ASHANTI
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩

Ashanti has just the right blend of style, sexiness and street attitude. She's pretty and ultra cool. She has a sweetness and class about her, yet she kicks it with the Murderers. She's everything the new princess of hip hop and RnB should be.

It was "a bottle of mixed emotions" for Ashanti to nervously see her debut album hit the stores, but she needn't of worried as it became a massive hit and when it did hit the number one spot Ashanti felt crazy; "just in the air"!

She not only is a great singer but her song writing abilities shine too, she writes most of her own songs on here. Not only did she help pen the hit "Ain't It Funny (Remix)" for J-Lo and label mate Ja Rule but many others (including Enrique Inglesias) are jumping on the bandwagon and trying to get Ashanti to write their hits for them; "A couple of people have been kicking some things in my ear about the lyrics, wanting me to write for them, which is an honor."

"[The] Creative process was crazy . . . We were all in the studio just vibing, you know, about everything on the album and we had came up with the idea. Even the look itself, it would be crazy just to have one word titles. All the songs have, you know, significant meaning, and just to name them with one word is very powerful to me, so I think it turned out hot . . . I didn't want to sing only slow songs and I didn't want to be spittin' rhymes. But Mary Blige put those concepts together. She cleared the way, and now I'm following my own path . . .[I] want to create something so real and reflective that people just sit back and listen like, 'damn, was she in my window last night, because this really happened to me . . . Everyone has gone through something that's on this album, and I want to be able to articulate their feelings . . . [if] you're a person who has trouble expressing yourself, all you have to do is pop in this album and it'll speak for you," she said sincerely. "When you listen to this album with your man or your girl, everybody will be on the same page

Ashanti has that crucial combination of street smart toughness and vulnerable femininity. You can imagine having fiery moments with her, yet also being the ultimate person to chill out with. She's the girl next door who would get along with both young and old generations, yet she likes to spend her time receiving a little thug love.

Ashanti guest-starred her way to the top which did everything for her career, it made her the path to get to where she is today.

Her home county of Glen Cove have declared an "Ashanti Douglas Day" and on homecoming she was presented with the keys to the city.

THE ALBUM
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

The album debuted at number one and was a huge success with her first week sales setting a Soundscan record as the most albums sold by any first-time female artist in the charts history. It was also the fastest selling album ever made by a female artist.

This came right after making Billboard history by having all her first three chart entries ("Foolish", "Always On Time" and "What's Luv?") enter the top 10 at the same time. She was the first female to ever accomplish it and the only people to accomplish it before her were The Beatles. The songs weren't just top ten, two of them took up the number one and number two positions, which is rare, and a spectacular feat.

She also simultaneously hit the top spot of both the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and the R&B/Hip Hop Singles and Tracks chart with the leading hit off this album, "Foolish". "Foolish" was the biggest hit of 2002 spending eleven weeks at number one of the pop charts.

So before this debut album was even released Ashanti was already the biggest new thing of summer 2002. It was a phenomenal if blatantly manufactured success, for both Ashanti and the whole of the Murder Inc team.

"I didn't think it was going to be the worst album in the world," Ashanti says, reflecting on her four times platinum debut, "but I never thought it was going to be so positively received and powerful."

THE VOICE
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Ashanti's voice is silky and flows flawlessly.

She can sing, but is not over the top in proving this. She is never showy, she doesn't warble or drag words out unnecessarily and she never sounds nasal. She's got a great voice and doesn't feel the need to over expose that, she keeps it all grounded. It's a rich voice without being throaty.

Her voice eases into each word, almost lazily. It's sweet, and soft and light, yet has that sexy, sultry powerful edge when it needs it. It sometimes understated a delicate whisper of a breathy suggestion. As the saying goes; sometimes, a whisper is louder than a scream and Ashanti has realized the potential of this and become proficient at it. Her voice teases rather than flaunts. It's an sultry voice, and there's no better way to seduce than a hushed smouldering tone.

Her beautiful, supple voice easily fluctuates between being radio friendly sweetness and light, laden with a knowing innocence, to being sultry and chocolately smooth. This enables her to provide that pretty melodic vibe for easy listening, yet work equally well over the distinctly urban hip hop based Murder Inc beats and production. It has drive, yet never gets intense, no matter what the subject matter. This makes some critics label her voice thin and insubstantial but to me it's euphonious and makes for great listening to hear her soft voice. Even when she's lovelorn, it's without any strain. She never over emotes, but that's not to say she couldn't if she wanted to.

Her voice only falters once on this album (as mentioned above) and flows fluidly over the tight production.

THE SOUND
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

This album is very relaxed and sounds smooth and fresh. The whole album is both sexy and romantic, with the entire subject matter being love and love lost.

The production coming from Murder Inc's Irv Gotti, with 7Aurelius playing the majority of instruments on all tracks as well as producing, is as flawless as all Murder Inc tracks. The instrumentals provided by 7Aurelius and fresh beats provided by Gotti blend together perfectly and liquefy under Ashanti's vocals. The light yet catchy hooks are insistent and memorable and will have you singing them (in your head at the very least) for days after hearing them, to the point where you may start to annoy yourself! They are ear grabbing and get into you and have you vibing along whether you intend to or not, they are utterly infectious. The deep bass is sensuous and sets a thumping grounding for the rest of the ultra smooth music production. The production is so clever it can be difficult to tell what instruments are real and what's machine created, which is exactly how it should sound, genius. It manages to be the ultimate in sensual and cool yet still manages to feel understated, which is an accomplishment in itself. I didn't expect anything less than the suave feel that Murder Inc have created here, which gives the whole album a mellow vibe that allows the savvy hooks to bore themselves into your memory.

It's a modern RnB album, with the hip hop edge that comes along with rolling with the Murderers. Yet, in saying that, it drifts so effortlessly that it also feels like chill out or easy listening music. It's just naughty enough for a parental advisory sticker, yet you would not feel like you need to turn this off if your granny pops in for a cup of a tea. The sounds is breezy and sugary, and are the perfect songs to blast out on a summer day, as the radio stations did back in 2002. They're bouncy and egdy yet radio friendly and playful.

Irv Gotti's views on Ashanti; "She had flow, bounce and content. There's no other artist that you can say has this much hip-hop urgency, but yet is R&B."

INTRO
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Short intro showcasing what Ashanti has done in the past such as "Always On Time" with Ja Rule and "What's Luv?" With Fat Joe etc. This culminates with a radio presenter telling us here's Ashanti in at number one with "Foolish", cue an explosive noise and the beginning of the next track.

Best bit: It reminds you where you've heard her before and showcases her talent.

FOOLISH
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

You've probably heard this it's been out years and was huge. It's really mellow and laid back and I'm sure most people can relate to the lyrics; "See my days are cold without you, But I'm hurting while I'm with you". It's about that relationship that you just can't leave, even though being with the person isn't making you happy.

The piano loop gives it a really mellow vibe which the laid back percussion, complete with wind chimes, really compliments. Irv and 7 do the producing and it's obvious, as with all Murder Inc songs, the production is flawless. It's the vocals that shine here and Ashanti shows us she's got the voice to become something great.

This is a slow tempo bounce, RnB, pain is love song. If you had to draw comparisons here I guess it would be with people like Alicia Keyes, Aaliyah and Amerie.

The lyrics are something I personally can really relate to, throughout the whole song, but on the middle eight is where it really comes to its peak, and has me reminiscing the times when I've felt and been in the exact same situation; "See, when I get the strength to leave you, You always tell me that you need me, And I'm weak cos I believe you, And I'm mad because I love you, So I stop and think that maybe, You could learn to appreciate me, Then it all remains the same, That you ain't ever gonna change."

It contains a sample from "Stay With Me" written by E. Jordan and M. DeBarge which chances are you will have heard when it was previously featured on B.I.G.'s "One More Chance." Ashanti was critisced saying that the song only received such success because it was using that tune. I personally believe this is the best use of it to date and I love the track.

Best bit: The true to life lyrics and amazing vocals.

HAPPY
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

This starts with pan pipes and a strong beat with a slight hip hop bounce, with the superb Ja Rule introducing us to the new princess of hip hop and RnB: Ashanti, with her "angelic voice". This is laid back and the pan pipe sounds give it a really understated chilled out feel. The pan pipes give it a summery breeziness and the whole track just feels pretty. The base is really catchy, with its slow-fast beat and it's use of bongos to set it apart from your regular hip hop beat. The track over all sounds really summery and bubbly.

They've used a sample of Gap Band's "Outstanding" and they've used it well.

Ashanti's vocals are brilliant, and show good range, from the softly sweetly style to the belt it out powerful parts.

It's about finding that special one and just being so happy about it; "I'm so happy baby, Boy you got me feeling do good, You take all my pain away from me, Without you around I couldn't be, And I'm glad you fell in love with me"

This was also released as a single so when you hear it, it may sound familiar although it wasn't as big a hit as Foolish and it does lack that certain something that Foolish has to make it a hit but it is still an amazing song, perhaps even better.

Ashanti is perhaps the person who can describe it best as it's personal to her: "It's just a great vibing record. It's a feel-good record, especially for the summer, and that's where we kind of want to gear it toward. I'm talking about how you found that person and you were searching for him and you're just happy."

It also has some lyrics reminiscent of another track she did with Ja Rule and Nas, "The Pledge". In that song she croons; "You know that I can't see myself, Livin' without you, Bein' without you
Breathin' without you, baby" and here she sings; "I wouldn't be without you babe, couldn't see me without you baby". Some may say this is a weakness but to me I like the fact that when I hear it I'm reminded of another great tune she's on.

Best bit: The vocals and the summery music.

LEAVING (ALWAYS ON TIME PART II) FT JA RULE
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Those who were a fan of the original Always On TIme will be possibly dissapointed as this is nothing like the original, those who didn't like the original may love this. I love both even though I think it's a little silly to name this Always On Time Part II, part of me feels that it was just called that so that when people look at the back of the album box they think "Hmm I liked Foolish, I liked Happy, ooh I loved Always On Time I bet this will be great"....However that doesn't stop it from being a good song.

It does however contain somewhat of an answer to Ja's question in the original Always On Time: "Oh I, feel like you living a double life, cos you don't be coming home sometimes, baby but you're always on time"......Ashanti's reply here being; "You know you turn me on and on that's why I switch my frame of mind of being there when you call always on time." Not necessarily the best line ever written but I feel that and the fact Ja is on the track is the only real connection between the two songs.

The melody is great and Ashanti's vocals are sweetly delivered but the lyrics lack somewhat. They're okay, the general gist is she's leaving for now because she wants to spread her wings and be free etc.

Ja's verse is good but not up to usual Ja standards! It's mainly sung, which can be a bit hit and miss with him as much as I love him. He does okay here don't get me wrong, but compared with the quality of standards on his albums it doesn't show him off to his full ability. I don't mean to come across critical here as I do like it, I just feel if you have never heard a Ja Rule song before, this part wouldn't necessarily spur you into wanting to hear more of his tracks.

This track contains a musical interpolation of "Outstanding" by Raymond Calhoun.

It's the melody that really carries this track and makes it thoroughly listenable and enjoyable even though the lyrics aren't outstanding.

On the second verse the middle two lines feel like Ashanti's struggling and going out of her vocal range a bit. Her voice doesn't seem to be able to cope with the low notes and it makes you cringe a bit that they've included this flaw but before you know it she's back up doing the floaty vocals that she's so good at and you soon forget all about it.

Best bit: The melody.

NARRATIVE CALL (SKIT)
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

I hate skits so in my opinion it would be better if you could delete tracks off an album and I'd delete them all. This is just Ashanti talking about being in a relationship where you have power over each other - which I can definitely relate. And it's an intro into the next which is saying "When you call, I come running".

Best bit: You can (or at least I can) relate to what she's saying, but you wouldn't really want to listen to it more than once and it breaks up the flow of the album.

CALL
♪♫♩♬♪♫

Ashanti's singing sounds a bit odd here. It's kind of deep and has had some sort of echoey effect applied to it. I guess it's a darker feel than the rest of the songs. I don't think it shows her vocal ability to its best but it does show her diversity. It's not just the vocals that give it it's darker edge, the pounding beats and defined guitar plucks give it a melancholy vibe.

This provides a bit of variety from the sound of the rest of the songs and breaks the album up a bit which is good.

I wouldn't say this is one of my favourite tracks as the lyrics and the vocals are quite repetitive and after a minute or so you get the idea and nothing much changes for the rest of the song. It's not one you need to skip though which I think is good when you can listen to an album without having to skip tracks.

That's not to say there are no good lyrics here, I have definitely been in situations were I can totally relate to what Ashanti is saying here. There is always that guy that it doesn't matter when he calls you, or what has happened, you will always go running and more to the point, you want to, you're more than willing; "I want you needing me and I'll come running baby that's the way it's gonna be"

Best bit: The guitar plucks set it apart from the rest and sound fab.

SCARED FT IRV GOTTI
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

This is a slower quieter song talking about being scared to let yourself go and fall in love and wanting to be sure that the other person would be in it for real or whether it would just be casual to them; "I couldn't be just a girl that your're seeing once a month, cause if it
goes down better believe I'm gonna be your only one." It's been done before without a doubt and there is nothing groundbreaking here but it's nonetheless and enjoyable track. This isn't a classic but again not one you feel inclined to skip.

Irv just does a bit of talking over the top here and there which sounds okay.

The rhythm of the vocals is quite good and the background music is quite understated. It has a fairly standard RnB beat, which isn't a bad thing, a guitar strum loop which gives it a slightly Oriental feel and a synth loop. The only part that gets slightly annoying is a loud percussion clap every few seconds that is irritating once you notice it!

Best bit: The mellow vibe the whole track has, perfect chill out music.

RESCUE
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Another slow tune that sounds pretty much the same as the last one which is only reinforced by Irv announcing "you still scared" at the beginning. The subject matter of the lyrics is different though; "All night long, Take me away to another place, rescue me, save me"

Again there's nothing that particularly makes it stand out from the other tracks particularly but it's alright to listen to and it would be hard to hate it.

It's supposed to be Ashanti's take on sexy I think, imagine love making in silhoutte, not sexy in a Christina Aguilera way; "laying here with you in the dark, I always knew you could shift my heart, When I'm with you I don't want to stop so rescue me".

The synth waves add interest to a musical back drop which sounds almost identical to the previous track, so much so they could just be one long song. That's not to say it's a bad thing, they music on both is good but nothing outstanding.

What I like about Ashanti is she kicks it with the likes of Ja Rule yet she sometimes sounds very like me, such as openly admitting she's "so obsessed with this love [she's] found". It makes me feel like she's just a regular girl, not saying what the guys want to hear, but what she actually feels. And they all love her despite not always saying guy friendly things.

Best bit: The vocals here are great.

BABY
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩

This was another single and one of the better songs on the album. This is one about being truly in love, when you're in so deep that they truly are the best thing to ever happen to you: "See I could never feel alone with you (in my life), I give up everything I own for you (won't think twice), Almost a shame how I'm mesmerized (such a shame), I lose my thought looking in your eyes (I know why), Because your kisses make my lip quiver (And that's real) And when you touch me my whole body shivers, Now I can see how another human life, Could have the power to take over mine" I like the way the whole song is sung in the bracket type format! It's hard to explain what I mean; I guess you'd have to listen to understand. It's kind of like she is doing a call and response type duet with herself. It's difficult to describe but brilliant to listen to.

The slow tempo drum loop is a great basis to the track, and the keyboards provide a great melody but it's the vocals and lyrics that really make this track.

This is without a doubt my favourite track off the whole album.

Best bit: Without a doubt it's the way the lyrics are sung, I've tried (and possibly failed!) to describe it as best I can here but I really recommend checking it out because it sounds amazing!

VOODOO
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

It's disappointing that this starts off with a telephone message, it's bad enough to have to hear them in the skits, but please if you're going to do it leave them there.

Once it gets into the tune though her voice is more urgent on this track, but she doesn't over emote, it never gets whiny. It almost sounds dreamy. The guitar loop and keyboard give the track a kind of surreal feel. The synth and percussion, are hectic and add a certain confusion to the back drop.

The vocals are repetitive and fit in with the unreal sound of this track. For me lyrically it lacks somewhat and the recurring vibe becomes a little boring. This isn't one of my favourite tracks but musically it provides a little variety to the album.

Best bit: The diversity of this track compared to the rest.

MOVIES
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

The use of xylophones, whistling synths, shuffling beats and pretty strings provide a cute and dreamy touch. It's slow tempoed and Ashanti succeeds in sounding both so sweet and innocent whilst undeniably sexy and sultry here.

Lyrically she manages to exude sex appeal without being explicit. She conveys her feelings just as well using words such as "loving" and "kissing" to provide that innocent take on her sexual desires. That's not to say she doesn't give a little bit more to play on your imagination, just that whilst doing this she creates a romantic vibe also.

She dares to take it a bit further with lines such as; "You just can't get enough of me now, I'm on the phone telling you I'm all alone, So come on over I'm out the shower now,
About to oil down, I can't wait till you get here" which are sure to paint the picture she wants to in a guys mind. It says just enough to make her a sex symbol as well as a musically talented artist, without being to brash or trashy about it.

The picture it paints is that Ashanti is sexual but that she'll satisfy her needs by candlelight and that the little things such as holding hands are just as relevant.

Best bit: The way it conveys a sexual theme without being tacky or tasteless.

FIGHT (OVER SKIT)
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Fight is another skit with an explicit argument between Ashanti and someone pretending to be her boyfriend. It's boring, it's pointless, and it's one of the only things to warrant the CD its parental advisory sticker.

Best bit: When it ends.

OVER
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

The slow tempo beat, soft keyboard and guitar beat give it a sweet yet sad mellow vibe. This song even comes complete with thunderclap sound effect scattered about it.

On certain words she is singing a few times at once, if that makes sense. A trick of production, and a clever one at that. It emphasises certain words, it's unexpected and it sounds brilliant.

Lyrically it's a sad reflection on a relationship that has reluctantly come to an end. It isn't bitter, but it's almost mournful. You can hear Ashanti's sorrow yet her voice remains quite breezy, that's not to say it doesn't convey the emotion though, it's almost like an acceptance in her voice, a sort of "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" mood; "What you asked I almost did it automatically, but it was nothing compared to the joy you gave me"

By the second verse Ashanti is starting to become a little more irate; "late at night I'm sitting waiting up for you, just to tell you how I hate who you turned into" she sings and by the third verse she's into the second stage of grieving; anger. Here she tells him if he ever sees her not to even bother talking to her; "Whenever you see me don't even speak, I'll never forget what you did to me".

Best bit: The mellow vibe and oh so sweetly soft vocals.

UNFOOLISH
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

Ashanti describes this as an uplifting record. It sees the Foolish girl she, and us, once were getting there acts together; "It's like, 'We're not gonna take it anymore. I'm glad to get you out of my system. I'm not gonna be foolish anymore.'"

It starts off with an acapella of the "Foolish" chorus, with Biggie sampled in the background saying "And another one". It lifts a verse from B.I.G's "F*ck You Tonight", which sounds okay but I don't feel fits in with the song. I love Murder Inc, but sometimes I feel they sample for the sake of sampling, i.e. "Look at us we got clearance on 2 Pac songs and here we are getting permission to use Biggie material too." Which is a fair point of them to make, everyone wants to be involved with them, but to sample something that doesn't fit in with the theme of the song seems somehow a little stupid on the Inc's part. It was perhaps included to give Ashanti a bit more bad girl credibility but I don't feel she needs it and if the lyrics to B.I.G's part had the slightest thing to do with the subject matter of the song it would be a different story but B.I.G spitting lines such as; "finger f*ckin in the park" have nothing to do with what this song is about.

The Biggie song originally featured R Kelly singing "I'm f*cking you tonight" which Ashanti replaces with "I'm leaving you tonight".

All that said this is a good song. If you liked "Foolish" then you're going to like the sound of this song, and it has that empowering attitude of actually getting the guts to leave the guy that you're foolish to be with; "I think I finally found my strength to get up and leave . . . Glad to wake up every day without you on my brain, No more waiting late up at night, No more havin' to fuss and fight, I'm proud to say that I will never make the same mistake, No more thinkin' about what you do, There's no more of me runnin' back to you"

Best bit: The empowering lyrics.

SHI SHI (SKIT)
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪

A pointless phone call of Ashanti's younger sister Kenashia.

Best bit: It doesn't have one.

DREAMS
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪

This starts off with kids talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Ashanti then softly sings that "Dreams are real all you have to do is just believe . . . There is nothing that should ever take your heart away, From what it is you wanna to do" I guess it's heartbreakingly true but as clichéd as they come. The good sweet melody complete with wind chimes, bubbly and shooting synth effects, real piano and a beat that is barely there make this too sugary sweet for my liking. The children's choir are just too much and takes corniness to an all time high. The music here sounds more real; a live drum kit, an acoustic guitar, piano etc. It's very different from the electronic generation of most of the music and production but personally I prefer that expertly produced sound.
and acoustic guitar.

Best bit: The vocals are light and fluffy and she gives some good, if not slightly condescending advice.

THANK YOU
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬

This is an accapella that shows off her singing ability to it's best, with nothing to detract away from it. It's saying a special thank you to someone for being in her life.

Best bit: The talent shown in the vocals.

VERDICT
♪♫♩♬♪♫♩♬♪♫

Ashanti's album is not the most original or groundbreaking but where there may not be much outstanding about it, there is little to say bad about it. The reason it doesn't warrant a higher rating from me is not because I don't enjoy listening to it, rather that it lacks that something. It's not distinctive enough to be a classic, but enjoyable enough for repeated listens. The album flows well from one track to the next, perhaps too well as it all becomes a bit of a blur, leaving you not being able to remember what song the line you've got stuck in your head is from. It's a pleasurable blur, one that shows much talent, but a blur none the less.

It's a perfect background album, whether to set the mood with that special someone (which it would do although I think 112s Hot and Wet may get you more results in that department!) or perhaps the best way to describe it is it's perfect 'bath' music; relaxing, uncomplicated and blissful. It would simply allow you to drift away.

What you have to remember is not to be too harsh on Ashanti if this album isn't the greatest in the world; if you think back to other debuts such as Christina Aguilera, J Lo and Alicia Keys, this is above par in that line of comparison. It also paved the way for her to be able to develop as an artist and release two more successful albums to date.

I think it's a shame that we didn't see more of a Ja and Ashanti collaboration here. He only really features properly on one track, and that is brief. The two show such spark and chemistry in tracks such as "Put It On Me" and "Mesmerize" (especially the bond you can actually see between them in the videos) that it's a shame there wasn't at least one duet of that standard on here.

The combination of Ashanti's amazing vocals and Irv Gotti's street heavy unblemished production was a sure fire success and gained her the multi platinum success she deserves. The result is simply adorable.

Her dreamy voice and song writing abilities captured the radio audiences and oozes youth appeal, whilst not being offensive on the ears of the older generation.

Ashanti's debut isn't anything new but it is a fantastic album. She definitely didn't break any new ground here, but proved you don't need to, to have a hugely successful album and career.

She doesn't need to resort to dramatic vocals to gain interest; she simply communicates pure emotion on every track effortlessly. She knows the advantage of the low-key slow-burn style that this album follows, though it's rooted undoubtedly hip hop it remains sensual and consistent from beginning to end.

I would recommend this, with a certain enthusiasm, despite it not being an all time classic, it would be hard to dislike it.