Ashanti Music:

The Declaration Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Way That I Love You
3. You're Gonna Miss
4. So Over You
5. Struggle
6. Girlfriend
7. Things You Make Me Do - Ashanti, Robin Thicke
8. In These Streets
9. Good Good
10. Body on Me - Akon, , Ashanti, , Nelly
11. Mother
12. Shine
13. Declaration

Editorial Review:
The incomparable Ashanti is back with "The Declaration"!!This multiple Grammy winner and R&B superstar has delivered some of her most powerful and passionate songs yet. "The Declaration" features the smash hit "The Way That I Love", which showcases the power of Ashanti's soulful voice as she tells the heart wrenching story of a scorned lover. This 13 song set is Ashanti's 4th studio album and first since 2004. Ashanti has been busy developing her acting career with John Tucker Must Die, Coach Carter, and Resident Evil, and now she returns to deliver a career defining album!

The Declaration Reviews:
Laid Back, Mellow R&B!
2009-09-27 - This is a very mellow R&B album with mid-tempo tracks that stray away from fast up-tempo club jams or party vibes. For the club junkie or dance fanatic, this is not quite that type of bouncy R&B funk. It's a very different sound as compared to her other albums so it was quite a surprise when I first listened to it. This 14-track Japan Import includes the bonus track "Hey Baby (After The Club)", lyrical booklet with words, and obi-strip - a definite bonus!

Featured artists are Nelly, Akon, and Robin Thicke. "Things You Make Me Do" 3:22 featuring Robin Thicke has a nice soothing laid back sensual style to kick back with your lover, or alone. If you enjoy candles, this is a great song to set the mood right. Ashanti's vocals seem improved and very soft on the ears as compared to other songs.

My favorite track is "Body On Me" featuring Nelly & Akon for it's electronica, rap, and hip-hop mesh. The single is availabe here: Body on Me. The beats are catchy, funky, and phenomenal. For me, it feels it's a "most definite" booster to feel uplifted or in the mood to dance. It's positive vibes, hip-hop undertones, and production are very appealing!

Another great song for those who like to snuggle with a lover or fantasize would be "Girlfriend" as it has references to how "I'd give all of me to you... I'd let you touch everything...". "The Way I Love You" has a more soulful rich sound --it's a "you and her" type song. Songs like "So Over You" were a much better style to show--giving better attitude, bouncy beats, and faster tempos.

A nice jam,"You're Gonna Miss" has references to the heart aching, feeling weak, and wanting her lover back but knowing in the end a departure can be and will cause a loss for him. The vocals have some electronic effects that I thought were excellent and would have loved to hear more. Some lyrics, "But I ain't gonna stress about it anymore/And I ain't gonna cry another night alone/Your gonna miss this chick right here/Your gonna miss this chick I swear."

Overall, the cover has a dance look so I was expecting dance tracks. Instead this is a nice mellow R&B album for the fans who already enjoy her style. Having all of her albums I don't know if I'd call this her best from my personal tastes. The bounce, hip-hop, and darker edge are not as prevalent. Featured artists are dropped to a minimum, and the mood is so so mellow. It's hard to feel funky as it may not boost moods to feel in the mood to dance or get down to party. Either way, her declaration is quite evident: to express herself, to be upfront, and more personal through her music.

To mention more positives, "In These Streets" has a much soulful sound, very rich, alive, and great. The song, "Good Good" has a nice hip-hop element as other rap stars are heard in the background. The lyrical booklet has all the words to the song. Apparently, her writing has improved with beautiful songs dedicated to her mother-very touching, and a nice track titled, "Shine" very inspiring and positive--both very nicely done!

The bonus track is "Hey Baby (After The Club)" featuring some guys in the background. This is not the fast high energy paced dance tracks with electronica, bass or bounce. This is not quite that style. It's just a repetitive type sound with references to the club of wanting to leave with that special someone. It's a much better track than many of the others for it's theme. The beats are mid to up-tempo. Ratings: 4 stars.

I recommend the Japan Import for the bonus track, words to the songs, and overall quality. If you remove that song, then it becomes a totally mellow slow mid-tempo album.

*The album titled, Vault by Ashanti is unbelievably 5 stars, check it out. The other Amazon Websites have it available in stock.

The reigning princess of hip-hop finally lives up to her title...
2009-09-16 - I've been looking forward to this for a long time now. I've been a fan of Ashanti since I first heard her angelic voice gracing Fat Joe's `What's Love' all those years ago, and I've really had the highest of hopes for her career. Sadly, despite having the complete package (a marvelous voice and killer good looks) she hasn't been handed the best of material. Sure, she has had a slew of hits, but the only consistent thing about Ashanti's albums is that her radio singles are the best songs on them.

Maybe it was Ja Rule, but the fact remains that severing her ties has proven to be the best thing for her. Without doubt `The Declaration' is her most consistent album, and by consistent I mean that nearly every song is very, very good. One minute she's cheeky then slinky then tender and gentle, all the time remaining in complete control of her talent, exuding a powerful presence.

In other words; she's all over the place here, and all in a good way.

From the opening track, the single `The Way That I Love You', Ashanti lets us know that she still has the voice and the swagger, but I will admit, I was afraid. It started off so strong (the song is really very, very good), and so I was expecting it to just drop off right there.

Then I heard `You're Gonna Miss'.

The bouncy vibe that runs through `You're Gonna Miss' is something that I don't remember really ever hearing from Ashanti. I LOVE IT! This is probably my favorite track on the album. It's one of those songs that just has it all. Ashanti's vocals are so sharp in all their slinky goodness, and the beat is just killer. I can listen to this song over and over without ever getting tired of it. `Good Good', the second single off the album, has a similar yet very different bounce to it. It's the cheekiest track on the album, full of sensual energy and it just screams repeat. Her duet with Robin Thicke on `Things You Make Me Do' was a very smart move, resulting in one of the most intense tracks on the album. Their voices really compliment one another, and the beat to this song is SIC! I love me some Timberlake, but this coupling is far more desirous than the Ciara/Timberlake offering from earlier this year.

Ashanti takes it to the clubs on two tracks here; `So Over You' and `Body On Me'. `So Over You' is the better of the two; really spot on with the pounding beat and Ashanti's vocal corralling. `Body On Me' is not a bad song (it has been unfairly criticized here) but it is not as sharp or hard hitting as `So Over You'. Akon is always welcome by me, and you have to love Nelly, so I was excited about this track. It doesn't quite deliver in the way I wanted it to, but it delivers. It has a very `late 90's' vibe to it.

She takes it to the streets once, and thank god it was only once, since `In These Streets' is the most mediocre offering on the album.

I love the slinky sensuality of `Girlfriend', a song that just drips with Ashanti's breathy seduction. Stark contrast is `Mother', a song that is so sincere and earnest it almost brings me to tears. Her love and admiration for her mother is very evident on this beautifully constructed ballad. Her voice is beyond stellar here, especially on the chorus.

`Struggle' is a decent R&B ballad, and the closing track `The Declaration' is definitely listenable. Neither are bad tracks, they just lack a certain quality that makes most of the tracks on this album superior (although Ashanti's near rapping on `Struggle' is spot on and quite memorable). `Shine' is the only song outside of `In These Streets' that I just don't like. It reminds me of a poor imitation at an early Mariah Carey inspirational ballad.

I skip it.

In the end this is her finest album and one I certainly recommend. She has the goods (the good goods to be exact) and so I definitely think this is a great album. She steps up her game and proves that she deserves to be here and with an offering like this she has paved the way for better work to come. It may have taken 5 albums to get here, but she made it and hopefully she's not going anywhere.

GREAT C.D. GOOD JOB ASHANTI!!!!!
2009-06-05 - I BEEN IN LOVE WITH THIS C.D. SINCE IT FIRST CAME OUT, BUT IM WRIGHTING THE REVIEW LATE. THIS IS A GREAT C.D. FROM ASHANTI. 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. THERE ARE ALSO SONGS TO DANCE TOO , AND OTHERS. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMENED THIS C.D.

The Album is Average
2009-02-23 - Ashanti's time is pretty much over now. She's going to be a dated artist. 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. It almost copies off of Janet's 20 y.o. album,literally. Good Good, Hey Baby,(the two lead singles) kind of suck. There are a few tracks on the album that are alittle better.I think she should continue to make music, because i like variety. This album outside of the r and b world really wasn't that big either. 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).

The Declaration With So Much Realized and Unrealized Potential
2009-02-13 - You don't even have to go there-this is about THE last kind of album you'd normally find my reviewing. Frankly I find much R&B of the past two decades to be enormously shallow and worthless in many ways. And that is an OBJECTIVE opinion.But fact is this particular album is someone I see who could be taking her music places. 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. 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. 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. 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. "Good Good" is another good tune-very catchy and with very tasteful,if modern musical backing. 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. 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. 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. 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.