FEATURE:
Second Spin
Ashanti – Ashanti
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I really like the R&B that was coming out of America…
at the end of the 1990s and the first few years of the next decade. To me, the album of that period that stood out the most was Aaliyah’s eponymous release – it arrived in July of 2001, just a month before she died. After that, I think a lot of artists followed her lead and were definitely inspired by that album. Arriving just after Aaliyah’s self-titled album – but not necessarily directly influenced by it – was Ashanti’s eponymous album. Recorded between 2001 and 2002, Ashanti recorded the album at a time when she was penning songs from other artists. I really like the album and, whilst it is inspired by the sound of the late-1990s and early-2000s R&B, it has its own edge and style. I think a lot of critics felt that Ashanti lacked real depth and wasn’t quite cutting enough; maybe it did not possess the same sass and sexiness of its contemporaries – a little insubstantial in places. A lot of times, an artist can bring in guests on various tracks, and it doesn’t always work. I think the collaborators on Ashanti work well. Ja Rule certainly adds something to Leaving (Always on Time Part II), and The Notorious B.I.G. is on Unfoolish. At seventeen tracks long, maybe Ashanti’s debut is a little long, but there are a few skits on the album, which was not uncommon – everyone from Eminem and En Vogue included these short conversational pieces to break up the material.
I think there is a nice sense of flow, warmth, and physicality through the album. Ashanti doesn’t explode and have the same huge hooks as the best R&B albums, but it is an assured and interesting album that has more than a few golden nuggets – including the singles Foolish, and Happy. Ashanti debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first-week sales of 503,000 units - the biggest first-week sales for a debut female artist up to then. The album was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) for shipments of three-million copies on 17th December, 2002. It earned Ashanti three Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best Contemporary R&B Album (winning in the latter category). Billboard magazine ranked Ashanti at number-one-hundred on its Top 200 Albums of the Decade. The album has sold ten-million copies worldwide. In terms of reception and acclaim that is not a bad debut at all! As I said, the late-‘90s and early-‘00s was a fertile and strong time for Hip-Hop and R&B, and Ashanti can sit alongside the better efforts! Looking back, and the album has dated well; maybe critics at the time were making unfair comparisons or felt that Ashanti had not found her own voice. There are nods to giants of R&B, but one cannot fault the ambition of the album. I like the fact that there are samples on various numbers.
Rescue contains a sample of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, and Sade's Cherish the Day; Happy contains a sample of The Gap Band's Outstanding. This is another case of an album winning awards and shifting units, but the critics not being on the same page as the public! Ashanti took home a record eight Billboard awards in 2002 - which is an incredible achievement for an artist releasing her debut album! Billboard magazine ranked. Maybe future albums didn’t soar as high as Ashanti, but I think her debut is incredible and certainly deserves much more praise and respect. It is clear that Ashanti was part of a wave of artists from the early-2000s that were inspiring other artists coming through; she definitely helped in evolving R&B. I just want to bring in AllMusic’s take on Ashanti:
“Young, pretty, sexy, stylish, and hip, Ashanti is everything a modern, post-hip-hop soul crooner should be. She looks the part, trucks with hitmakers -- at the time her eponymous debut was released, she was featured on a hit single by Fat Joe -- and even approximates Alicia Keys' visuals on the back cover. She can sing, but she's not showy; she never hyperventilates, she croons.
Her first album sounds modern, with fairly fresh beats and lightly insistent hooks, and is just naughty enough to warrant a parental advisory sticker (though if you're just listening to this record, it's nigh on impossible to figure out where the objectionable lines are). So why doesn't Ashanti play as greater than the sum of its parts? Largely because it lacks distinctive material, in either terms of the actual songs or the production -- and when that's combined with a singer who is good, yet not distinctive herself, the entire production sounds as if its treading water or providing nifty aural wallpaper. It's not bad by any means, and it has its moments, but at 17 tracks, including skits, it all becomes a blur. A pleasing blur, one that shows promise, but a blur all the same”.
The chart success and huge sales of Ashanti doesn’t really surprise me. The album is quite commercial, but it announced Ashanti as a fresh and exciting talent. If you have not heard her debut album, then give it a spin, as it has some great cuts on it – and it is far stronger than critics gave it credit for! Blending a mix of the sexy, provocative and strong with the passionate and tender, there is a pleasing and memorable stock of songs that will definitely get into the head. Eighteen years after its release, Ashanti keeps on providing…
HUGE vibes, heart and punch.