The Murder Inc. Irv Gotti's label provided, in addition to successful rappers such as Ja Rule and Fat Joe, also one of the most successful female debutants of 2002. The young R&B singer Ashanti Douglas saw her self-titled first-out become an instant sales hit in America. Songs like Foolish and Happy also reached the top of the charts in the Netherlands. Yet with her timid appearance, the handsome
… singer is a lot less appealing to the imagination than her direct rivals Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige. The songs still lean too much on the hit-sensitive production of Gotti and Ashanti, with her limited voice, can give little added value to them, with a few exceptions such as the sturdy Carry On. Chapter II is again a pleasant sounding and extremely hit sensitive CD, but the question whether Ashanti is more than a pretty face is not answered yet. (MS)more
