Perhaps that's a harsh response to a woman whose voice is as warm and welcoming as a lover's embrace and who has delivered some of the most memorable hooks to hit the airwaves in the past two years. But on Chapter II, as with her 2002 debut, Ashanti's vocals go from soothing to somnolent over the course of an hour. Pleasant but punchless subsoul, such as "Breakup 2 Makeup" and "Sweet Baby," frequently derails this disc. With another three intermissions and a needless outro, Chapter II feels like one prolonged interlude.