Ashanti [PA] - Ashanti > Reviews > Nice. End of.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money

Advantages:	some good ones
Disadvantages:	some bad ones

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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'.

Shortly before all of this happened, she was signed to Ja Rule's record label Murda Inc. And be warned, at every given opportunity on this album, you will hear the words 'murda inc.' or 'princess of RnB and hip hop' (Even more so on her next cd). It really irritates me after a while...

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...

So it is obvious that Ashanti is not only a great singer but also a great songwriter, and worte / co-wrote the whole album.

So, starting with track number 1...

--INTRO--

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.

FOOLISH -- 9/10

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.

HAPPY -- 5/10

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.

LEAVING (ALWAYS ON TIME PART II) -- 8/10

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.

NARRATIVE CALL (SKIT)

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.

CALL -- 3/10
Repetitive is the word I would use. A bit of a cut and paste song, its like she sang one line and they used it throughout the whole song. Her voice sound quite quiet and drones on all the way through - its like the eternal voice of someone who cant be bothered to sing, she sounds sleepy and bored, which made me want to go to sleep, surely a good album shouldnt do this?? Unless of course you are called David Gray.

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.

RESCUE -- 8/10

First things first, at seven minutes long, there needs to be some serious editing somewhere here. This isnt helped by the fact that about half the track is made up of just music, no singing and is a little unnecessary. Its another mellow song, another chill-out one and I liked it the more I heard of it. The tone of her voice is really nice and she isnt sounding too sleepy or too loud and powerful and her voice suits the song really well.

BABY -- 10/10

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.

VOODOO -- 8/10

This ones a bit more upbest than the last one and it has a catchy tune. It is definitely another one of the best songs on the album. It sounds a bit more hip hop than some of the previous more rnb style ones, which is refreshing after the couple of bad rnb tracks a while ago.

MOVIES -- 10/10

I love this song. Right from the first time I heard it and it got to the end of the song I was rewinding it back to the start to listen to it again. Its another slow hypnotic one, and its about how she wants to be in love with someone like in the movies, 'to have a man so in love it makes hiim drop to his knees'. Definitely a highlight to the album.

FIGHT (SKIT)

Yawn. Ashanti tells her bloke that they need to talk, she blames everything on him and he blames everything on her. Then she says its over. End of. (Plus the sound of rain and thunder and some naughty words.)

OVER 11/10

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.

UNFOOLISH 10/10

Personally, I prefer this version to her original one at the start of the cd. It is basically the same really but with opposite lyrics. It is much more positive, but the tune is still the same, however, this time she is saying that she is so happy now, having found the strength to walk away from a bad relationship. It sounds much more summery and upbeat, which comes just in time, after all the slower ones.

SHI SHI (SKIT)

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.

DREAMS 4/10

At the start of this one there are loadsa kid saying their name and what their dreams are, what they want to do when they are older. Very cute. But the song has a bit of a strange tune, the message is a cliched one and it is just boring. Although, there is a bit of a more guitar sound to it which makes a change from all the other songs and the lyrics, despite being a bit boring and cliched, are encouraging and the message of the song is inspirational.

THANKYOU 0/10

Ashanti without music... This was the track when I discovered that I dont actually like her voice much. She sounds great on all the other tracks, but then she sings on this one without music and it just makes her sound like she has a really loud, powerful voice, (not a bad thing) just that there needs to be something else there to add interest. Anyway, she thanks everyone who has been there for her and been important to her. But Im not really interested in that... couldnt she have just written it in her album sleeve, and not sung it? Irritating little song thing.

OVERALL

It took a while for some of the tracks to grow on me but once they did, it makes a really good album. Bar one or two dissappointing songs, skits and the weird thing at the end (her voice), it is actually quite good and overall i would give it an 8/10. Nice.

Thanks for the read! Missarty :P