People first started hearing about Ashanti when a couple of years ago she started appearing in other peoples music videos and collaborating with other, more established artists including Ja Rule in his song titled “Always On Time” and Fat Joe's single calleds 'Whats luv?'. After all these appearances people started to notice her and become more interested and sure enough, she released her first solo single, 'Foolish'.

Anyway, if you havent heard any of her music then undoubtedly you will have heard of J.Lo's music, whether you like it or not. If you heard the (much-better-than-the-original) remix of 'Aint it funny', Ashanti wrote that song, and she sang the chorus on 'I'm Real', a fact that J.Lo was a little annoyed about when everyone found out...

Ok, fairly unexciting stuff here, just a load of 'cut n paste' style bits of various collaborations with other artists. It is supposed to act as a reminder of all her previous work and the opening line on the album is 'Previously on Ashanti'. I skip it as its kinda pointless after you have heard it once.

This was Ashanti’s first release from her self-titled album and is probably the song that she is best known for. It is one of the best songs on the whole album and is a good opening track. If you havent heard it then it is a smooth rnb song with a bit of attitude and plenty of piano to be heard in the background. The tune from the piano is fairly prominent and plays the same few notes repeatedly throughout the whole song and really gets a bit annoying after a while, and the hook in the middle comes as a welcome relief to it. But dont get me wrong, it is a brilliant track, definitely one of the srongest on the cd. The narrative of the song is basically about her relationship with a man who is being a bit of a nobcheese, but she cant help loving him and taking him back foolishly even though he hurts her.

This was her next release after 'Foolish' and is a bit disappointing. It is a very summery song, and has a great beat, but it just doesnt match up to the standards of some of the other songs on the album and there are plenty of others which would have done better as a single. And another thing.... as I was mentioning earlier, Ja Rule doesnt neglect the chance to add 'Murda Inc' just before the song starts. I think he's just proud of it, but I think im just bored of it. This song is about being happy having found someone you love, and basically just about things going your way and enjoying it. Although, it has a good beat and summery, positive lyrics, the tune isnt really my cuppa tea and as I said, it doesnt stand out on the album as being one of the stronges songs.... I usually skip it if I cant be bothered with it.

This song sounds pretty different to the version most people have heard that Ja Rule released. However, this isnt a bad thing, and in fact the song is very catchy and she makes it her own, standing out from the previous original. Ja Rule also raps in the middle of the song and also kinda gives it a link back to the original first version, which ties the two together and stops them seeming so completely different.

I hate skits. This is Ashanti talking to a friend I assume, about a guy who she had a strange relationship with. The point? There isnt one. Spare us.

SCARED 8/10
This song is quite relaxing, but not to the boredom extent of the last one. The song also apparently features Irv Gotti but you would never guess, he just kinda whispers in the background a bit and ... oh yeah, thats it. Its quite a mellow song, which doesnt get boring to listen to after a few plays, and in fact it grew on me the more I listened to it. Although, having said that it is a bit much to listen to it more than a couple of times in a row, as it does get a little repetitive. It is one of the better songs on the album, but from her on the cd starts to get even better.

This song is a slow one, but not bad at all. I didnt think much of it when I listened to it at first, although, the more I heard it, the more I liked it. Its quite a slow, sensuous RnB song and Ashanti’s voice sounds amazing on this track. The chorus is basically the word 'Baby' over and over again, but surprisingly, the repitition in this song doesnt get too annoying as the tune and the whole sound of the song is quite hypnotic and calming. This definitely stands out on the album as being one of the best ones, and was released as a single, although I cant remember how well it did, but it definitely comes high on my list of her best songs.

From the very first time i heard this song I loved it, and it went on repeat on my cd player for about a week! It is sexy, slow and hypnotic. It is really just a reflection on the skit previously and she sings about how she cannot beleive that the relationship is over even though she saw it coming because he was treating her badly and things hadnt been the same for ages. 'Cant believe that its over baby, after all the bruises on my heart you gave me, see we tried, but you lied and i cried, now its over baby.' Definitely one of the best, if not THE best on the whole cd.

Shi shi is Ashanti's younger sister. This whole skit is an answerphone message from her to Ashanti, saying how proud she is of her sister and how happy she is for her. To be honest, it sounds so scripted, you can almost see her reading it straight off a sheet of paper and into the microphone. Really fake.