Today's Song: Ciara featuring Future 'Body Party'
Ciara's "Body Party," the umpteenth effort to launch the singer's upcoming One Woman Army album, is something sex jams by people other than Prince and R. Kelly rarely are: legitimately clever in concept. Based on a sample of the opening of beloved 1996 bass anthem "My Boo," "Body Party" achieves an extremely modern atmosphere in its open nostalgia. The "Boo" foundation also gives "Party" a dance-music element without killing the sex vibe, another extremely modern choice. Ciara's flirtation with the melody of "My Boo" ("Boy you should know that...") and her boyfriend Future's adlibs are just right, weirdly tasteful for a song called "Body Party."
Lyrically, the song is pretty run-of-the-mill, although "My body's your party" infuses the song with a sense of fun that music about sex too often lacks. A would-be diva whose chops as a performer are meant to compensate for what her vocals lack, Ciara has long emulated Janet Jackson. The "Body Party" single cover, in fact, is all-out homage to that of Janet's "All for You." As she did on 2006's "Promise," here Ciara does Janet's baby-making legacy proud.