Ashanti has finally returned to reclaim her throne after four long years out of the spotlight since her last major label release "Concrete Rose." After a few failed buzz singles (the Nelly-featured “Switch,” and “Hey Baby (After the Club)” she has been stirring up interest with her smash hit-single "The Way That I Love You." While Ashanti fans are so ready for this album, "The Declaration," we're gonna let you know if you should add her fourth solo project to your collection.
Imagine the pressure on the R&B princess. She has got a lot to prove 'cause this is the first work she has put out where she has creative control. That means no direction from mentor/producer Irv Gotti, no collaborations with Ja Rule or regular in-house producers down with The Inc. so we weren't sure what to expect.
We love that really works with what she has while asserting her own identity. This is especially the case when she hooks up with the producer L.T. Hutton. He's the mastermind behind the single "The Way That I Love You" where Ashanti shines and is at her best. He also produced "Struggle" and "You're Gonna Miss" which are very catchy tunes. Even the beat of the slow jam "Girlfriend" knocks, which is a plus. We're really feeling these songs 'casue they fit Ashanti's style so well. This is her zone and where she sounds best. She comes off as sensual and confident which is a winning combination for the young diva in the making.
ASHANTI - The Declaration in stores now!
01. Intro
02. The Way That I Love You Click Here to Listen to this Track
03. You’re Gonna Miss
04. So Over You
05. Struggle
06. Girlfriend
07. Things You Make Me Do (featuring Robin Thicke) Click Here to Listen to this Track
08. In These Streets
09. Good Good Click Here to Listen to this Track
10. Body On Me (featuring Nelly and Akon) Click Here to Listen to Snippet
11. Mother
12. Shine
13. The Declaration/ Outro.
The singer seems very comfortable with being totally in charge of her career. We really the song "Body On Me" where she collaborates with Akon & Nelly. It's a cool song. Your man Akon did his thing both as a producer and artist on this jam. However, the chemistry sparks weren't flying between Ashanti and her boo, Nelly, like we thought they'd be.
The other guest appearance is Robin Thicke on "Things You Make Me Do" and this song is really nice. We're really feelin' this one 'cause it's something a little different coming from Ashanti. The two artists sound good together on this track 'cause their voices compliment and balance each other out. We've gotta give credit where it's due to the production team of Channel 7, Keith Ross and Chad Beatz who are responsible for this joint. We love the tone of this one where Ashanti owns her sound of a seductive-siren who's in control of what she says and how she says it.
We're also diggin' the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins produced "Over You" that's a breakup anthem that celebrates the single life and moving on. Some other songs we like the lyrics to are the heartfelt, inspirational "Shine" (Prod. Peter Stengaard) and "Mother" (Prod. Baby Face| Anthony M) because they're very uplifting ballads.
She switches to bad girl with ease on "Good Good" (Prod. Jermaine Dupree) which is a cute, flirty track where she confidently boasts about her sex appeal. This song will get your head boppin' and body rockin' for sure. You'll wanna put this feel good tune that says summer time and club scene on blast!
"In These Streets" (Prod. Neff-U) is a-ight.
While we understand what Ashanti was attempting to do on the title track "Declaration," which was meant to be a strong finish for the album, we felt that this Channel 7 produced track seemed a bit too strong for her voice leaving her to compete with the music instead of becoming one with it.
Ashanti does just fine on her own but fails to shine as bright as we know she can. One thing we noticed is that while Ashanti's sound and songwriting have improved, she doesn't break new ground by trying to do anything she hasn't done before. Overall, we believe she made good track selections and had chemistry with the producers she worked with but didn't take risks. Hopefully, she will on her next album now that she has proven to the world that she can do it on her own.
All in all, we believe that Ashanti shows great potential for emerging from a princess to a higher level of hip hop/R&B royalty as a top notch diva by making a few changes. It's a matter of teaming up with the right Producers/Songwriters and Vocal Coaches that will push her to the next level and draw out emotions from deep within so she delivers rich, deep, soulful music. The songs on this album scratch the surface but they fall short emotionally. Hookin' up with high-caliber cats like Bryan-Michael Cox, NeYo & The Dream would do the trick.
Ashanti's "The Declaration" is a really good album with plenty of solid songs to choose from that you can relate to. We were rockin' to it and it's worth copin'. So, if you're in the mood for love and the disappointments of heartache from a position of strength set to up-tempo beats that bump then this album is for you.
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