(Is all fair) In Love and War?

It has been in love and war for the past few years with Amerie. Her third album was shelved in the U.S. and she was later released from her label to then she sign a deal with DEFJAM. The album kept getting pushed back. Finally In Love and War is out. With hardly any promotion, no hit singles, hardly any radio play or video play is there room for Amerie in today's market?

When the single "Why R U" was released, it took a while to catch the interest of listeners and then it fizzled away. The follow up,"Heard Em All" was released and didn't get any attention, so a remix was thrown out featuring Lil Wayne on it--that didn't do much either. Now In Love & War is on its third single "Pretty Brown Eyes" featuring Trey Songz. I'm not quite sure what the future holds, but it seems as if this single is doomed to have the same fate as the two prior releases.

I didn't have high expectations for this album. When I found out she wasn't working with Rich Harrison who was responsible for her past hits, I thought Amerie was going to bring it with a new sound. Suprisingly, every song sounds like a Rich Harrison song but it was exectuive produced by L.A Reid--go figure (shrugs).

Vocally, she hasn't progressed at all; the same pitch, the same notes somewhere down the line someone told her that "One Thing" type style was still was still hot. At the same time, In love and War does have a few tricks up its sleeve. It features a mid-tempo song called "More Than Love." It features Fabolous and is very reminiscent to her debut single. "Swag Back" is another mid-tempo joint worth listening to. The ballad "Red Eye" is a direction in which I think she should concentrate her efforts on any future project(s). She closes off the album with the ballad "Dear John" where you really get the chance to hear her vocal capabilities.

I really want Amerie to succeed. With the right writers and production team behind her I think she has what it takes to progress. With now having 4 albums under her belt she has earned gold sales twice and has a had a few top ten singles. I was expecting more from her this time around. If you like "Heard Em All" and "Why R U" you'll enjoy this album. There are more fillers on this album , yet hardly any club bangers.

Overall it's a decent album.