New Song: Amerie – ‘Dear John’

As Amerie readies her Def Jam debut ‘In Love & War’ for its August 11th release date, a new cut from the set has surfaced called ‘Dear John’. While the production on the midtempo ballad sounds a lot fresher and more ‘chartable’ that the album’s first single offering ‘Why R U’, I can’t help but feel that Amerie was a little out of her range vocally with this one. ‘Strained’ is word that comes to mind upon listening to this. With Ms. One Thing’s voice being an acquired taste to begin with, this isn’t the best of looks to showcase her immense talent. Here’s hoping the rest of the album delivers. In the meanwhile, I’m cranking up ‘Because I Love It’ on my iPod.