After being dropped from Columbia Records in 2007 with the European only release of "Because I love it" I was pretty sure that Amerie was one of those artists that was mismanaged, mismarketed, and misconsumed as "Because I love it" was a stellar effort by a mediocre artist that was shelved never to see a domestic relese date. Well little miss engine that could is back and with a new deal on Island Def Jam and a new blandly titled album "In Love and War" due in stores in August. However, considering the new single and video, one has to ask - Why are you still here!
Don't let that last statement mislead you, I love Amerie, but for all the wrong reasons. When she first hit the scene with her now classic single (and only real hit aside from "1 thing" ) "Why don't we fall in love" I was in love with the bi racial east coast chanteuse and her charismatic steeze. She was an around the way girl, the girl next door type, she became my dreamgirl (I love the combination of asian and black and think its probably the most beautiful on the planet) but her voice was a whole other issue. She was easy on the eyes and a little rough on the ears but there was something about her that inevitably made you want to root for her. Even in the midst of her label worries, I was still rooting for Amerie, but then I saw the video for her single "Why R U" and realized that pretty only takes you so far and there isn't really much to Amerie as an artist once you eliminate the cute factor.
I read an article that had just as much to say bout the video and the song itself. The song, is pure garbage placing Amerie outside her vocal range rendering the whole ordeal a pitchy and screechy affair. But what's really sad about the track and its vocal arrangement is that this is post studio trickery and fuckery so her vocals have in fact been "polished" begging the question, well what do the unmixed, unfinished tracks sound like. As well, the whole entire video rest on her looks. Amerie has never been the one to let her beauty do all the heavy lifting, but in the clip there isn't a single shot that doesn't scream "I'm flawlessly gorgeous."
The shelf life of a pop princess isn't ever very long, but Amerie is one of those artist who is definitely stamped for freshness. In fact, this is the exact problem, her sound and endless collaborations with Rich Harrison have grown stale to the point of nauseum. I'm not sure if "In love and war" is Amerie's effort to be taken seriously in the music industry, but if it is, then i am not alone in proclaiming "Shut up and just be cute already, go back to the bronx, take a stroll through the neighborhood in that cute white summer tank and shorts, and sit your ass back on that park bench and think about your next career move"
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