Ashanti:
Ashanti

Release date: April 1, 2002

Album Review by: : Silk

1.Intro

2. Foolish

3. Happy

4. Leaving (Always On Time Part II)

5. Narrative Call (Skit)

6. Call

7. Scared

8. Rescue

9. Baby

10. VooDoo

11. Movies

12. Fight (Over Skit)

13. Over

14. Unfoolish

15. Shi Shi (Skit)

16. Dreams

17. Thank You

Ashanti Album - Ashanti

Release date: April 1, 2002

At the age of 21, Ashanti Douglas has written, or sung on hit records, for Ja Rule ("Always on Time"), J. Lo ("I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny"') and Big Pun ("What's Love"). The release of her debut album "Ashanti" and a forthcoming stadium tour - The Triple Threat Tour featuring label-mate Ja Rule, Jay-Z and the R.O.C and the whole Bad Boy Family - will very much propel Miss Douglas into the full glare of an expectant public asking themselves "Does "Ashanti" live up to the hype?"

This self-titled and self-written debut long-player opens with the hot debut single "Foolish", which uses the familiar refrain from Notorious B.I.G.'s "One More Chance (Remix)". This infectious club track delivers from the first few bars as does the album. Her soft, swooning and at times whisper-delicate voice, at times reminiscent of the late Aaliyah, combine well with the loping mid-tempo bounce of this opener. In the following track the intelligent use of the Gap Band's "Outstanding" provides the mid-tempo bubbler, "Happy", almost certainly the next single release, with a kind of easy familiarity. "Leaving (Always on Time Part II)" in which Ashanti reprises her collaboration with Ja Rule on the sequel to his hit - and another potential single release - is also set to figure highly on club and radio playlists this Summer. Add to the mix "Unfoolish", effectively a remix of the current single, which features a cleverly-mixed series of verses from the Notorious B.I.G. track "F**kin You Tonight" and it is easy to see that Ashanti will feature prominently in clubs and cribs everywhere.

However, this is not just an album packed full of club tracks. The impressive Ashanti Douglas, in demonstrating an ability to combine writing and performing chores with a high level of consistency, faithfully describes the angst of relationships in a number of haunting ballads. "Scared", "Rescue" and the excellent "Movies" are good examples of her lyrical skills, not to mention her alluring and sweet voice. The maturity of her song-craft belies her youthfulness and nowhere is this more apparent than the final ballad "Over" - one of my favourite tracks on this album.

Despite her youth, Ashanti is an industry veteran having caught the eye for early talent show performances. Originally signed at the age of 14 by Jive/RCA, Ashanti spent time at Epic before finally finding her home at Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Ashanti has also found time to showcase her abundant talents by featuring on the silver screen in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" and Disney's "Polly". Ashanti has certainly packed a lot into a few short years and the irrepressible Irv Gotti is keen to portray Ashanti Douglas as Murder Inc's "Queen of Hip Hop and RnB". Such bold statements, and the implied reference to Mary J Blige, will inevitably provoke much debate, however what is clear is that this debut album justifies much of the usual hyperbole that surrounds such releases.

Ashanti Douglas is very much a star in the ascendancy and her debut album is a must-have.

Personal Favorite Tracks:

4. Leaving (Always on Time Part II)
7. Scared
14. Unfoolish

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

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