The problem with starting your career at the top is that there's nowhere to go but down. Ashanti's first album sold a remarkable 6 million but since then, it's been a case of ever diminishing returns. Last year's Christmas album was pretty embarrassing and while Concrete Rose is certainly an improvement, it never scales the heights of her earlier outings. The main problem is the sheer lack of variety on offer - almost every track features Ashanti's lightweight vocals gliding blandly over a backdrop of humdrum hip-hop beats, a contrived formula that now sounds well past its sell-by date. And since she never sounds as if she particularly cares about what she's singing, it's far from clear why the listeners should either. She may be the self-styled princess of R'n'B - but she's got a lot of work to do if she wants to become the queen.
