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Concrete Rose

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Concrete Rose
Studio album by
Ashanti
ReleasedDecember 14, 2004
GenreR&B[1]
Length54:56
Label
Producer
Ashanti chronology
Ashanti's Christmas
(2003) 		Concrete Rose
(2004) 		Collectables by Ashanti
(2005)
Singles from Concrete Rose
  1. "Only U"
    Released: October 26, 2004
  2. "Don't Let Them"
    Released: April 5, 2005

Concrete Rose is the third studio album by American singer Ashanti. It was released by The Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings on December 14, 2004 in the United States. In addition to working with frequent collaborators Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, and 7 Aurelius, Ashanti also enlisted new collaborators Malcolm Flythe, Jimi Kendrix, and Demi-Doc, to assist. The album features features guest appearance from rappers T.I., Ja Rule, and Lloyd.

Concrete Rose was proceeded by lead single "Only U", which received positive reviews and reached the top-twenty in several countries. The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States, with first-week sales of 254,000 units; the album also became Ashanti's third consecutive album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Outside the United States, the album was less successful, with its most strongest ranking being in the top thirty of the UK Albums Chart. Critical reception to the project was mixed, with most deeming the album as unoriginal. Nonetheless, the album did receive a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and gained gold status in Japan and the United Kingdom.

The album and its promotion was vastly overshadowed by the legal troubles that faced The Inc. and Gotti, who was arrested on money laundering charges only a month after Concrete Rose's release. As a result, Def Jam severed ties with The Inc. in May 2005, and refused to promote the album's second single "Don't Let Them", which only charted moderately in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Background

Following the success of her sophomore studio album Chapter II, Ashanti confirmed in November 2003 that she had begun planning her third studio album, due to be out in mid-2004.[2] In February 2004, Ashanti said the album had "a new sound, a new flavor", and said she wanted "to touch on more topics that I didn't touch on with the first and the second record." She also confirmed that she had already recorded three songs for the album.[3] By July, Ashanti confirmed she had already finished the record, and planned its release for November.[4]

Singles and promotion

The song "Turn It Up", featuring rapper Ja Rule, was initially released as the lead single off the album. However, it was downscaled to a buzz single after The Inc. decided to release "Only U" as Concrete Rose's lead single instead.[5] The song, released on October 26, 2004, reached the top ten of several countries, including Ireland (#4), Japan (#), and the United Kingdom (#2); the song also reached the top twenty in Germany (#12), New Zealand (#14), Switzerland (#12), and the United States (#13).[5]

The album was largely overshadowed by the legal issues surrounding Murder Inc./The Inc. and its head, Irv Gotti. In January 2003, during recording of Chapter II, the offices Murder Inc. were raided during an investigation into Gotti's ties to gangster Kenneth McGriff.[6][7] In November, Murder Inc. changed its name to The Inc., in an attempt to distance the company from its several controversies.[8][9][10] Between November 2004 and January 2005, Gotti, McGriff, and several employees and associates of The Inc. were arrested on charges of money laundering, racketeering, and murder, regarding to the killing of rapper E-Money Bags.[11][12][13][14][15][16] In April 2005, Ashanti chose "Don't Let Them" to be the second single from the album.[17] However, in May, Def Jam dissolved its partnership with The Inc., and refused to promote the single or give it a music video.[18] As a result, the single failed to chart in the United States; however, the single did chart moderately in Ireland (#41) and the United Kingdom (#38).[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic47/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[19]
Billboard(average)[20]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[21]
The Guardian[22]
Los Angeles Times[23]
PopMatters[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
Slant Magazine[26]
USA Today[27]

Concrete Rose received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average" reviews.[19] Andy Kellman from Allmusic found that "disregarding the ill-suited standards, an Ashanti album is always good for a handful of strong singles, as Concrete Rose helps indicate [...] it's no better or worse than her 2002 debut or 2003's Chapter II, with the standout singles, decent album cuts, and filler fluff provided in equal doses."[1] USA Today journalist Steve Jones found that with Concrete Rose Ashanti "sticks closely to her usual formula of engaging beats and airy vocals [...] Still, she is consistent enough to make this Rose bloom full time."[27] Nicholas Tayor from PopMatters called the album "a decent, 54-minute collection of mostly mid-tempo tracks by a decent R&B singer."[24] Billboard noted that "a more confident-sounding Ashanti is onboard for her third time out. Powered by sensual lead single "Only You," Concrete Rose contains several other equally rhythmic jams."[20]

Hattie Collins, writing for The Guardian, found that "Ashanti doesn't stray from the R&B rulebook that has so far seen her sell some 7m albums in the US alone – namely a hip-hop backdrop of hard-knock beats tempered by a soul-lite vocal [...] A lack of originality and too much filler mark Ashanti more as a pedestrian than the princess she purports to be."[22] Steve Appleford from The Los Angeles Times wrote that Ashanti and Concrete Rose sound "trapped, sapped of strength and ideas, and buried beneath all the worst cold and calculated production tendencies of her label [...] What follows is modern R&B; formula at its most flat and uninspired. For all her lovesick panting, pleading and purring, Ashanti is never emotionally engaged with the songs, which aren’t worth the trouble anyway."[23] Entertainment Weekly's Raymond Fiore remarked that "the thin-voiced vixen’s third disc bruises both genres with a slew of mostly midtempo clunkers built with her weapons of choice: faux grit and forced sensuality."[21] In his review for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani wrote: "Ashanti is incapable of doing slinky or sexy and, despite her incessant attempts at vamping, she can’t all-out sing either – she’s even upstaged by a Hammond organ."[26]

Chart performance

Concrete Rose debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 album chart in December 2004 and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number one with first-week sales of 254,000 units sold. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 14, 2005 and remained on the Billboard 200 albums chart for 20 weeks. The album has sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. to date, as of October 2005.[28]

Outside the United States the album debuted or peaked at #25 in the United Kingdom, #98 in France, #35 in Germany and #66 in Switzerland.

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Concrete Rose" (Intro)
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
1:17
2."Still Down" (featuring T.I.)
  • Gotti
  • Flythe
  • Jimi Kendrix (co.)
4:13
3."Message to the Fans" (Skit)
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
0:23
4."Only U"
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:06
5."Focus"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Barnes
  • Lerner
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:17
6."Don't Let Them"
  • Douglas
  • Gotti
  • Demetrius McGhee
  • Earl Randle
  • Lawrence Seymour
  • Willie Mitchell
  • Yvonne Mitchell
  • Gotti
  • Demi-Doc
4:23
7."Love Again"
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
4:08
8."Take Me Tonight" (featuring Lloyd)
  • Gotti
  • Jimi Kendrix
4:05
9."U"
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:35
10."Every Lil' Thing"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:56
11."Turn It Up" (featuring Ja Rule)
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
4:16
12."Buck 3000" (Skit)
 0:22
13."So Hot"
  • Douglas
  • Gotti
  • Parker
4:57
14."Don't Leave Me Alone" (featuring 7 Aurelius)
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:33
15."Sister Stories" (Skit) (featuring Shi Shi)Douglas 0:45
16."Freedom"
  • Douglas
  • Gotti
  • McGhee
  • Gotti
  • Demi-Doc
3:51
17."Wonderful" (Remix) (featuring Ja Rule & R. Kelly)
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
4:41
Total length:54:56
United Kingdom bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Touch My Body"
  • Douglas
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
3:30
Total length:58:26
Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Touch My Body"
  • Douglas
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
  • Gotti
  • Kendrix
3:30
19."Spend the Night"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Parker
  • Gotti
  • Santana
  • Aurelius (co.)
3:30
Total length:61:56

Samples

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[38] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c AllMusic review
  2. ^ Reid, Shaheem (November 23, 2003). "Ashanti To Drop Remix LP, DVD; Planning New Studio Album". MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (February 20, 2004). "Ashanti Promises New Sound, New Flavor On Next LP". MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 20, 2004). "Ashanti Shows Lloyd The Inc. Ropes, Picks Up The Pace On New LP". MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b Valdés, Mimi (December 1, 2004). "Escape From The Crackhouse". Vibe. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Report: Feds Raid Murder Inc. In Irv Gotti Probe". Billboard. January 6, 2003. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Oh, Minya (January 16, 2003). "Drugs, Friends & Allegations: Inside The Murder Inc. Raid". MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Reid, Shaheem (November 14, 2003). [www.mtv.com/news/1480422/murder-inc-drops-the-murder/ "Murder Inc. Drops The Murder"]. MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Reid, Shaheem (December 3, 2003). [www.mtv.com/news/1480922/irv-gotti-explains-labels-name-change-wont-forgive-eminem/ "Irv Gotti Explains Label's Name Change, Won't Forgive Eminem"]. MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Arango, Tim (December 4, 2003). "'Murder' Dead; Infamous Label Now Just The Inc". New York Post. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (November 9, 2004). [www.mtv.com/news/1493554/inc-bookkeeper-charged-with-money-laundering/ "Inc. Bookkeeper Charged With Money Laundering"]. MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Charges Filed Against Murder Inc. Employee". Hits Daily Double. November 9, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (November 18, 2004). [www.mtv.com/news/1493860/ja-rules-manager-arrested-on-money-laundering-charges/ "Ja Rule's Manager Arrested On Money-Laundering Charges"]. MTV News. Retrieved July 25, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Fiasco, Lance (November 18, 2004). "Ja Rule's Manager Arrested". Idobi. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Feds Expected To Make Murder Inc Arrests". AllHipHop. January 24, 2005. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Mar, Alex (January 26, 2005). "Irv Gotti Surrenders to FBI". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ a b Taylor, Chuck (April 16, 2005). "Billboard Picks". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Arango, Tim (May 16, 2005). "Hip-Hop Homeless Time For Murder Inc. & Gotti". New York Post. Retrieved July 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ a b c "Concrete Rose by Ashanti".
  20. ^ a b "Concrete Rose". Billboard. December 18, 2004. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Fiore, Raymond (2004-12-20). "Concrete Rose Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 71. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  22. ^ a b Collins, Hattie (10 December 2004). "CD: Ashanti, Concrete Rose". The Guardian. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Hochman, Baz Dreisinger; Steve Appleford; Steve (2 January 2005). "Something gets lost in Em's mix" – via LA Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ a b Taylor, Nicholas (September 18, 2003). "Ashanti: Concrete Rose". PopMatters. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  25. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved 2012-04-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal. "Review: Ashanti, Concrete Rose". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  27. ^ a b Jones, Steve. "'Concrete Rose' has consistency". USA Today. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  28. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20051026071421/http://www.memorylanemusicgroup.com/
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ashanti – Concrete Rose" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ashanti – Concrete Rose". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ashanti – Concrete Rose" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ashanti – Concrete Rose". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  33. ^ "Ashanti | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  34. ^ "Ashanti Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  35. ^ "Ashanti Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  36. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  37. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  38. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Ashanti – Concrete Rose" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  39. ^ "British album certifications – Ashanti – Concrete Rose". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2017-04-24. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Concrete Rose in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  40. ^ "American album certifications – Ashanti – Concrete Rose". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
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