove City offerings were overseen by Tricky Stewart and Jasper Cameron.

"High Price" (featuring Ludacris) was the original lead single and an example of what Ciara had created under the crunk theme.

The final recordings where up-tempo pop-tinged, house, and freestyle cuts under the theme Kingdom of Dance which can be heard on the album's second single "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake).

However, during an interview the editor of Vibe in April, magazine Ciara confirmed that along with changing management she had dropped the three disc idea.

DC Comics artist Bernard Chang helped Ciara create the character for the album artwork.

In September 2008, Ciara promoted the forthcoming release of the album at Austell's Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park, with her parents and fans in attendance.

[14] For a limited period of time UK and European customers at Foot Locker were given the chance to download an exclusive remix of "Go Girl" and had the opportunity to win a meeting with Ciara in person.

Ciara spoke about the controversy surrounding the track "Turntables" featuring Chris Brown, saying that it will be on the album, but that it might sound different in a good way.

[19] On April 25, 2009 during the UK promotions, Ciara performed "Love Sex Magic", "Never Ever", "Goodies" and "1 2 Step" at London's G-A-Y nightclub.

"Turntables", which features Chris Brown, charted at number eighty in the United Kingdom, due to strong digital sales.

"I'm On", a deluxe edition bonus track, charted in Canada at number seventy-nine, due to strong digital sales.

In September 2009, it was revealed that Ciara had been in the studio recording her next album with Tricky Stewart and The-Dream during time which she would have been on tour.

Overall it is a record that manages to make you dance as much as retreat to the bedroom, Fantasy Ride is an album which could take Ciara to the much deserved next level.

Evidence that she is an under-rated balladeer comes in the form of "Keep Dancin' on Me", a shimmering slow jam, and the morning-after existential haze of "I Don't Remember", but a terpsichorean swagger remains at the heart of Ciara's world.

Few artists go as hard as she does on her club jams, whether inviting the world to 'kiss my swag' over kinetic freestyle beats on "Pucker Up", combining outraged soprano braggadocio with thunderous crunk baselines on the broiling "High Price" or gliding smoothly through the delectable, sun-kissed "Echo".

"[33] Digital Spy gave it three out of five stars and commented that "Fantasy Ride features much the same cast of producers as countless other R&B albums from the last couple of years, but these A-list knob-twiddlers rarely try anything risky or inventive here.

It actually offers a consistently sexy listen with enough minor triumphs – "Love Sex Magic", "Turntables" and the electro-scuzzy "Pucker Up" – to hold your attention.

"[41] However, Billboard gave it an average review, stating, "On 'High Price,' where she takes her vocals to an opera-like pitch, and her collaboration with the-Dream, 'Lover's Things,' whose faint tenor would seem like an ideal match, Ciara seems to go almost unnoticed.

This made it Ciara's third consecutive album to debut within the top three on that chart, making her only the fourth female artist to do so during this decade.