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List Price: $13.98 | | Label: Def Jam
Salesrank: 28657
Released: April 2, 2002 |
| Our Price: $4.25 |
| Used Price: $0.99 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Ashanti Track Listing:
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
Editorial Review:
She Has Worked with Some of the Biggest Names in Pop: Ja Rule, Big Pun, J-lo, Fat Joe... Now, She is the First R&B Signing of the Infamous Murder Inc. Record Label. Ja Rule Has Helped Position her for Multi Platinum Success. This European Edition Includes Four Tracks Not on the Us Version: 'fight (Over Skit)', 'shi Shi (Skit)', 'dreams' and 'thank You'.
Description of Ashanti:
These days, R&B girls are a dime a dozen, but Ashanti Douglas is a step ahead of the pack. Youthful appeal and a pleasantly dreamy voice complement the 21-year-old singer/songwriter's ability to pen her own radio-friendly verses. However, Ashanti's young'un status shows itself through her treatment of the usual R&B-girl subject matter: love standing strong, love gone bad, and the search for love of self. Songs like "Foolish," "Happy," and "Baby" are as simple and agreeable as their one-word titles suggest, while "Call," "Movies," and "Over" take a slightly more earthy approach.
Ashanti is definitely R&B for the under-30 set, and as such it's bouncy and playful. This debut, as is to be expected of a Murder Inc. release, features a strong hip-hop element, including two duets with Irv Gotti's golden child, Ja Rule, and the sampling of a controversial Notorious B.I.G. composition in "Unfoolish." The kids should love it. --Rebecca Levine
Ashanti Reviews:
Ashanti 
2009-05-14 - i have bought at least three copies of this album since it came out and this is one of my favorite cds the sad thing is that cds sales are just going down for her and i don't understand why when she has talent i love this whole album and it's worth your time and money if you don't already have my favorite songs on this album is: 1.foolish 2.leaving 3.rescue 4.movies 5.unfoolish
Her Best CD!! 
2009-04-17 - I'm a big fan of Ashanti and I think that her first album is her best!! Everybody likes to diss on Ashanti but personally I think she's better than all the female r&b singers out there besides keyshia cole, mariah carey, and mary j blige!!
Here's my top 5 favorite songs from this album:
1) Leaving (always on time pt II) *best song on the album*
2) Over
3) Baby
4) Unfoolish
5) Foolish
its ok
2008-07-20 - this album is ok with some nice songs on it like my favorites like
baby
foolish
those are the best song on the album its worth buying
excuse me...but this isn't music. 
2008-01-20 - how can i put it politely...forget it. i cant be polite after having the misfortune of buying this load of garbage that Ashanti and the Inc folks beset on me. Out of everything on the cd the only two songs that i remotely liked "Foolish" and "Unfoolish" one using BIG's song for a sample and the other was just alright. Out of 17 songs (including a few lame as heck skits) that were better left on the cutting room floor. Having to listen Irv Gotti his way through a song as a featured artist is torturous enough. If i ever wonder why i didnt like Ashanti all i need to do is look at the cd cover and all those horrible songs will come back to me...unfortunately.
This isn't purchase worthy or download worthy either except for the two aforementioned songs. Sorry Ashanti...strike 1 please try again at a later time.
Debut that showcases great talent and major potential... 
2007-12-10 - Ashanti was one of the freshest faces in the R&B world way back when this album dropped. It was highly anticipated and in all actuality it did not disappoint. Her self titled debut is for the most part a solid effort. My only real critique is that it should have been shorter. She has too many tracks, which sadly leads to filler, tracks that, if eliminated, could have elevated the overall appeal of the album. This is the only reason this album receives four and not five stars. I love this album, and quite frankly this is the finest effort on the part of Ashanti. Her follow up albums lacked the spark and seductively that her debut had, and so I debated giving this album five stars anyways, but those few songs that shouldn't be here made that an impossibility. I'm still waiting for Ashanti to come back with an album that blows this one away, that proves her hype was well deserved. She has the pipes, she has the look and she has the star appeal, now she just has to use all of it to her advantage and truly create a worthy successor to her debut.
Ashanti received a lot of praise before this album dropped, lending her vocal talents to high profile stars like Fat Joe and Ja Rule, helping boost their record sales and making songs like `What's Luv' the Billboard hits they ended up being. Her first solo single `Foolish' further went to prove that this girl had what it took to be a superstar. Her voice was silky smooth and caressed the eardrums with delicate strokes. For the most part this debut builds on that foundation beautifully.
Let's take out the bad first. The first `filler' track in my humble opinion is `Leaving', a pointless spin off of the Ja Rule/Ashanti hit `Always on Time'. It's not bad, but it's not good and so it's purpose on the album is solely to get people to say "oh, maybe this one will be just as good as the song on the radio" and that is not the case (in fact `Always on Time' isn't even that great of a track to begin with). Then we have `Unfoolish', which in itself is the reason that star needed to be subtracted. The need to have a deceived rapper `remix' you're hit track is a need that needn't be fulfilled. It's corny and ridiculous. Why not have a current rapper do guest vocals? Why bother going into the archives and pull out raps that are not recorded for this song? It's just a pointless track, utterly pointless. `Dreams' is another track that I wish was excluded. It just doesn't fit with the rest of the album, not at all. It's supposed to be a motivational track but it makes me want to hit the `skip' button on the CD player.
Now, let's strip out the Intro and the three skits and we have a near perfect album of a still solid ten tracks.
Now, let's move onto the good. `Foolish' has a very nice beat, and although it was played out horrifically on the radio it is still a solid track. This track is followed by `Happy', a bouncy and infectious little ditty that makes the listener just that, happy. Even with Ja Rule spewing his mess in the first few seconds of the song it's still a very enjoyable track.
`Call' starts what I like to call `the heart of this album'. The next few tracks are what define this debut as one amazing album. The beats are strong and intricate and Ashanti's voice just shines. `Call' starts with what sounds like airport noise and then gets right into the delicate beat and Ashanti's seductive vocals. The song is brilliantly followed by `Scarred' featuring Irv Gotti who brilliantly allows Ashanti to dominate the track, adding nothing more than some background noise. The guitar laden beat is just effortlessly captivating and beautifully embellishes Ashanti's vocal arrangement. This progression of perfection is closed out with `Rescue', personally my favorite track on the album. It's just such a vulnerable track, Ashanti just baring her brazen sexuality and delivering a very seductive and intoxicating track.
Arguably Ashanti's most successful single to date follows; `Baby'. `Baby' is a very commercial and very catchy track. It was never my favorite but I can easily see why it is so beloved. I can get into it. `VooDoo' is even better. I just love the verse structure on this track. Her whispers are just so entrancing. `Movies' is a nice sweet ballad where Ashanti expresses the feelings of just about every girl alive (I assume) wanting to be just like the girls in the movies, finding their Price Charming and being swept off their feet. And then we have another definitive moment on the album, the token breakup song `Over', which surprisingly is effective and very nicely done. Her voice shine's beautifully here.
The album ends with a beautiful acappella `Thank You' which showcases Ashanti's range and talent. I wouldn't have ended it any other way.
In the end I am very impressed with this young lady's debut. It has a few filler tracks but in the end it's a very strong debut and establishes Ashanti as a major talent in the R&B world. I hope that she can top this one day because she definitely has the talent to do so. I have faith that one day she'll blow us all away. Until then at least we have a great foundation for greatness.
