** stars
Ashanti
Chapter II
Murder Inc., 2003

No, Ashanti can’t sing. Her second album, Chapter II, begins with not one, but two intros, including the annoying “Shany’s World,” in which Chink Santana boasts not-so-cleverly for over four minutes about his hostess while she coos in the background, showing off her not-so-spectacular pipes. Shany’s voice, in fact, ranks up there with some of pop music’s finest vocal talents, including powerhouses like Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez and Kevin Aviance. The album’s got some great tunes (“Rain On Me,” “Carry On”), but they’d be better suited for someone like Mary J. Blige, whom Shany & Co. bite off of on “Breakup 2 Makeup” (the track uses the loop from Blige’s version of “Sweet Thing”). With vocal talent out of the picture, surely Shany must possess some other redeeming quality, right? Charisma? Songwriting prowess? Some sort of social or cultural relevance? “Then Ya Gone” does purport to be a life-affirming jam (“One day you’re here, baby/And then ya gone,” goes the chorus), but I don’t think that counts. Shany fares better with less ambitious tunes like “Ohhh Ahhh” and “I Don’t Mind,” where she can just, well, ohhh and ahhh. Of course, none of this is Ashanti’s responsibility. It’s not her fault that our standards are so freakin’ low. It’s not her fault her record company has inexplicably coined her “the princess of hip-hop and R&B.” The new track “Living My Life” even makes multiple references to songs from Ashanti’s enormous, life-long canon of hits! It’s no surprise that the singer all but gives credit to Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti on the old-school R&B track “The Story Of 2”: “I got a dreammaker…Dreams are made not by one, by two.” At least her dreams--like her album--are consistently a-shitty.
[This message was edited Wed Jul 2 5:56:14 PDT 2003 by twink69]

HERE IS ANOTHER REVIEW FROM NY DAILY NEWS THIS ONE IS MORE POSITIVE

Not every female R&B singer has to raise the roof with her voice. I call to the stand Diana Ross, T-Boz Watkins and Aaliyah - women who have used feathery instruments to seduce, caress and excite.
Ashanti belongs in that sultry sorority.

While the slim-voiced singer earned the wrath and giggles of many last year for winning "Soul Train's" Aretha Franklin Award as entertainer of the year - and for selling 5 million copies of an admittedly thin debut - Ashanti's justreleased second CD puts her talents to more flattering use.

On "Chapter II," there's a bump up in the songwriting, the playing, even in Ashanti's singing. Most of the album conforms to the omnipresent lead-off single, "Rock Wit You (Awww Baby)." It's just as lemony light, with tunes and playing that mirror Ashanti's chiffon voice.

The easy beats and beaming bass lines make "Chapter II" a smart album for summer. Better yet, the music's misty mood provides a counterpoint to most current R&B, since the genre adopted a heavier tone years ago to compete with hip hop.

Of course, Ashanti originally made her mark as a hip-hop foil. Her breakthrough singles in 2001 all matched her slinky voice to the gritty raps of Ja Rule ("Always on Time"), Fat Joe ("What's Luv?") and Biggie Smalls ("Unfoolish").

On the new album, there's no rap/R&B têteà-tête as compelling. Most of the guest emcee work comes from her producer Chink Santana. But clearly, Ashanti wanted to bust the mold. She does so best in "The Story of 2," where she takes an Alicia Keys-style stab at neo-soul, and "Shany Shia," where she belts - a capella, yet.

Such pieces make "Chapter II" seem like Ashanti's real beginning.