Foolish remains - and the rest will be forgotten

The Music
Oh dear - an intro: Well, there are again some of the aforementioned older hits cited short - superfluous, after all, know the buyer but so that it is about the "right" Ashanti.
But then the first real song on the album: "Foolish". Long weeks no. 1 in the US. Worth? To put it bluntly: To me this number is still quite without restrictions the best of what has been published in America at all this year. Ingenious Piano (albeit a sample), incredible bass use, perfect Breaks, good text - and the title is not present in the text! Courageous, intelligent, young, learn, street, touching - much better can black pop music at the beginning of the 21st century actually do not sound. However, I am frankly amazed - and even after the 100th Listen to this number does not wear off. Indispensable.
Is it possible to keep such a level? Well, "Happy" does not succeed first time. Average goods without a strong foundation unthinkable ("Outstanding" by the Gap Band in 1982, even for Black Streets "You Blow My Mind" the Hitbasis).
In the next issue ("Leaving", seen as a continuation of "Always On Time"), it is a little fresher. Also Ja Rule may again grunt a little. But alas, in my memory, the part does not remain still. Nice synth-plucking, underlaid with the same acoustic guitar riff as the big hit, which is simply not enough.
Skipped a skit, and already comes the fourth song (Track 6), "Call". Harp similar sounds inferior to the beginning of the story, sung in a rather deep voice for Ashanti, probably meant powerful and extremely predictable: "When you call, I come runnin '- baby". Ok produced - but only filler that does not affect me one second. Hmm, my initial enthusiasm gradually begins to degrade.
No, "Scared" I'm not really, and by Murder Inc. mastermind Irving Lorenzo ("Irv Gotti") mitbesprochene number can hardly scare me. Current production, no doubt, but below-average text, no melody, no new ideas - boring. What's going on?
Perhaps "Rescue" can indeed help a little. Reverse sliding synth violins, slightly redeemed hiphop bass, light pizzicato effects: Mild Einfühlmusik for black American teenager. Enriched the feeling soup with a little Californian strandig lyre Direction Electric Guitars (Type Chris Rea - Down on the beach). For this purpose a fairly catchy hook line: "All Night Long - take me away to another place, rescue me, save me, save me, save me". Not that that makes any sense would do (except maybe "get me good times") - but that makes it "atmospheric" music light up the same yearning associations in Mall-damaged teenage brain in combination with the. My tip: Small summer hit in the US (but maximum of top 20).
"Baby" is already as of different caliber - would not that be somewhat surprising because: But at least here at all predictability feminine energy in it. A good break just before the end comes to ("Break" would be too much of honor) and the result is tolerable. Anyway, this is only the second number on this album that I really like, despite the stupid choruses "Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby".
No more, no less - "VooDoo" remains a priority audible wallpaper. The text I can not remember a song structure does not recognize, but I like the sound - and the incessantly repeated "what's come over me?" Beautiful background music for special moments for two (maybe a little too fast for ..?).
Couple Of course you can also in the "Movies", and here I encountered the first real song on the album after "Foolish". A message, a coherent text, slow groove, production with many 80-bonds (sounds like Zapp without vocoder - and with girls at the microphone), but brilliant. Nice, certainly none of the assets of the album.
The next Skit I will omit the same again. "Over" is the next song offer, and again creeps me the feeling of being up eating a sham. Sure, this stuff is edible for human consumption is far from so. No, the song is not a disaster - but he's just not good also. Skip that.
Maybe I'll still reconciled to "Unfoolish". Och nööö, this is just a re-recording of the great "Foolish", pierced with a few vocal shreds of more than 5 (five) years dead Christopher Wallace ("The Notorious BIG"). What rubbish is here - no idea. And so I find myself wanting to just not listen to the album on. What, two numbers? To make it short: Both not worth the prolonged listening. All kinds of children tell of their dreams, and then a little edification poetry, pure presented. Thank Ashanti, you can sing halfway decently, it's enough.
And so to the judgment:
What really to "Ashanti" amazes me is the incredible sales success in the US. Goods is very average, uninspired predictable and largely in every moment. The only exception is "Foolish" - deeply inspiring, and so for me a decent gold nugget in a large bucket of sand. This fact can be expressed a simple recommendation: Buy Single, Album leave the store. Maybe that too have some people done in the US, and thus enabling the massive hit only.
And the future?
Forget Ashanti - as soon as you you excited for they have Mögt. If is not to find a single track on an album with at least 61 minutes playing time, the well could come close short of perfect single bead only, then the artist is nothing but a fast verflackernde shooting star - even if they may have co-written on each number.
And since, for example, a Janet Jackson neither in family matters in the production substance that can hold a candle (I'm talking about deliberately not musical or even vocal qualities that make a pop star is not made), so they will probably only a "Three-Hit -Wonder ". Since no further cooperation helps.