Twice Grammy nominated R&B sensation Amerie returns to the music scene with a resounding bang with In Love & War. The sexy songstress serves up her daring trademark harmonies and heavy dance rhythms tailor made for progressive R&B fans. Amerie, 29, is hotter than ever on her fourth studio offering complete with a collection of intense club bangers and sexy slow jams. 

Let us remind you just who she is though. As one of the many pretty faces whose careers were launched by Rich Harrison, the D.C. producer who gave Beyoncé her mega-hit “Crazy in Love,” Amerie’s journey began after her introduction to Harrison and their collaborative chemistry. From there, the two developed a solid hybrid of spacey R&B with both Hip-Hop’s no nonsense attitude and the high energy, drum-and-bass evident in D.C.’s funk sub-genre of Go-go music. Thanks to Harrison and Amerie, this signature sound and syncopation catapulted her to the top of the charts with such career defining hits as 2002’s summer anthem “Why Don’t We Fall In Love,” the first single lifted from her debut release All I Have, and “1 Thing” from her sophomore disc Touch. (Ironically, Touch was also the last time we’d actually see the singer/songwriter and producer duo working together amicably.)  

Since then, Amerie has struggled repeatedly to encounter the type of commercial success of her previous hits and has since ventured out on her own with the absence of longtime collaborator Harrison on her third album Because I Love It, the coveted 2007 European-only release. Later that year, she announced she’d left Columbia Records and reportedly began work on bold mixtapes and musical featurettes. Only true Amerie fans knew how to get their hands on them until she formally returned to center stage under a new label/production deal with her imprint Feenix Rising Entertainment through Island Def Jam Music Group. 

In Love & War delivers fully on the modern rhythm and blues spiced up by Amerie’s percussive vocals and intense songwriting. The first half of the album features the distinct combination of live drums, rock fused with R&B and over-the-top synthesizers strategically placed over familiar samples and haunting Hip-Hop interpolations. There’s of course The Buchanans-produced lead single “Why R U” derived from the Ultramagnetic MC’s fave “Ego Trippin’.” The single premiered earlier this year and received rave reviews in NYC on Funkmaster Flex’s radio show. Flex reportedly played the record for listening audiences for 15 minutes straight stating he “never thought this record would ever be flipped so well” and lauded Amerie for her latest and most impressive work to date. Also check out “Pretty Brown” featuring another underrated R&B talent Trey Songz and the ‘90s classic Mint Condition sample “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes).” Proceed to the second half without rewinding or stopping to hit the repeat button and you’ll soon fall in love with the lush “Red Eye” and the sometimes dreary yet honest balladry of “The Flowers” and “Different People.” 

Today, Amerie still gives us top notch production and a serious groove. As for the more casual fans of contemporary R&B, some might agree that Amerie possesses a much more pleasant albeit sometimes thinner vocal ability than Beyoncé, but Amerie also lacks the larger than life persona of her fellow diva counterparts due to the incredibly unfortunate label promo and support. In spite of it all, Amerie more than makes up for not consistently over saturating the marketplace by remaining the type of female R&B artist who chooses to be completely in control of her own imagery, production and songwriting. She proves once and for all she can do it all on her own. In Love & War also proves however that she’s quite comfortable with perseverance - knowing her boundaries and ignoring limitations all at the same time.

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Terron D. Austin is a freelance editor and contributing music writer currently residing in Cincinnati, Ohio.