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Amerie
In Love and War
Campus Correspondent Review By Jennifer Brown, Boston University
Amerie's fourth studio album, In Love and War (Def Jam), is packed with octave-blasting enormous vocals and sharp R&B beats. The album combines full-band backings and traditional hip-hop samples to create a wider range of sound for the solo female artist.
Opening with “Tell Me You Love Me,” a track full of horns and wailing vocals, Amerie starts the album off with a catchy, repeating chorus. The song has spices of background electric guitar riffs with the demanding lyrics, “I’m gonna make you love me / Tell me you love me,” which strike a similar resemblance to Beyonce’s famous 2003 single “Crazy In Love.”
Other tracks on the album veer away from the full-band sound, such as “Why R U,” “Swag Back” and “The Flowers.” All three songs sound different from each other: “Why R U” is the album’s hip-hop anthem with DJ scratches and breathy vocals, “Swag Back” is a synth-based track with a hand-clap beat and “The Flowers” is a slowed-down piano ballad. After leaving Columbia Records and joining Def Jam, it’s clear that Amerie has found her home. She shows more flexibility and intimate involvement on In Love and War, giving fans hope for less cliché R&B tracks and more variety.
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