Ciara: The Evolution - Composition

Composition

For the album artwork, Ciara included many stylized images. She expresses her "evolution of fashion" strongly through the photography. Andy Kellman of Allmusic said "even the album's sleek cover, somewhere between RoboCop and Pointer Sisters' Break Out, has a devolved look."

Throughout the album, there are several interludes that all start with "The Evolution." Each interlude deals with different things, such as fashion and dance. The songs following the interlude all relate to the interlude. The album's opening track, "That's Right", is before the first interlude, and was produced Lil Jon, who is also featured on it. It is described as an "electrifying album opener." Ciara sings with a "sexy mellow voice with Jon's in your face type rapping." It received positive reviews from music critics. The song was scheduled as the fourth single, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons. A music video was released for the song in late December 2007. The second single "Like a Boy" was well received by critics. It is a female empowerment song, which discusses double standards in society and relationships.

"The Evolution of Music," the third track, is an interlude which Ciara narrates how she wanted to record music for the album that is different from others on the radio. The interludes serve as monologues and a "welcome message to be yourself and be confident." The fourth track, "Promise", was critically acclaimed. The song, described as "Prince-ly ballad" and "sci-fi R&B," became Ciara's first single without a featured act to peak in the Billboard top twenty. "I Proceed" is the fifth track on the album. Many critics compared the song to Janet Jackson in the 1980s and called it a "Missy Elliott-style throwback" jam. The sixth track from the album, "Can't Leave 'Em Alone", received mixed reviews from critics. A negative review called the song "very bad pop-lite" while a positive review published that the song is "simply another Darkchild classic." The J.J. Fad–ness C.R.U.S.H. is the seventh track. It details about a young woman having a high school crush on a guy and she yearns to be his girlfriend. The eighth track, "My Love" was co-produced by Ciara. The song is interpreted to be directed towards Ciara's former boyfriend, Bow Wow. It received favorable reviews from critics.

"The Evolution of Dance" is the second interlude and the ninth track on the album. Ciara tells how she started dancing and how she became the dancer that she is. The tenth track, "Make It Last Forever," is a "real cool dance/party cut," which samples Rob Base's "It Takes Two." The crunk–pop "Bang It Up," the eleventh track, received favorable reviews from critics. The song is a mixture of "half-spoken vocal style" and "sweetly, flirtatiously rapping." The album's lead single and twelfth track, "Get Up", was released as the lead single from the film soundtrack Step Up. The single received mixed reviews from critics and fans, being called a "dead ringer for "1, 2 Step."

"The Evolution of Fashion" is the third interlude and thirteenth track on the album. Ciara gives influential advice about changing a unique fashion style and others will follow the trend. The fourteenth track, "Get In, Fit In," is a 1980s electronica track. The song received mixed reactions. "The Evolution of C" is the fourth and final interlude on the album. Ciara details about how her life has changed within the past two years. The album closes with three ballads, beginning with the sixteenth track, "So Hard." The song received mixed reviews from critics. It has been called a "slog," but it "surpass the aching and breaking moments on the debut." The seventeenth track, "I'm Just Me," had mixed reception. The final track "I Found Myself" is a "quite beautiful and moving epic suite."