Track Review: Ciara & Summer Walker, ‘Better Thangs’

A few months ago, Ciara launched her return to music with “Jump,” a middling collaboration with Coast Contra that failed to make much of an impact. This time around, the multihyphenate recruits Summer Walker for “Better Thangs,” a song that finally ushers Ciara into the contemporary without sacrificing the elements of her sound that we all fell in love with.

Ciara and Summer Walker, a fellow native Atlanta-bred R&B titan, find a sublime medium between their sounds over the track’s bouncy production courtesy of Deli Banger, I Am Kevo, and Theron Thomas. With a bassline that recalls Summer’s JT-assisted “Ex for a Reason,” which, in turn, recalls Ciara’s 2000s output, “Better Thangs” blends Ciara’s lightweight vocal performance with sturdy kickdrums and a trap-inflected beat. Moreover, Summer’s slightly slurred delivery helps modernize Ciara’s rap-sung cadence.

The premise of the song is self-explanatory, Ciara and Summer are championing moving on to more peaceful and, well, better things in their lives. While it’s a simple song from a lyrical standpoint, “Better Thangs” is packed with undeniable melodic choices that feel, at once, familiar and fresh. Add the brassy instrumental break near the song’s conclusion, and you have an irrefutable hit. At the very least, this is a better collaboration than the absurd “Ciara’s Prayer” from Summer’s Still Over It album.

“Better Thangs” has the potential to do for 2022 Ciara what “Body Party” did for 2013 Ciara. This song feels less stale than “Jump,” and it’s infinitely more interesting than anything on Beauty Marks. Nonetheless, at its core, this is a Ciara song. From the glittery grit of its Atlanta trap foundation to her trademark feather-light vocal delivery, “Better Thangs” is an easy winner. As the best Ciara song in about seven years, “Better Thangs” is the right track to formally launch CiCi’s new record.

Score: 71