Musically we last heard from R&B singer Ashanti in 2004, when she released her third album Concrete Rose, which was quite disappointing in terms of sales figures. She has not been completely idle in the following years, because she has not without merit started working as an actress. In 2005 Ashanti Douglas got into a fight with an ex-producer and a year later with an ex-manager. These disputes
… were all fought out in court. Four years after Concrete Rose, Ashanti thinks it's time for a new approach and with her record The Declaration she is determined to reclaim the status of R&B and hip-hop princess. Surprisingly, she chose not to engage Irv Gotti this time. Instead, she has enlisted the help of Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri and Babyface, among others. All of them great producers, who unfortunately were unable to turn it into a spectacle. Add to that an old-fashioned (in the negative sense of the word) nagging Ashanti and then The Declaration is the result; a not as fresh and fruity album as we had hoped. (GL)more
