Underrated. Just one of the many things often named with ‘1 Thing’ hitmaker Amerie Rogers. Her humble beginnings may have found her lost in the shuffle of a new wave of early 2000s R&B belles, but the musical melting pot that was her debut album ‘All I Have’ quickly set her apart. A melting pot, hinting at R&B, soul, pop, and hip hop, that seemed filled with almost as many diversities as the singer herself.
Led by the mid tempo ‘Why Don’t We Fall In Love’, fans quickly fell in love with this beauty’s varicolored vocal stylings, accented by layers of decorative harmonic arrangements. A quality that would remain a distinct constant, yet misprized feature of her offerings.
However, it was the introduction of ‘1 Thing’, the lead single from the 2005 ‘Hitch’ soundtrack (Will Smith) and her sophomore album ‘Touch’ that saw R&B lovers really get in touch with her work…
Bringing the once-centralized D.C. ‘go-go’ sound to the masses, Rogers landed 2005’s big summer single (and her first and last top 10). And despite earning her two Grammy nods, the singer’s later experimentation with more radio friendly material from the album (‘Touch’ feat. T.I., ‘Talkin’ About’) fell on deaf ears. Deaf ears certainly awakened by news of the singer’s move to Def Jam (after a lengthy war with Columbia), her tertiary release ‘Because I Love It’ (with no official singles Stateside) and its follow-up ‘In Love & War’ both got no love for record buyers.
Some blame the product and the absence of longtime collaborator Rich Harrison, others blame the lack of promo. And while we patiently await the singer’s 5th studio album ‘Cymatika’…
That Grape Juice wants to know…where is the disconnect? The beauty, the body, the moves, the sound. If ever a marketing inventory saw a check beside every quality, Amerie‘s (now Ameriie) packaging would have that. The singer even conformed to more electro-pop attempts (see: ‘Outside Your Body’), to limited success. What’s missing?
Product or Promotion?