The Declaration

Last updated
The Declaration
Ashanti - The Declaration.jpg
Studio album by
Ashanti
ReleasedJune 3, 2008 (2008-06-03)
Genre R&B
Length49:33
Label
Producer
Ashanti chronology
Collectables by Ashanti
(2005)		The Declaration
(2008)		 The Vault
(2009)
Singles from The Declaration
  1. "The Way That I Love You"
    Released: February 26, 2008
  2. "Body on Me"
    Released: June 10, 2008
  3. "Good Good"
    Released: July 16, 2008

The Declaration is the fifth studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on June 3, 2008, by The Inc. Records and Universal Motown Records. [1]

Contents

The album includes the single "The Way That I Love You". Ashanti said during her June 2 appearance on the television program 106 & Park that she recorded fifty-two tracks for the album, of which fifteen—including the bonus tracks "Why" and "Hey Baby (After the Club)"—were used. This is her last album to be released on Irv Gotti's label The Inc. Records.

Singles

Other Songs

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 52/100 [12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Daily News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [15]
Newsday B [16]
Now Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Toronto Star Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Vibe Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]

The Declaration received generally 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 52, based on 11 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [12] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK felt that the album was "surprisingly short of anything even approaching a commercial hit [but] even without instant hooks to grab on to, it's amazingly compelling." He called The Declaration a "supremely subtle and sophisticated record" as well as "the best album of Ashanti's career." [23] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt that while "past releases have displayed an ostensible desire to follow in the melodramatic steps of Mary J. Blige and much of Declaration continues in that quest," it also "aims to prove that Ashanti is indeed growing up." [19]

AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that "even though this album marks a nearly complete break from The Inc., it's very much in line with what came before it, hardly a major departure [...] This is neither a great nor a poor Ashanti album. It's decent, just like the rest of them." [13] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly wrote that The Declaration "simply doesn't make much of a statement, and its high point – the prettily emotive ballad "The Way That I Love You" – isn't enough to unseat the Beyoncés and Mary J.'s of the world." [15] Rolling Stone 's Christian Hoard thought that Ashanti "is still doing the diva-by-numbers thing, alternating between angry-at-her-man anthems and lovey pleasantry [...] But even with A-list producers like Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and Rodney Jerkins, the beats stick to straightforward bounce or subdued ballads. And Ashanti doesn't offer any more personality." [18]

Shanel Odum of Vibe gave a mixed review to the album, writing that "her voice is pleasant if sometimes uninspiring, but on soulful songs like "You’re Gonna Miss," the pain in her sweet-as-Smarties voice is definite. But even with all the emo-passion, nearly half of this album is lukewarm." [22] Now writer Benjamin Boles found that it's "all too evident why The Declaration was delayed. Producer LT Hutton is behind most of these beats, and it’s easy to see why he hasn’t had a hit in years. A few bigger names drop in (Nelly and Akon might as well be sleepwalking here), but none sound like they’re putting much into their appearances. Ashanti’s still got a decent voice, but she’s badly in need of a better songwriting and production team." [17] The Boston Globe remarked that "after four years away, Ashanti declares that she's back, but this middling, familiar set of songs is unlikely to reclaim her spotlight." [24]

Commercial performance

The Declaration debuted and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 86,000 copies in its first week of release. [25] It marked Ashanti's lowest opening sales for a regular studio album to then and was a considerable decline from her previous effort Concrete Rose , which had opened to sales of 254,000 units in 2004. [25] On the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart the album debuted at number two where it spent a total of 34 consecutive weeks on the chart. [26] By October 2008, The Declaration had sold 246,000 copies. [27]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
1:05
2."The Way That I Love You"
  • Hutton
  • Douglas
4:27
3."You're Gonna Miss"
  • Douglas
  • Hutton
  • Hutton
  • Douglas
3:14
4."So Over You"
  • Jerkins
3:59
5."Struggle"
  • Douglas
  • Hutton
  • Hutton
4:34
6."Girlfriend"
  • Douglas
  • Hutton
  • Hutton
3:30
7."Things You Make Me Do" (featuring Robin Thicke)
  • Douglas
  • Thicke
  • Aurelius
  • Frenchie Vein
  • Chad Beatz
  • Keith Biz
  • Channel 7
  • Beats [a]
  • Keith Biz [a]
4:28
8."In These Streets"
4:24
9."Good Good"
3:36
10."Body on Me" (featuring Nelly & Akon)
  • Akon
3:20
11."Mother"
5:10
12."Shine"
  • Peter Stengaard
  • Warren [b]
3:40
13."The Declaration"
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Yinon Yahel
  • Channel 7
  • Yahel
3:55
Total length:49:33
United States iTunes Store and international digital bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Why"
  • Beanz
4:32
Total length:54:05
United Kingdom bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Hey Baby (After the Club)" (featuring Mario Winans)
  • Douglas
  • Aurelius
  • Winans
  • Aurelius
  • Winans
4:30
Total length:54:03

Notes

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes. [28]

Charts

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, and reference
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef
United StatesJune 3, 2008
  • CD
  • digital download
 [36]
United KingdomJune 9, 2008 [37]
BrazilJuly 18, 2008 [38]

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