Prior to now, I haven’t been feeling much of Amerie’s material. However, after hearing her latest album ‘Because I Love It’, I must say that she really delivered. Many have questioned how good the album would be, seeing as she didn’t work with longtime collaborator Rich Harrison (‘1 Thing’, Why Don’t We Fall In Love’ etc). Yet, by switching things up, Amerie has managed to carve out a great new sound for herself.

The CD has a distinct 80’s throwback vibe to it, whilst also managing to stay current; the funky ‘Crazy Wonderful’ and ‘Some Like It’ are good examples of this. Other album highlights include current single ‘Take Control’, the vintage Brit-Pop sounding ‘Crush’ and ballad ‘All Roads’. Upon listening to the album, it’s also evident that Amerie has stepped up her vocals; she isn’t hitting Mariah–esque notes but her voice now has alot more range. ‘When Loving You Was Easy’ is probably the best vocal performance I have heard from the ‘Touch’ singer before. The album’s less entertaining moments are few and far between, with only the Harrison-sounding ‘Hate2LoveU‘ and filler ‘Paint Me Over’ not needing to be featured.

Amerie has consciously separated herself from the sound of many of the other ‘R&B Chicks’ and has produced a great album in the process. ‘Because I Love It’ is definitely worth a buy. The CD hits stores 11th May in Germany, 14th May in the UK, 16th May in Japan and summer in the USA.