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Chapter II
06/30/2003 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Dan Leroy
Much of the coverage of Ashanti's debut focused on her vocal limitations, with several commentators bemoaning the slippery slope the 21-year-old star was allegedly dragging the fine old art of rhythm and blues singing down. Unfortunately, that battle was lost long ago--at least since Madonna and Janet Jackson first stepped to the mic--so you can only judge Chapter II for the plastic soul it is. And if you're honest, you can't help but admit that it's pretty good plastic soul, at that; lose the skits and a couple of ballads Ashanti may never be ready for, and her summery second outing delivers on the limited promise of her first. Wisely keeping its distance from hip-hop in general, and tin-eared duet partner Ja Rule in particular, the album shoplifts classic R&B hooks with style ("I Found Lovin'," a squiggly synth-funk original, is a superb exception), occasionally even alighting on something approaching a real live groove, like the faux-gospel "The Story of 2." When it does, Ashanti doesn't disappear; she's no Aretha, but is fast approaching average. And with material that should make more talented singers green, that's all that's required.
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