Despite serially delay, R&B diva Ashanti is pressing forward with new material from her forthcoming LP ‘BraveHeart’.
Indeed, the ‘Aww Baby’ beauty may be enjoying a run on Lifetime’s hit series ‘Army Wives’, but that hasn’t taken her sights from battling for Billboard’s top spot. The latest single she’s launched for fan approval is ‘Never Should Have’.
But, should ‘Never Should Have’ never have seen the light of day? Or is the drum-filled pop-anthem just what the songbird needs to soar on charts again? You tell us:
Let’s begin by first commending Ashanti for stepping out of her comfort zone. Taking the pop route many-an-R&B diehard before her has taken, at least ‘Never Should Have’ does offer some semblance of rhythmic stylings and hopefully won’t earn the singer too many “traitor” remarks from listeners.
With that stated, even still, the tune is so drenched in “Kelly Clarkson” or “Leona Lewis” leftover that it doesn’t lend Miss Douglas many favors in the “distinction” department. This, in conjunction with the instrumental’s overpowering drums, seem to drown out the singer’s voice at times instead of complementing it. Yes, despite it having some lyrical qualitative edge, it does run the risk of sonically blending in with the generic wash of today’s pop poo poo platters.
We do hope for the best, but while we applaud what she was going for, something about ‘Never Should Have’ is just…missing.