Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Ashanti's fourth album is more of the same in terms of sexual content, but she seems to have toned it down a bit when it comes to glorifying the gangsta life. Unfortunately, she just can't stray too far from the lyrical formula of lots of gratuitous sexual stuff.
Families can talk about Ashanti's progression. When she released her first album, she was just a teen. Has her musical style changed? Do you think she's made a natural development with age or did her record label force the change?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Maria Dinoia
This R&B and pop star has delivered her fourth album with a slick, overproduced 13-track collection. She continues to talk about sex and brings in some big names such as Nelly, Akon, and Robin Thicke to help her out.
Ashanti's soulful voice is a little hidden behind all the production, but THE DECLARATION probably couldn't help but end up sounding overproduced with the list of people tied to it -- Babyface, Jermaine Dupri, Diane Warren -- to name a few. And production isn't the only thing that's over the top: Ashanti is definitely the "Dear Abby" of the R&B world for the heartbroken and wouldn't be herself if she wasn't singing about the highs and lows of relationships including being a woman scorned and exacting revenge. All said, what you have here is a fine album of songs that doesn't really excite or depress either. It's stuck in mediocrity and falls somewhere in the middle of take or leave it.
Better soulful sounds: Corinne Bailey Rae or As I Am.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentThe CD is loaded with sexual content and "trying to get in them draws and banging it out till morning" is only the beginning. |
 |
|
|
|
Violence |
 |
|
|
|
LanguageThe opening of "You're Gonna Miss" has a "f--ked up." Also, "And now I'm standing here looking like damn…" |
|
|
|
|
Message |
|
|
|
|
Social BehaviorShe does talk about being a woman scorned and exacting revenge. |
 |
 |
 |
|
CommercialismMentions of Sidekick phone and BMWs. |
|
|
|
|
Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco |
|
|
|
|
