Concrete Rose

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2004 studio album by Ashanti

title: "Concrete Rose" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2004-albums", "albums-produced-by-chink-santana", "albums-with-cover-art-by-tony-duran", "ashanti-(singer)-albums", "def-jam-recordings-albums"] description: "2004 studio album by Ashanti" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Rose" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 2004 studio album by Ashanti ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameConcrete Rose
typestudio
artistAshanti
coverAshanti - Concrete Rose.jpg
releasedDecember 14, 2004
genreR&B
length54:56
label
producer* Ashanti Douglas (also exec.)
prev_titleAshanti's Christmas
prev_year2003
next_titleCollectables by Ashanti
next_year2005
misc{{Singles
nameConcrete Rose
typestudio
single1Only U
single1dateOctober 26, 2004
single2Don't Let Them
single2dateApril 5, 2005
::

| name = Concrete Rose | type = studio | artist = Ashanti | cover = Ashanti - Concrete Rose.jpg | alt = | released = December 14, 2004 | recorded = | studio =

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 Roses 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. 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. By July, Ashanti confirmed she had already finished the record, and planned its release for November.

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 Roses lead single instead. 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).

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. In November, Murder Inc. changed its name to The Inc., in an attempt to distance the company from its several controversies. 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. In April 2005, Ashanti chose "Don't Let Them" to be the second single from the album. The single failed to chart in the United States; however, charted moderately well in Ireland (#41) and the United Kingdom (#38).

Critical reception

| MC = 47/100 |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = |rev2 = Blender |rev2score = |rev3 = Entertainment Weekly |rev3score = C− |rev4 = The Guardian |rev4score = |rev5 = Los Angeles Times |rev5score = | rev6 = Now | rev6score = |rev7 = PopMatters |rev7score = 5/10 |rev8 = Rolling Stone |rev8score = |rev9 = Slant Magazine |rev9score = |rev10 = USA Today |rev10score = 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.

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." 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." *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." 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."

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. 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. On January 14, 2005, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for one million shipped units. By November 2005, the album had sold over 1 million copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Elsewhere, Concrete Rose debuted or peaked at number 16 in Japan, number 25 in the United Kingdom, number 36 in Germany, and number 65 in Canada. In Japan, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). 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).

Track listing

| headline = Concrete Rose track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 54:56

| title_width = 27% | writing_width = 51% | extra_width = 22%

| title1 = Concrete Rose | note1 = Intro | writer1 = | extra1 = | length1 = 1:17

| title2 = Still Down | note2 = featuring T.I. | writer2 = | extra2 = | length2 = 4:13

| title3 = Message to the Fans | note3 = Skit | writer3 = | extra3 = | length3 = 0:23

| title4 = Only U | writer4 = | extra4 = | length4 = 3:06

| title5 = Focus | writer5 = | extra5 = | length5 = 3:17

| title6 = Don't Let Them | writer6 = | extra6 = | length6 = 4:23

| title7 = Love Again | writer7 = | extra7 = | length7 = 4:08

| title8 = Take Me Tonight | note8 = featuring Lloyd | writer8 = | extra8 = | length8 = 4:05

| title9 = U | writer9 = | extra9 = | length9 = 3:35

| title10 = Every Lil' Thing | writer10 = | extra10 = | length10 = 3:56

| title11 = Turn It Up | note11 = featuring Ja Rule | writer11 = | extra11 = | length11 = 4:16

| title12 = Buck 3000 | note12 = Skit | writer12 = | length12 = 0:22

| title13 = So Hot | writer13 = | extra13 = | length13 = 4:57

| title14 = Don't Leave Me Alone | note14 = featuring 7 Aurelius | writer14 = | extra14 = | length14 = 3:33

| title15 = Sister Stories | note15 = Skit) (featuring Shi Shi | writer15 = Douglas | extra15 = | length15 = 0:45

| title16 = Freedom | writer16 = | extra16 = | length16 = 3:51

| title17 = Wonderful | note17 = Remix) (featuring Ja Rule & R. Kelly | writer17 = | extra17 = | length17 = 4:41

| headline = United Kingdom bonus track | extra_column = Producer(s) | title_width = 27% | writing_width = 51% | extra_width = 22% | total_length = 58:26

| title18 = Touch My Body | writer18 = | extra18 = | length18 = 3:30

| headline = Japan bonus tracks | extra_column = Producer(s) | title_width = 27% | writing_width = 51% | extra_width = 22% | total_length = 61:56

| title18 = Touch My Body | writer18 = | extra18 = | length18 = 3:30

| title19 = Spend the Night | writer19 = | extra19 = | length19 = 3:30

Notes

Personnel

  • 7 Aurelius – vocals, background vocals, producer, associate executive producer, instrumentation
  • Won "Engineer to the Stars" Bee Allen – engineer
  • Chuck Amos – hair stylist
  • David Ashton – engineer
  • Ashaunna Ayars – marketing
  • Jerry Barnes – bass guitar
  • William Barnes – guitar
  • Erica Bowen – recording director
  • Milwaukee "Protools King" Buck – engineer
  • Al "Boogie" Carty – bass
  • Robin Clark – executive assistant
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Kenneth Crouch – keyboards
  • Ashanti Douglas – executive producer
  • Tinya Y. Douglas – management
  • Tony Duran – photography
  • Easy Mo Bee – drum programming, beats
  • Malcolm Flythe – producer
  • Stephen George – mixing
  • Irv Gotti – producer, executive producer, mixing
  • Deidre Graham – marketing
  • Terry "Murda Mac" Herbert – assistant engineer
  • Bashiri Johnson – percussion
  • Gavin "YG" Johnston – assistant engineer
  • Terese Joseph – A&R
  • Jimi Kendrix – producer
  • Darcell Lawrence – production executive
  • Trevor Lawrence – drums
  • Selan Lerner – keyboards
  • Jerome Leventhal – management
  • Chris "Gotti" Lorenzo – A&R
  • Tammy Lucas – background vocals
  • Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
  • Glen "It's Crazy" Markazi – engineer, mixing
  • Josh McDonnell – assistant engineer
  • Demetrius McGhee – organ, strings, bass guitar, keyboards, producer, instrumentation
  • Rosie Michel – stylist
  • Fred Moore – A&R
  • Karen Moskowitz – photography
  • Rick Patrick – creative director
  • Tenisha Ramos – marketing
  • Bill Sample – Hammond organ
  • Chink Santana – producer
  • Adam Scheurmann – engineer, assistant engineer
  • Paul Silveira – engineer
  • Todd "Shortma" Simms – A&R
  • Quinshae Snead – personal assistant
  • Rob Stefanson – assistant engineer
  • Supa Engineer "Dura" – mixing
  • Laura Tamburino – art producer
  • Errol "Breezie" Jr. Vaughn – A&R
  • Andy West – art direction

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for ''Concrete Rose''"] | Chart (2005) | Peak position | Australian Albums (ARIA) | Australian Urban Albums (ARIA) | Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) | Japanese Albums (Oricon) | Taiwanese Albums (Five Music) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 89 | | | | | | | | 13 | | | | | | | | 65 | | | | | | | | 16 | | | | | | | | 18 | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="Year-end chart performance for ''Concrete Rose''"]

Chart (2005)PositionUS Billboard 200US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
76
28
::

Certifications

References

References

  1. Reid, Shaheem. (November 23, 2003). "Ashanti To Drop Remix LP, DVD; Planning New Studio Album".
  2. Wiederhorn, Jon. (February 20, 2004). "Ashanti Promises New Sound, New Flavor On Next LP".
  3. Reid, Shaheem. (July 20, 2004). "Ashanti Shows Lloyd The Inc. Ropes, Picks Up The Pace On New LP".
  4. Valdés, Mimi. (December 1, 2004). "Escape From The Crackhouse". [[Vibe (magazine).
  5. (January 6, 2003). "Report: Feds Raid Murder Inc. In Irv Gotti Probe".
  6. Oh, Minya. (January 16, 2003). "Drugs, Friends & Allegations: Inside The Murder Inc. Raid".
  7. Reid, Shaheem. (November 14, 2003). "Murder Inc. Drops The Murder".
  8. Reid, Shaheem. (December 3, 2003). "Irv Gotti Explains Label's Name Change, Won't Forgive Eminem".
  9. Arango, Tim. (December 4, 2003). "'Murder' Dead; Infamous Label Now Just The Inc.".
  10. Rashbaum, Alyssa. (November 9, 2004). "Inc. Bookkeeper Charged With Money Laundering".
  11. (November 9, 2004). "Charges Filed Against Murder Inc. Employee".
  12. Rashbaum, Alyssa. (November 18, 2004). "Ja Rule's Manager Arrested On Money-Laundering Charges".
  13. Fiasco, Lance. (November 18, 2004). "Ja Rule's Manager Arrested".
  14. (January 24, 2005). "Feds Expected To Make Murder Inc Arrests".
  15. Mar, Alex. (January 26, 2005). "Irv Gotti Surrenders to FBI".
  16. Taylor, Chuck. (April 16, 2005). "Billboard Picks".
  17. "Concrete Rose by Ashanti".
  18. [{{AllMusic
  19. Dreisinger, Baz. "Ashanti's third album hits Beyoncé levels of sexy — then hits the snooze button".
  20. Fiore, Raymond. (December 20, 2004). "Concrete Rose".
  21. Collins, Hattie. (10 December 2004). "CD: Ashanti, Concrete Rose". [[The Guardian]].
  22. Hochman, Baz Dreisinger; Steve Appleford; Steve. (2 January 2005). "Something gets lost in Em's mix". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  23. (December 23, 2004). "CONCRETE ROSE - ASHANTI (THE INC/UNIVERSAL)".
  24. Taylor, Nicholas. (September 18, 2003). "Ashanti: Concrete Rose".
  25. "Rolling Stone review".
  26. Cinquemani, Sal. (26 December 2004). "Review: Ashanti, Concrete Rose".
  27. Jones, Steve. "'Concrete Rose' has consistency". [[USA Today]].
  28. (December 18, 2004). "Concrete Rose".
  29. Hasty, Katie. (June 11, 2008). "Disturbed Scores Third Straight No. 1 Album".
  30. "RIAA > Gold & Platinum Search". [[Recording Industry Association of America]].
  31. "Memory Lane Music Group".
  32. https://web.archive.org/web/20051026071421/http://www.memorylanemusicgroup.com/ {{Bare URL inline. (August 2025)
  33. (January 17, 2005). "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 January 2005". [[Australian Recording Industry Association]].
  34. (March 7, 2005). "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 7th March 2005". [[Australian Recording Industry Association]].
  35. (January 30, 2005). "Albums : Top 100".
  36. link. [[Oricon]]
  37. "Taiwan 52/2004". Five-Music.
  38. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005".
  39. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005".

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