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Concrete Rose

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This article is about an Ashanti studio album. For the young adult novel by Angie Thomas, see Concrete Rose (novel).
Concrete Rose
Studio album by
Ashanti
ReleasedDecember 14, 2004
GenreR&B
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 fourth studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on December 14, 2004, by The Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings. 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 guest appearances from rappers T.I., Ja Rule, and Lloyd.

The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 in the United States, with first-week sales of 254,000 units. Outside the United States, the album was less successful, with its strongest ranking being in the top 20 in Japan and the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart. Critical reception to the project was mixed, with most deeming the album 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.

Concrete Rose was preceded by lead single "Only U", which received positive reviews and reached the top-twenty in several countries. 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.[1] 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.[2] By July, Ashanti confirmed she had already finished the record, and planned its release for November.[3]

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.[4] 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).[4]

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.[5][6] In November, Murder Inc. changed its name to The Inc., in an attempt to distance the company from its several controversies.[7][8][9] 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.[10][11][12][13][14][15] In April 2005, Ashanti chose "Don't Let Them" to be the second single from the album.[16] The single failed to chart in the United States; however, charted moderately well in Ireland (#41) and the United Kingdom (#38).[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic47/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Blender[19]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[20]
The Guardian[21]
Los Angeles Times[22]
PopMatters5/10[23]
Rolling Stone[24]
Slant Magazine[25]
USA Today[26]

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.[17] 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."[18] 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."[26] Nicholas Tayor from PopMatters called the album "a decent, 54-minute collection of mostly mid-tempo tracks by a decent R&B singer."[23] 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."[27]

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."[21] 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."[22] 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."[20] 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."[25]

Chart performance

During the week of Christmas, Concrete Rose debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 254,000 units.[28] On the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart the album debuted at number two where it spent a total of 28 consecutive weeks on the chart.[29] On January 14, 2005, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for one million shipped units.[30][31] By April 2008, the album had sold 871,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[32] In total, it remained on the Billboard 200 albums chart for 20 consecutive weeks.[33]

Elsewhere, Concrete Rose debuted or peaked at number 16 in Japan,[34] number 25 in the United Kingdom,[35] number 36 in Germany,[36] and number 65 in Canada.[37] In Japan, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[38] In the United Kingdom, it also peaked at number four on the UK R&B Albums chart and was eventually certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[39]

Track listing

Concrete Rose track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Only U"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
3:06
2."Still Down" (featuring T.I.)
  • Gotti
  • Flythe
  • Jimi Kendrix[a]
4:13
3."Message to the Fans" (Skit)
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
0:23
4."Concrete Rose" (Intro)
  • Gotti
  • Aurelius
1:17
5."Focus"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Gotti
  • Jerry Barnes
  • Selan 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[a]
3:30
Total length:61:56

Notes

  • ^a denotes additional producer

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Concrete Rose
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[38] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[50] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  2. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (February 20, 2004). "Ashanti Promises New Sound, New Flavor On Next LP". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  3. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 20, 2004). "Ashanti Shows Lloyd The Inc. Ropes, Picks Up The Pace On New LP". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Valdés, Mimi (December 1, 2004). "Escape From The Crackhouse". Vibe. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
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  7. ^ Reid, Shaheem (November 14, 2003). "Murder Inc. Drops The Murder". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
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  10. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (November 9, 2004). "Inc. Bookkeeper Charged With Money Laundering". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "Charges Filed Against Murder Inc. Employee". Hits Daily Double. November 9, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
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  18. ^ a b AllMusic review
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