CiCi-Ti.com posted up this article about Ciara discussing her second album, "The Evolution" which drops in stores tomorrow.

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"Talkin' about an 'Evolution'

Not every artist was meant to evolve. Some work best as a cog in a wheel. Take Ciara. Two years ago, the singer had the good luck to be hired by some producers as the female voice for the hyper-male genre known as crunk. She wasn't cast for her personality, but for her lack of it, for the way she could inject a smooth and generic whiff of femininity into a world based entirely on a male-defined universe of strip clubs and pole-dancers.
The ushering in of Ciara was expressly designed to expand crunk's market into R&B. Ergo her marketing hook: "The queen of crunk 'n' b."
It worked - to the tune of 2.6 million copies sold of her 2004 debut, "Goodies".
Of course, yesterday's branding is today's big yawn. So it's no surprise that for CD No. 2, "The Evolution," Ciara's handlers have made it known that the singer had a hand in all the production and writing this time.
She also was allowed to pepper the CD with four spoken interludes, which all announce how much she has "evolved" artistically.
If only the grasps at growth flattered her. No matter how hard Ciara tries to let her true self show, the rhythms and production gimmicks steal attention from the singer at every turn. There may be more yearning ballads this time, but they always come defensively armed with a backbeat - which exudes more distinction than her voice.
Ciara comes from the Janet Jackson school of singing: Every peep arrives as an erotic exhale. At least the lack of personality gives her singing some pornographic appeal. You can project whatever you want onto it because Ciara has little character to get in the way.
None of this would matter if Ciara's producers had been allowed to plop her voice into songs that better suit her. But the attempts to let the singer grow discourage the kinds of novelty singles she excels at. The album's most effective pieces - "That's Right" or "Bang It Up" - conform to crunk's low-end sleaze. The rest stretches a thin band of talent to the snapping point."

{CiCi-Ti}

And in related news Ciara posted up a new myspace blog:

""Hey everyone im so excited!! Its only like 2days until the release of my new album, my Sophmore album!! This is soooo much fun!! I wake up every morning smiling not only because im living my dream, but also beacause i have wonerful fans like u. Thank u all so much for all your support!! This is going to be a fun ride, I feel it! The cool thing is that we get to take this ride together. With that being said, Dec 5th is a big day for US!:) Mark your calender on your wall, blackberry, sidekick, and phone!!:) Lets Go!! MORE ON THE LP: Ive Grown in so many different ways and im so happy to share it with u! THE EVOLUTION has definitely taken place. I wrote a tremendous amount my last album and I have also written so much on this album also i am now co-producing!!:) I am pushing myself harder everyday. I have also been so blessed to work with so many talented producers this time around. Rodney Jerkins, Pharell Williams, Lil John, Polow Da Don, Dallas Austin, B. Cox, co-produced a song with Will.I.AM.,and so many more! Of course i couldnt go with out any features, Chamillionaire and 50 cent are also on the album! I promise u all youre going to have so much fun listening to it. I wanted to make sure there was a good balance between the Energetic records, Groove records, and Slow Jams. There will also be a limited edition of the BET 2pack in Walmart and the Instructional Dance DVD will be in Target. But Remeber its only a limited edition so u must be there Dec 5th!!!! Again, Thank u all soooo much for your support. Love u all. xoxo"

{myspace}

Check out a recent interview with Ciara on CNN here! In this interview she discusses "Ciara: The Evolution" and more!

Okay in references to all these pictures of Ciara above, which look do you prefer? Blonde or black?