Most frustratingly, on “Scars,” by far the best track here, Ashanti gets in her own way yet again. The themes used on “3 Words” (I love you boo!) and “She’s Can’t” (“she ain’t got nuthin’ on me!”) don’t bring anything new to the table either. “Love Games” with Jeremih is endearing at times but lyrics like “I kiss you there/you kiss me back” sound straight out of seventh-grade fifth period. Much of the songwriting rings hollow as well. An industry veteran should know her range better than that. Seconds later, she yelling all over the track, hitting needless high notes – her vocals knock around like a drunken night of bumper cars. She knows she’s the underdog and is ready to prove her haters wrong and the track sounds like a woman ready to ride into war. That’s painfully apparent in the first track, “Intro/Braveheart”: “A lot of people counted me out/that feeds my hunger to continue my journey” she says on the atmospheric intro. Now we know Ashanti will never be confused with Whitney Houston’s but her last album, 2008’s The Declaration, showed signs of growth, in both vocal ability and songwriting. It’s the songwriting and lyrics, however, that prove to be Ashanti’s undoing. I just about broke my neck nodding my head to “Runaway,” which borrows from LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya.” Bass guitars rumble through “Nowhere” while the single “Never Should Have” drives forward with marching percussion. That’s the case for Braveheart, which boasts some really solid beats. What should have been a triumphant return to the game winds up more like a visit from your hyperactive long-lost cousin – you’re happy to see her until she falls back into old, annoying habits.īut first, let’s talks about what works on the album.Īll of Ashanti’s biggest hits all have one thing in common – great production, often laced with familiar samples. However, the album has finally arrived, with hopes that it could be the best of times for the Princess of Hip Hop and R&B. Dre’s Detox, never to see the light of day. Many fans just assumed it was thrown in the cryogenic chamber with Dr. The worst? Her fifth album, Braveheart, has been floating around since at least 2011, with the release date pushed back further than LeBron’s hairline. It has been the best of times and the worst of times for Ashanti Douglas. “Nowhere” is our favorite.Braveheart (to be released March 4, 2014) The singer has shown great ability to create great songs over dynamic productions like that one.Ī gem of an album cut that easily could have made a hit single on this album.Īshanti’s “Braveheart” album often goes overlooked but it had some great songs on it. The Way That I Love You (from “The Declaration” album) Take Me Tonight (featuring Lloyd) (from the “Concrete Rose” album)Īshanti joined her labelmate Lloyd on his debut single “Southside”, and he returned the favor on this gem from her album. The “Chapter II” album is packed with gems (see honorable mention list below!) but “Breakup 2 Makeup” made a great choice as a single.Ī really good song which became even more important once Ashanti turned it into a domestic violence PSA.Ī production courtesy of 7 Aurelius unlike any other we’d heard in R&B Ashanti really did her thing on this one.
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) (from the “Chapter II” album)Ī fun and playful hit record which helped solidify her place as the Princess of R&B.īreakup 2 Makeup (from the “Chapter II” album) We loved Ashanti’s feature on Ja Rule’s original hit “Always On Time” and Part II is just as good. Leaving (Always on Time Part II) (featuring Ja Rule) (from the “Ashanti” album)
Without further ado, here is our list in chronological order:įollowing a run of features on hit singles, Ashanti became a star in her own right with “Foolish”. Click any of the song titles to hear that song. hype machine in the early 2000’s and was certainly able to match all of the hype she received with the music she released.Ĭlick Here to check out all of our Top 10 Lists.
Some of her biggest hits are certainly still on rotation, but Ashanti has many album cuts and lesser known singles that are worthy of attention as well.Īdditionally, her work as a songwriter often gets overlooked as well. It’s interesting to look back and realize that her music has almost gone under appreciated in later years as her fame has remained constant. The singer had such an impact as a new featured artist on singles in the early 2000’s which only carried over into the massive success of her debut album. In the next addition of our Top 10 Best Songs list feature, we take a look at the discography of Ashanti.
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