And of course, there’s a key change to seal the deal as the song climaxes. Fluttering keys merge with aggressive drum changes as Amerie vocally shows us what she’s really got (which is A LOT). The aforementioned “All Roads” concludes the standard track list beautifully. It more than lives up to the Mariah Carey-Journey comparison. Also, those flute parts you hear are performed by Amerie.
With the addition of brass, it transforms the song away from his masterful funk and into a moment from the late 60’s/early 70’s soul music that prefaced funk. The track, retitled “Make Me Believe” hits much harder than Mayfield’s original. It’s like “1 Thing” on steroids.ĭigging in beyond the singles, there’s a unique reworking of Curtis Mayfield’s “ Make Me Believe In You“. “Gotta Work” is built on a sample of Aretha Franklin’s sister Erma Franklin’s cover of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin'”. The song is fast paced, motivational, and invigorating. “Gotta Work” on the other hand, leans heavily on the DC-driven go go sound which propelled “1 Thing” to legendary status. Lead single “Take Control” finds Amerie co-writing with Cee-Lo, who also lends background vocals to fill out the song. From the edgy, 80’s “World’s Famous” sampling “Some Like It”, to the spy movie-esque first single “Take Control”, she hits every mark to make this a memorable, career-defining body of work.īoth singles sound like the extravagant, catchy songs we expect from Amerie. Even though it’s Amerie’s first album without producer Rich Harrison (Amerie’s entire debut All I Have & “1 Thing”, Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love”, Jennifer Lopez’s “Get Right”) at her side, she flourishes.
#Amerie 1 thing drum cover full
While she’s generally considered an R&B artitst, she incorporates soul, funk, pop, hip hop, and DC go-go into her sound.īecause I Love It is full of rich and diverse sounds, seemingly centering on 80’s inspirations. She refused (and still refuses) to be classified into one specific genre. Originally titled None Of The Above according to an un-linkable, yet frequently sourced Vibe article, Amerie aimed to continue her adventurous and diverse musical direction with album number three. Even better, the CD-quality version of the album highlighted quite a few things my bootleg missed. Finally getting that import in my hands was an extremely gratifying moment amongst my musical memories. I want them all, and on a cd, please and thank you. The Taiwanese version of the album was my goal, because I wanted the “Take Control (Remix)” featuring singer Se7en. I did not actually get my hands on Because I Love It until nearly 4 years later. I needed that album, and so my search began. An album with a Mariah-esque song is somewhere hard to find? Challenge accepted. Ding ding ding! Those are the magic words. A review I found described the album’s closer “All Roads” as “somewhere between Mariah Carey and Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin'”. I started researching reviews and information on the album. When I discovered that Because I Love It was by and large unreleased in the US, it peaked my interest. I loved the sound of “ Why R U” that album’s first single and needed to explore her catalog. In spring 2009 as Amerie prepared her fourth album In Love & War, she caught my attention.
I can pinpoint the exact moment that I became interested in Because I Love It. I finally tracked down the Taiwan edition, which contains a bonus remix, because that’s how I roll. Sure, there are copies on Amazon, but I wanted more. Even still, tracking down a copy was no easy task. The album never received a ‘proper’ release in the US or Canada, and the ‘release’ it did receive happened almost a year and a half after it’s initial release. Here’s the thing, most people (in the US especially) don’t know about it. But, have you even heard of Because I Love It? Because I Love It is Amerie’s magnum opus. It holds a special place in my heart not only because of the two aforementioned factors, but also because of how amazing the album is. Amerie’s Because I Love It is one of those albums that has both. When it comes to acquiring music I always love a good story and even more, a challenge.
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