VIBE.COM

To let SoundScan tell it, Ciara’s 2009 album, Fantasy Ride, was more like a kiddie coaster. The singer is already on to the next one, though, working exclusively with Tricky Stewart and The-Dream on her as-yet-untitled follow-up.

There’s no release date yet, but Stewart-who’s executive producing-tells VIBE that recording is “going really well” and “getting close to the point where it’s done.”

The sound they’re going for, he adds, is along the lines of “Goodies” and “1, 2 Step,” the hit singles off Ciara’s 2004 debut, Goodies. “I really felt like Ciara’s first album was a classic. I just wanted to make sure that the people that loved that first album would love this album,” says Stewart. “I wanted to make sure that it kinda had that hood around-the-way feel to it again.”

For fans, that means more uptempo dance tracks than slow burners. “We’re definitely making sure when people put this album on they’re like, ‘I got my money’s worth. It’s a great album’,” says Stewart.