Normally my reviews go through each song of an album but this time I will just tell you my opinion on Amerie‘s „In Love & War” in a more general way.
So, let’s reminisce a little: Back in 2005 Amerie celebrated her great breakthrough with her smash single “1 Thing“. After this big success Amerie hasn’t had a song that you would define as a hit.
In 2007 she released her third album “Because I Love It” which was a solid effort and I thought the singles were pretty hot. However it took ages to get the album physically released in the USA. A label change also caused that promo didn’t really happen.
Now Amerie’s back with her album “In Love & War“. Various times pushed back Amerie once again had trouble with her album release: iTunes didn’t make her album available when it was due and some problems with the shipping. You can tell when it comes to releases Amerie isn’t the luckiest chick.
But let’s take a look at the product she wants to sell. First of all let me say: the album is worth listening. Great instrumentals and catchy lyrics make the album special.
The first single released was “Why R U” and frankly said it wasn’t the best decision. The song is not bad but not single-worthy. The second single “Heard ‘Em All” is dope though. I’m really feeling this song. My favorite song off the album is “Swag Back”. The song has seriously a certain swag that I don’t want to miss. It would be a serious contender for the third single. Another great track is “Higher”. The track has a great energy and I love the lyrics.
The rather slow songs like “Red Eye” or “Flowers” are the weaker songs on the album.
I think she did a good job with choosing the collaborations with Trey Songz and Fabolous. I like both songs.
As always I don’t want to forget to talk about vocals. Amerie is not a bad singer but her voice is so limited that she easily sounds strained. Additionally, she is not able to vary the way she uses her voice as an instrument. What I mean by that: She always sounds the same.
This and the fact that her promo sucks makes it hard for Amerie. I think she’s talented, I like her art but something’s still missing that would make me stan for her. However I think there would be potential to get her more into the focus but with the lack of promotion this is not going to happen.
To sum it up the album is good. Definitely one of the stronger R&B releases this year. If you liked her previous songs you’ll probably like this one too.
Highlights: Heard ‘Em All, Swag Back, Higher, More Than Love feat. Fabolous
