R&B
"The Declaration"
Ashanti. The Inc./Universal. 13 tracks.

(ENLARGE)
The woman-scorned sentiment grows tiresome on Ashanti's 'The Declaration.'
MOST POPULAR STORIES Punk musician Barker sues over SC plane crash Atlanta's Sexiest Men People magazine's 'Sexiest Men Alive' Dr Pepper to deliver on its free-soda promise Rapper T.I. testifies in Ohio murder trial
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
RELATED LINKS: • Summer Music Guide • CD reviews • Find a concert

At first glance, Ashanti seems to have the ingredients needed to be a legitimate, top-tier R&B diva — the designer-clad look, a platinum-selling pedigree and a resonant, if not booming, voice. But big name soul sisters such as Mary J. Blige, Mariah, or Beyonce need not look over their shoulders. Despite Ashanti's attributes, it's hard to identify what sets her apart.

On her fourth solo album, "The Declaration," Ashanti operates without frequent collaborator Ja Rule or her former mentor/producer Irv Gotti. Instead, she attempts to assert her own identity. Yet the disc doesn't manage to break any new ground, with Ashanti singing mainly over unremarkable contemporary R&B tracks about her own good loving and cheating boyfriends. The single, "The Way That I Love You" — and its revenge fantasy video — shows Ashanti's potential, with the track's tumbling piano notes and her belted vocals that exhibit believable anguish.

But the woman-scorned sentiment grows tiresome when revisited on the synth-pop of "Your Gonna Miss" and again on the anthemic high-pitched keys of the Rodney Jerkins-produced "So Over You." Meanwhile, her forays into sexy-soul territory ("Good Good" and "Body On Me" with Atlanta's Akon and Nelly) seem to undermine the good-girl balladry ("Mother" and "Shine") tacked on near disc's end. On the disc's intro she states, "I'm declaring me." But next time out, she'll need to dig deeper to reveal a more evolved Ashanti.

— Brett Johnson, For The Associated Press