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THERE ARE ALSO SONGS TO DANCE TOO , AND OTHERS. YOU CAN PUT IT ON AND LET IT RIDE FROM BEGINING TO THE END. SOME SONGS ARE ABOUT HEARTBREAK AND PAIN AND OTHERS ARE ABOUT MOVING ON FROM HEART BREAK. I BEEN IN LOVE WITH THIS C.D. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMENED THIS C.D. THIS IS A GREAT C.D. SINCE IT FIRST CAME OUT, BUT IM WRIGHTING THE REVIEW LATE. FROM ASHANTI.
This album outside of the r and b world really wasn't that big either. There are a few tracks on the album that are alittle better.I think she should continue to make music, because i like variety. Good Good, Hey Baby,(the two lead singles) kind of suck.
She's going to be a dated artist. It almost copies off of Janet's 20 y.o. Ashanti's time is pretty much over now.
album,literally. I never heard any of the songs on the radio,plus it seems like their are alot of artists that similiar( Beyonce being an exact carbon copy). She was really popular in junior high and early in hs.
This album is good, but the problem is that none the tracks stand out.
The title song points to the contradictions in Ashanti's style very well,as she points again to her "realness" married to an overly bassy,clished backup. In this world of modern R&B you have a distinct group of clishes that,by some unwritten law need to be in every album released in the genre;1) The female diva declaring her independance vocall,especially from men while utilizing every egocentric and sexist MALE hip-hop producer to provide all of the music.2)The constant emphasis on "keeping it real" while being backed up by the most programmed and artificial of musical backup.3)The reliance on sexually explicit lyrics. "Good Good" is another good tune-very catchy and with very tasteful,if modern musical backing. Whereas before Ashanti wrote her material she relied on Rodney Jerkins,Jermaine Dupri and a number of likewise formuliac and clished hip-hop style producers to write most of the material here.
You don't even have to go there-this is about THE last kind of album you'd normally find my reviewing. So.this is one of those albums that,like Mariah's The Emancipation of Mimi - Platinum Edition could easily spell a new,more artistic beginning for this usually commercially ingratiating performer. The same goes for "Body On Me" with Nelly and the vocally inspid Akon where their vocals actually work and are very non intrusive.Those are two tunes here that everyone from teens to middle aged people can get down to at a party.Wheras much of this,like a lot of Ashanti's work is somewhat lyrically challanged the last few cuts look to change that."Mother",while musically uninteresting is a very genuine tribute to the lady who gave Ashanti life with enough gospel energy to make the musical clishes work."Shine" is simply wonderful,very out of place on this album-a full on piano based gospel fueled soul ballad with very empowering lyrics and a great composition. Frankly I find much R&B of the past two decades to be enormously shallow and worthless in many ways.
What Ashanti does is abandon her low key vocals in place of a more emotionally soulful approch.Even if this album is loaded with quite a lot of good but nonetheless filler material this has a strong set of excellent songs."The Way I Love You" is one example-it's production is modern but the "programmed" piano,I guess is well done and the composition is very strong and could stand the test of time pretty well."You're Gonna Miss" is similar but,on the other hand the production is far better;an 80's style funk jam in the spirit of the Prince/Cameo school that is,well to someone interested in that style my favorite tune on this album.Robin Thicke makes a cameo on "Things You Make Me Do" with a similar feel,only quirkier and slower but is a great duet,full of really genuine sexual energy. Mariah was not able to maintain that pattern on her follow up E=MC2 but considering where Ashanti has built from we can only hope Ashanti doesn't pick up another case of "commercialitis" and decides to forge ahead by utilizing the strongest musical and vocal elements of this album when she follows this up. And that is an OBJECTIVE opinion.But fact is this particular album is someone I see who could be taking her music places. Well make no mistake this is chocked full of these clishes from top to bottom.So why does this album interest me.Well because Ashanti has both a career built on contradictions and hope for musical greatness.
Track #1 is an excellent song, but that's honestly the only one that made me want to come back to it. She's so adorable and you just WANT to like the record so bad.but it's just SO BAD.
ANYWAYS IF YOU DO BUY THIS. THEY MUST HAVE AIRBRUSHED THE HELL OUT OF THIS COVER. AWFUL. IT MAKES A NICE COASTER FOR YOUR COCKTAILS. UMM GUESS SHE NEEDS TO SING ABOUT HER "GOOD GOODS".BECAUSE ALL HER CDS ARE BAD BAD. OMG.
I WALKED OUT OF THIS CONCERT(AND MY TICKETS WERE FREE} ALONG WITH A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE. OR USED A BODY DOUBLE. WORST CRAP EVER. AND I HAVE MET THIS SKANK IN PERSON. BAD BAD. I GUESS NOBODY HERE HAS HEARD THE GIRL LIVE.
AND THE ONLY SONG THAT IS HALF GOOD IS GOOD GOOD.
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