Love Sex Magic - Composition

Composition

With "Love Sex Magic," Ciara moved in a more pop direction than her past music. Jordan Sargent of PopMatters noted that while a pop fan might see the singer "back in her mind creatively," a Ciara fan would see the song as "signal the end of the singer's career as it once was." Sargent stated that the song "sounds nothing like the chrome-plated crunk&b nor the moonlit balladry that Ciara has staked her name on." Musically, the song is a dance-pop-R&B number which makes use of electro and funk music, as well as displaying disco and soul influences. The song has a minimalistic dance beat, with a "funky, retro 70s style R&B guitar" as the backdrop. Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald said that the song is influenced by Timberlake's disco-funk work on FutureSex/LoveSounds, stating that "it sounds like a reworked version of his bass-heavy dance number "Sexy Ladies." Carter commented that Timberlake was "ushering Ciara away from her typically crunk-laced stylings in favor of JT’s electro-slide." Ann Powers of The Los Angeles Times said that the song was "Madonna-esque." Both Ciara and Timberlake provide verses, accompanied by vocal whims and falsetto. According to Bill Lamb of About.com, the song "lays aside pretentions of deep meaning and instead encourages a fun-filled trip to the dance floor." Lamb noted the "vocal magnetism" between Ciara and Timberlake in the song. He found that the song features a "smooth breakdown."