After nearly four years of being out of the limelight, R&B songstress Ashanti is back with (aptly) her fourth studio album ‘The Declaration’, which was released on Tuesday.With her current single ‘The Way That I Love You’ having been received well, it would seem the masses are ready to welcome Ashanti back, after largely shunning her last effort 2004’s ‘Concrete Rose’. That Grape Juice wants to know, though, what you think of ‘The Declaration’. Was it worth the wait? How would you rate it? Favourite tracks etc?? Drop you views in the ‘comments’ section…
Your thoughts?
I must say I’m pleasantly surprised by Ashanti’s new album. Her first 3 albums all had some great songs on them, but always a few I didn’t care for at all.
With this album, Ashanti made a more solid album, to which you can listen from front to back. Also her vocal range seems to have grown, although sometimes it feels it would have been just as good if she did less outbursts. But that’s just my opinion.
Overall I love the album. Great work Ashanti!
i like the album. especially Things U Make Me Do. awesome song!
thats a beautiful cover. i wonder if nelly misses her now. lol!
i personally wasn’t impressed. but i’m glad for her if she does well.
I like Ashanti but the new album is pretty mediocre. Highlights are probably Body On Me and So Over You.
IMO Ashanti is an acquired taste and sound anyway…I’ve never found myself falling over one of her songs after first hearing it….being that the album came out on Tuesday it is still too soon for me to give a good opinion of the album…after watching her perform for Vaseline i like the song “Girlfriend”
Its a way step up from her last 2 efforts “Chapter 2” sounded way rushed and “Concrete Rose” was BORING! “The Declaration” cant top her debut but it’s my s***
The best tracks are “Stuggle” which needs to be the 3rd single most def and “Girlfriend”!
GO ASHANTI! I hope you are more successful than ever you deserve it!
People have there opinion!I personally feel all four albums where hot my favorite song from her debut album was Over,Charpter 2 I don’t mind,Concrete Rose Don’t leave me alone and The Declaration Struggle!
IMO- The Declaration is one of her best cds… With the first album… I only liked the singles… I didnt care too much for the 2nd album… Concrete Rose was the best album so far until this one… Its really a step up… I wish i could’ve heard the Kayne West, Swizz Beatz, Neptunes and Polo Da Don production that she did… But I guess she’s saving that for a re-release or sumthin… But the best songs on the album has to be In These Streets, Stuggle and Your Gonna Miss… She stepped up her vocals and her look… She’s made me a believer
I’am pleased with this album love all the songs on it let’s give Ashanti her’s she did her best.
Ashanti is definitely back on her game with The Declaration, I haven’t heard one song that I haven’t liked. The entire cd is hot especially Good Good, So Over You and Body on Me. Everyone should go out and support this cd it’s definitely worth the money. Welcome back Ms. Douglas.
After listening to her cd I must say its worth buying I plan on buying mines this weekend. You can tell she has grown as an artist vocally and I didnt have to skip any song on there. Best songs on their in my opinion are Struggle, So over you,and Things you make me do
Well I’ve bought Ashanti, Chapter 2, Concrete Rose, and Collections…so Im def. gonna go get The Declaration too. Gotta show my support for Ashanti. But after hearing the album, there are some blazing stand-out tracks (Things You Make Me Do, The Way That I Love You, Girlfriend, Good Good) and there are some tracks that take a little more listening to get the real feel for them. Then (towards the end) there are some songs that just don’t settle with me all to well. After 4 years of waiting, I feel as if it is a def. improvement over Chapter 2 and Concrete Rose, but still leaves me wanting something different from Ashanti. Not necessarily a Danja track or a Timbo. track, but something a little more for the clubs. Still love the girl though. Always looks flawless and shows her passion for the business. Gotta admire that.
It’s not one her best cd’s. I personally think she has a lonnnng way to go. Her vocals have not improved and it sounds like it’s gotten worse. The song with Robin T. annoys me because I cannot tolerate the way she sounds. I don’t dislike her as an artist but after this, I would not miss her is this were to be her last cd.
Love it Love it LOVE IT! I’ve always liked Ashanti, have all her cds, but I kinda lost hope when Concrete Rose came out. Hated that cd. Bu I just saw her @ The Knitting Factory this week in NYC and she impressed the s*** out of me! So now i’m a bonifide fan. My fave songs are Good Good, Body on Me, So Over You, Girlfriend, and The Way That I Love You. Aww hell, I can listen to whole cd. haha Def worth the buy.
I personally think she brought her A-Game with this one. She has been through a lot & she still here. Go girl!!
I LOVE THIS CD I HAVENT STOP PLAYIN IT SINCE JUNE 3RD… SHE REALLY DID BRING IT AND BROUGHT IT HARD!!! THE SONGS I LOVE THE MOST ARE STRUGGLE, IN THESE STREETS, THINGS YOU MAKE ME DO IS JUST THE SH**…AND I LOVE GOOD GOOD…SO OVER YOU WAIT I THINK IM BOUT TO NAME THE WHOLE CD….I LOVE SHE SHE DID THE DAMN THANG
Real talk im like a huge fan of her s*** she really talent i have all cds include the remix one in 2005 but the new one is hot i must say if u fan this the one nice rb classic tracks and that mother song is so real because im like so close with my mom to so thats the song but i love the whole cd the beats are fire and her vocals have grown u know i wanna know what she gonna do live at the BET awards june 24
I haven’t heard the cd but I kinda like her new single. Not a fan ..
I Loooove all of her new material on the Declaration! If you haven’t bought it yet, go buy it people! It’s worth every cent. Favorite tracks are “good good” and “struggle” But there are no fillers!
I give this 5 stars because I love every song on this track. My favorite are Stuggle, Good Good, In These Streets, Body On Me, and Declaration
I was hoping that tracks like The Way That I Love You would dominate the album, so in that way I was disappointed. But all the songs that people brought up are good.
& I agree there are no fillers on this album
Ashanti’s career as a singer is done becasue EVERYBODY that sings is compared to Bee and yeah she has been in the game for years, but it is what it is
Hell if you dont like Bee you are a HATER she has got the game on LOCK I am afraid to say anything negative about her
Her daddy is mastermind
I am Not and never will be an ashanti fan but I brought the cd because I support the girl because the cd was hot
I’ve bought all of Ashanti’s albums and she hasn’t disappointed me yet. She is talented because she is a great songwriter and her live vocals have definitely improved. This is one of the better albums to drop this year.
I am going to be upfront and let everyone know that I am a beyonce fan. I was not going to get Ashanti’s album until it leaked on the net. I heard her entire album and I was really feeling it. So I am going to get the cd. I think people do too much comparing of artist to draw negativity, if you like the music then go buy it, if not state your opinion about the album and move on. Ashanti came with a different vibe that I liked. I would give the album 3.5 stars out of 5. I would love to see Ashanti advance from here. She’s expressed she loves singing. I look at her efforts as a positive role model to many others.
ita a hot album u def wont be waisting your money fav tracks “good good” “in these streets” “so over you” “girlfriend”
I love Ashanti so much! This CD is a step up from Concrete Rose and all of the other albums. She’s had such a successful career and I hope a lot is done to make this album a huge success!
All the songs on the album are awesome and there’s NO FILLER MATERIAL! My favorite tracks are the Intro, TWTILU, So Over You (DarkChild is back!!!), Struggle (I never envisioned Ashanti with B. C** but they made magic), Girlfriend, TYMMD w/ Robin Thicke, Mother and Shine. Ashanti’s voice had definitely grown and it’s evident in her recent performances and this album but it’s still thin and needs a lil’ bit more emotion in it.
I bought tha album the first day!!!GO ASHANTI AND I HOPE YOU MAKE NUMBER #1!
It’s horrible, but I do like “The Things You Make me do”, and “Way that you Love Me.”
No, No, No! this album strucks. All of the tracks sound the same. Her vocals sound the same as well. The songs that everyone mentioned above sucks too. That will be So Over you, Girlfriend, The things you make me do, In the Streets, and the way I love you sounds like she’s whinning. ” I the way that I , the way that I.. B**** please. Also, watching her promo performances is like watching ” paint dry”. This Ashanti is at the bottom of the barrier when it comes to vocals, style and dancing.
The top songstress are:
Beyonce
Fantasia
Mariah Carey
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Teairra Marie
Ashanti
Bottom baby, she at the bottom.
P.S. there’s a reason why am hating. I met this hellva once and she’s sooo stuck up. But I an’t the one to gossip – you didn’t hear that from me.
WELL I LOVE THE ALBUM EVERY SONG ON IT I CAN LET THE ALBUM PLAY WITH OUT CHANGEING THE SONGS I’M HAPPY THAT ASHANTI IS BACK AND THIS ALBUM IS WAY BETTER THEN HER LAST 2 CDS
I think dat the whole album is great…and i neva skip a track while listening…but for…the most stand out track are:
intro
the way that i love you
your gonna miss
girlfriend
in these streets
body on me
mother
shine
the declaration
hahahhahax
I hope she would make to #1
GO ASHANTI!!!
THE PRINCESS IS BAX BABY!!!
I don’t know, it’s nothing really impressive. It’s just…nice. But nothing exceptional. Maybe I do not get the whole Ashanti hype. I like her voice a lot, however.
I think it was a really good album, especially compared to her previous efforts. She stepped her game up….FINALLY!
The song that does it for me on the album is STRUGGLE…still on repeat right now….
IM CONFUSED I THOUGHT THE POST SAIG GIVE YOUR VIEWS ON ASHANTI ALBUM SO CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY SHE HAD TO BE COMPARED BEYONCE…DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVE BEY TOO BUT SHE F’UP SOMETIME TO…AND HER SONG MIGHT HAVE TO GROW ON YOU OR YOU KUST LIKE IT CAUSE IT’S BEYONCE.. THE POINT IS ASHANTI IS ASHANTI AND BEY IS BEY…SO LET THEM DO THEM DAMN IM SO TIRED OF EVERY CHICK THAT SING HAS TO BE COMPARED TO HER WHY CANT THEY JUST BE TWO OF MANY STRONG BLACK FEMALES OUT HERE DOING THE DAMN THANG.. IM ROOTIN FOR ASHANTI ALL THE WAY HER ALBUM WAS GOOD TO ME AND THIS WILL BE HERE YEAR NO MATTER WHAT!!!
This definitely was a cd that showed growth for ashanti. She worked with new producers and its great to hear her work with them to kinda bring back her flava from her first cd. She may not be everyones choice but with no doubt this cd is good. Great lyrics and beats. Congrats to another beautiful strong black woman in the industry doing her thing.
Definitley one of Ashanti’s hottest albums since her self tilted debut… This album actually surprised me, i wasn’t expectin to like majority of the songs, but i did. My personal favorites r “You’re gonna Miss”, “Struggle”, “The Decleration”, “In These Streets”, & “The Things You Make Me Do”, is starting to grow on me, also “The Way That I Love You”, “So Over”, “Good Good”, “Shine”, & “Mother” is okay too. Overall the album was hot & i think its unfair for people to compare Ashanti to Beyonce. They are 2 different artist in 2 different lanes. No comparison, just a difference.
This is DEFINITELY a HOT album. I’m proud of Ashanti and I’m rolling with her no matter what, because she has grown to me. NOW come on with the next video
Ashanti, please.
I must say that; it reminds me of her first album, which I liked. It is good…nothing spectacular (no mega hits), but you can tell the growth in her lyrics. I have been keeping her and Usher on repeat since I purchased them. But I am an Ashanti fan so I look for the good in her music. I love her song for her mom…but Shine could have been a bonus song on the CD. I think I know the whole album by heart already! Good Good is my jam…but Struggling and In These Street are hott! “Your gonna miss this” chick right here….I sung it to my ex this weekend! LOL. I applaude Ashanti…she did a good job, but after 4 years I was expecting great! I congratulate her for staying in her lane and recognizing that she does not have a powerhouse voice but she can adlib her b*** off! Plus she is sooo cute and has a great shape with (using her word) “bananas” style…plus being linked with fine Nelly doesn’t hurt either! Good Job, Ashanti…
i love music and every aspect of it due to the emotional compostion of the blend of sounds thats used by differnt insturments that take a person to a different world and express how there filling are really felt and fullfied by the meaning of the song and when you can express your self more you blossum into the true person that you are