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In Love & War (Album Cover)

Here’s a ‘new’ section which I would be doing. Worthy albums which I’ve not reviewed before and passed 3 months of its release, I’ll chuck it in this section. The first honorary would be Amerie!! Any albums I’ll try my best to review, cause I’ve binding ‘commitments’ for the time-being. =( Rest assured, I always do the more anticipated ones first. =)

“In Love & War” is the the fourth studio album by Amerie, already released on November 3rd 2009, by Def Jam Recordings. The album has received generally positive reviews from music critics, it’s rather easy to see (hear) why.

First Impressions
As compared with the sound of her brillant 3rd album, “Because I Love It“, she sorta turn back time and experiments with old school “Funk & B” (Funk + R&B) beats. It doesn’t sound dated and at the same time, it’s current enough to capture the listeners’ attention (including mine).

All tracks are co-written by Amerie herself, with the producers she’ve collaborated. Impressive. This album surprised me in a good way.

If Beyonce’s “B’day” and Solange’s “Sol-Angel and The Hadley St. Dreams” were to have mash up, this would be their love child. Only better!!!! The Knowles Sisters don’t stand a chance in terms of music quality.

Standout Tracks

• Tell Me You Love Me
  Album opener. As usual, the first track always sets the tone of the album. This album is no exception. There are some albums with songs all over the place, which would result in a mess. A promising start. =)
• Heard ‘Em All
  2nd single. Uncredited vocals by Sean Garrett. A definite BANGER!!! Don’t understand why this song didn’t really take off when it’s supposed to. Any uptempo R&B female artist would KILL to record this song. Plus, the Sean Kingston reference is interesting.
• Dangerous
  Could fit in any soundtrack of a retro action movie. Perhaps a “Bond” movie??
• Higher
  The structure of this song reminds me of one of her best songs to date, “Gotta Work“. One of my faves from the album.
• Why R U
  First single. This song is about infatuation. Again, I question why this song isn’t topping the R&B charts. If not, in the mainstream chart. I don’t really care though. This song is uber catchy!!! The funky old school R&B beats really works well in this song.
• Pretty Brown
  Features Trey Songz. The verses by him are rather good. This track reminds me of a song that Mary J. Blige would do.
• More Than Love
  Features Faboulous. Another song with a catchy chorus by Amerie. An ok song though. Describes about trust issues.
• Red Eye
  A slow jam, ala Keri Hilson. Not as boring as Keri’s stuff though, cause Amerie’s voice is rather attractive. =)
• The Flowers
  A nice “Funk & B” ballad. Its lyrics (the chorus) keeps repeating in my head.
• Different People
  Been listening to this track alot lately. It does take a few listens to appreciate this song, and the lyrics struck a cord in me.
• Dear John
  This song tells a story. Wish there’ll be a video for this song, but yeah. Sigh. A great pop/R&B ballad. Quite a bitter song to end the album.

Final Verdict
Moving over to Def Jam is a pretty good move. Having access to excellent producers is a plus point too. The major problem that hinders the success of this album is the promotion. Amerie herself is a good vocalist, and she’s definitely not a one-hit wonder, as proven with her 4 studio albums on her belt.

This album reeks of a nomination for a Grammy of “Best R&B Album”. It’s a pity that it isn’t selling well. Hope she’ll not slipped the radar yet again after the release of this album. Amerie deserves a place in the music industry, talented girl she is, just lack of a little luck. One of the underrated albums of 2009.

This album scores a 4 out of 5.

Recommended Tracks
Amerie – Heard ‘Em All
Amerie – Why R U
Amerie – Different People