In Love & War (Amerie album)

In Love & War
Studio album by Amerie
Released	November 3, 2009
Recorded	2008—09
Studio	Record Plant (Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) Unknown locations (Miami, Florida) (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	R&B soul hip hop funk
Length	51:43
Label	Feeniix Rising Def Jam Island
Producer	Amerie (also exec.) Antonio "L.A." Reid (exec.) Lenny Nicholson (also exec.) The Buchanans Warryn Campbell Bryan-Michael Cox Sean Garrett Eric Hudson Jim Jonsin Jonas Jeberg Karma Rico Love M-Phazes Teddy Riley TrackNova
Amerie chronology
Because I Love It (2007) In Love & War (2009) Drive (2016)
Alternative cover
Prelude to In Love & War album sampler cover
Singles from In Love & War
"Why R U" Released: June 15, 2009 "Heard 'Em All" Released: September 15, 2009 "Pretty Brown" Released: October 20, 2009

In Love & War is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Amerie, released November 3, 2009 on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place between 2008 and 2009 at Record Plant Studios in Hollywood, California and at other recording studios in Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. The album serves as Amerie's first release after leaving Columbia Records and forming her own label, Feenix Rising, which released the album under exclusive license and distribution through the Island Def Jam Music Group.

The album debuted at number forty-six on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 12,500 copies in its first week. Upon its release, In Love & War received generally positive reviews from most music critics.

Background

In January 2008, Entertainment Weekly reported that Amerie had left her record label, Columbia Records,^[1] and in April 2008, Amerie's name was removed from the label's roster. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at Record Plant Studios in Hollywood, California, and at other recording studios in Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia.^[2] On her official Twitter account, Amerie revealed that she had been secretly recording new music in Atlanta, Georgia, and that a late summer July/August release date was in the works, with a possible first single in late May or early June.^[3]

In multiple interviews, Amerie confirmed that Rich Harrison, who had produced her previous work, would not be contributing to the album. At the end of April, Amerie revealed on Twitter that the album's title to be changed from Breakups to Makeups to In Love & War.^[4] She also announced that the album's first single is "Why R U", which she cited with "Higher" as one of two of her favorite tracks from the album.^[5]

Music

Amerie has described the album's sound as "a fusion of hip hop, soul and old school rock".^[6] She spoke about the concept of In Love & War in an interview with The Green Magazine, stating:

Conceptually, I just really wanted to write about the tumultuous times of a relationship. Not so much like everything is so perfect, but looking at the more imperfect sides of love and relationships. And that’s where I came up with the title In Love & War. I also recorded a record called 'Love & War'. When I was writing it, I wasn’t really thinking about the album title, but as I was vocaling, I was just thinking 'the whole concept of love and war really encapsulates everything that I was trying to get across as far as a theme for the album.'^[6]

— Amerie

The album features collaborations with rapper Fabolous and singer Trey Songz. The latter has a guest appearance on "Pretty Brown", which samples R&B group Mint Condition's "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" (1991).^[7] The song was produced by Australian hip hop producer M-Phazes.^[7]

Title and artwork

The album was originally titled Breakups to Makeups. However, in April 2009, Amerie announced that the album's title would be In Love & War via her official Twitter account. The full-length album artwork was illustrated by David Bray and photographed by Tim Bret-Day.^[8] Album sampler EP's artwork is different than the album's. The sampler was titled Prelude to In Love & War and was released in September 2009.

Release and promotion

After several delays of the album's release date in August and September, it was announced on August 13, 2009 that the album would be released in November 2009. Amerie had stated via her Twitter account that she was satisfied with the release date and that it has a special meaning to her.^[9] On September 27, 2009, Amerie premiered the album cover on her official Twitter page.^[10] In Love & War was released on November 3, 2009 in the United States under exclusive license by Amerie's own imprint label, Feenix Rising, which distributed it through the Island Def Jam Music Group.^[11]

Three singles were released in promotion of the album, including "Why R U" on June 15, 2009,^[12] "Heard 'Em All" on September 15, 2009,^[13] and "Pretty Brown" on October 20, 2009.^[14][15] Def Jam released a six-track album sampler containing snippets of "Higher", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Pretty Brown", and "Red Eye", as well full versions of "Heard 'Em All" and "Why R U", which had been remastered.^[16] Amerie performed "Heard 'Em All" and "Higher" in November 2009 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.^[17] A music video for "More Than Love" featuring Fabolous, directed by Taj was released in January 2010.^[18]

She released a remix version of the song "Heard 'Em All" for the Asian edition of In Love & War where she will collaborate with Korean girl group 4minute and rapper Junhyung of Korean boy band BEAST^[19]

Commercial performance

In the United States, In Love & War debuted at number forty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[20] By November 9, 2009, it had sold 12,421 copies in the United States,^[21] resulting in sales of 12,500 in its first week.^[22] The album also charted in the United Kingdom on the UK R&B Albums at number twenty-nine on November 15, 2009.^[23] In 2010, it peaked at number eighteen on the South Korean Gaon Albums Chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[24]
Robert Christgau	[25]
Entertainment Weekly	(B)[26]
The Guardian	[27]
Hot Press	(3.5/5)[28]
The New York Times	(favorable)[29]
Rolling Stone	[30]
Slant Magazine	[31]
USA Today	[32]
The Washington Post	(favorable)[33]

Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics.^[34] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of hundred to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of seventy-eight, based on eight reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[34] About.com's Mark Edward Nero gave it 3½ out of five stars and called it "a hip, energetic album that properly showcases her singing talent".^[35] Alex Denney of Yahoo! Music gave In Love & War a rating of eight out of ten and lauded Amerie for her "old-skool virtues" and sound, while calling the album "an exemplary exercise in R&B songwriting and performance, brim-full of verve, spark and vigour".^[36] Hot Press writer Patrick Freyne gave the album a rating of three and a half out of five, writing "Amerie’s got the standard range and power of the production line diva but there’s also an appealingly raw, in need-of-some-Calpol-edge to her voice which gives everything that little bit more power".^[28] The Irish Times gave it three out of four stars, writing that Amerie "approaches In Love & War with much gusto".^[37]

In contrast, Steve Jones of USA Today gave the album 2½ out of four stars and expressed a mixed response towards its ballads, stating "The sassy funk numbers serve her best, while the mushy stuff only slows her down".^[32] Despite writing favorably of its uptempo tracks, Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard gave the album three out of five stars and perceived its slower material as a weakness.^[30] Boston Herald writer Lauren Carter gave In Love & War a B- rating and commended its "ambient, hip-hop-infused R&B" tracks, but wrote that "monotonous lyrics about rocky or recently ended relationships dominate the album".^[38] However, AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave the album four out of five stars and wrote favorably of its ballads, calling them "as well constructed as anything earlier in the set".^[24] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave it a rating of honorable mention (),^[25] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".^[39]

Track listing

In Love & War — Standard edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Tell Me You Love Me"	Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Teddy Riley Walter Scott Isaiah Freeman Julian Lowe	Riley Scott	3:07
2.	"Heard 'Em All"	Rogers Sean Garrett Eric Hudson	The Pen Hudson	3:23
3.	"Dangerous"	Rogers Edwin Serrano Jonas Jeberg Damon Sharpe Greg Lawson	Rogers Jeberg	2:48
4.	"Higher"	Rogers Warryn Campbell	Campbell	2:52
5.	"Why R U"	Rogers Simon Johnson Cedric Miller Keith Thornton Herb Rooney	Rogers The Buchanans	3:17
6.	"Pretty Brown" (featuring Trey Songz)	Rogers Serrano Keri Lewis Lawrence Waddell Jeffrey Allen Mark Landon Stokley Williams	Rogers M-Phazes	4:02
7.	"More Than Love" (featuring Fabolous)	Rogers George Brown Ronald Bell Claydes Smith Robert Mickens Richard Westfield Dennis Thomas Robert Bell John Jackson Lenny Nicholson Alton Taylor	Del Pearson Nicholson	4:14
8.	"Swag Back"	Rogers David Siegel James Scheffer Jim Jonsin Rico Love	Jonsin Love	4:29
9.	"You're a Star" (Interlude)	Rogers Nicholson	Rogers Nicholson	1:52
10.	"Red Eye"	Rogers Bryan-Michael Cox	Rogers Cox	4:11
11.	"The Flowers"	Rogers Ivan Barias Carvin Haggins	Rogers Karma	5:16
12.	"Different People"	Rogers Landon	M-Phazes	3:55
13.	"Dear John"	Rogers Nicholson Daniel Richards Sean Rumsey	Rogers TrackNova	4:12
14.	"Heard 'Em All" (Remix featuring Lil Wayne)	Rogers Dwayne Carter Garrett Hudson	Garrett Hudson	3:56
Total length:				51:43

In Love & War — iTunes Store edition (bonus music videos)[40]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Director(s)	Length
15.	"Why R U"	Rogers Johnson Miller Thornton Rooney	Ray Kay	3:22
16.	"Heard 'Em All"	Rogers Garrett Hudson	Anthony Mandler	4:01
Total length:				59:06

Prelude to In Love & War — Album Sampler (extended play)[41]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Higher" (Snippet version)	Rogers Campbell	Campbell
2.	"Heard 'Em All"	Rogers Garrett Hudson	The Pen Hudson	3:23
3.	"Tell Me You Love Me" (Snippet version)	Rogers Riley Scott Freeman Lowe	Riley Scott
4.	"Why R U"	Rogers Johnson Miller Thornton Rooney	Rogers The Buchanans	3:17
5.	"Pretty Brown" (Snippet version)	Rogers Serrano Lewis Waddell Allen Landon Williams	Rogers M-Phazes
6.	"Red Eye" (Snippet version)	Rogers Cox	Rogers Cox

Sample credits

• "Why R U" contains a sample of "Ego Trippin'" by Ultramagnetic MCs.
• "More Than Love" contains a sample of "Summer Madness (Live)" by Kool & the Gang.
• "Pretty Brown" contains a sample of "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" by Mint Condition.

Personnel

Credits for In Love & War adapted from liner notes.^[42]

Musicians

• Amerie – vocals, producer
• Francesco Romano – guitar
• David Siegel – keyboards
• Sean Windsor – guitar
• Larry Sommerville – keyboards

Production

Karma – producer Eric Hudson – producer L.A. Reid – executive producer Teddy Riley – producer, engineer J. Peter Robinson – art direction Delroy Pearson – producer Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance Vernon Mungo – engineer James M. Wisner – engineer Warryn Campbell – producer Chris Atlas – marketing Walter "Mucho" Scott – producer Cornell Brown – engineer Mike Houge – engineer Bryan-Michael Cox – producer Jim Jonsin – producer Bruce Buechner – engineer

Amy Neiman – photo coordination Lenny "Linen" Nicholson – producer, executive producer, management Sam Thomas – engineer Tim Bret Day – art direction Herb Power Jr. – mastering Sean Garrett – producer Victor Abijaudi – engineer Rico Love – producer Miles Walker – engineer Mark "Exit" Goodchild – engineer Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – engineer Jonas Jeberg – producer Graham Marsh – engineer David Bray – art direction, illustrations Daniel "2Dark" Richards – instrumentation Randy McMillian – music business affairs Lee Stuart – art direction

Charts

Chart (2009–10)	Peak position
Korean Albums (Gaon)[43]	18
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[44]	29
	US Billboard 200[45]	46
	US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[46]	3

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, edition, record label(s), format(s), catalog number and reference(s).

Region	Date	Edition	Label(s)	Format(s)	Catalog	Ref.
Worldwide	September 16, 2009	Album Sampler	Def Jam	EP	REV1 10021	[16][47]
United States	November 3, 2009	Standard	Feeniix Rising Def Jam	CD digital download	B001322502	[11][48]
Germany	November 6, 2009		Universal Music		06025271133645	[49][8]
United Kingdom	November 9, 2009		Island Mercury			[50][8]
Canada	November 10, 2009		Universal Music		B002DSM8TS	[51]
Japan	November 11, 2009				UICD 6166	[52][53]
Poland	November 12, 2009				06025271133645	[54][8]
Hong Kong	November 20, 2009				N/A	[55]

References

1. Halperin, Shirley (2008-01-02). "All the acts that lost major label deals in 2007 | EW.com". Hollywoodinsider.ew.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
2. Amerie, The Green Magazine, 5 September 2009
3. "Twitter / Amerie: New album, Breakups to Mak". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
4. "Twitter / Amerie: Decided to change the album". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
5. "Twitter / Amerie: Hey everyone! I just mixed". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
6. The Green Magazine, Amerie, 2 September 2009
7. "NEW AMERIE VIDEO TO PREMIERE ON BET: 'Why R U' marks singer's return after two year hiatus". EURweb.com. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
8. "Amerie – In Love & War (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
9. "Twitter / Amerie: Very happy w/my album date". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
10. "Twitter / Amerie: In Love & War cover!:) A". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
11. "In Love & War: Amerie: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
12. "Why R U | Discography | Amerie | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
13. "Heard 'Em All (Single) | Discography | Amerie | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
14. "Single Cover: Amerie – 'Pretty Brown'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
15. "Radio1 - USA Forthcoming Singles". Radio1.gr. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
16. "In Love & War Sampler | Discography | Amerie | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
17. "Dont Miss Amerie Performing Live Tonight On Jimmy Kimmel Live On ABC! | News | Amerie | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
18. "Video: Amerie More Than Love Feat. Fabolous | News | Amerie | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
19. "에이머리(Amerie)와 포미닛, 새 앨범서 환상 호흡!". The Star.chosun.com (in Korean). February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on March 12, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
20. "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
21. Previous Album Sales Chart: 11/09/2009. HITS Daily Double. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
22. Columnist. US Charts Review. Trace TV. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
23. UK Top 40 RnB Albums: 15 November 2009. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2009-11-27. Non-archived. BBC
24. Kellman, Andy. Review: In Love & War. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
25. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: In Love & War". MSN Music: January 2010.
26. Vozick, Simon. Review: In Love & War. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
27. Sullivan, Caroline. Review: In Love & War. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
28. Freyne, Patrick. Review: In Love & War. Hot Press. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
29. Pareles, Jon. Review: In Love & War. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-03.
30. Hoard, Christian. Review: In Love & War. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
31. Keefe, Jonathan. Review: In Love & War. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
32. Jones, Steve. Review: In Love & War. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-06-17.
33. Godfrey, Sarah. Review: In Love & War. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-11-04.
34. In Love & War (2009): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-05.
35. Nero, Mark Edward. Review: In Love & War. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-11-06.
36. Denney, Alex. Review: In Love & War. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-11-17.
37. Carroll, Jim. Review: In Love & War. The Irish Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
38. Carter, Lauren. Review: In Love & War. Boston Herald. Retrieved on 2009-11-06.
39. Christgau, Robert. CG Keys to Icons. Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2009-12-29.
40. "In Love & War de Amerie en Apple Music - iTunes". itunes.apple.com (in Spanish). November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
41. "Amerie – 'In Love & War' (Prelude/Album Sampler)". hiphop-n-more.com. September 17, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
42. In Love & War (Media notes). Amerie. Def Jam Recordings. 2009. 6-02527-13364-5.
43. ":: 가온차트와 함께하세요 ::". Gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
44. UK Top 40 R&B Albums: 15 November 2009. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2009-11-27. Non-archived. BBC
45. "Amerie – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Amerie.
46. "Amerie – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Amerie.
47. "Amerie – Prelude To Love & War (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. September 16, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
48. "Amerie – In Love & War (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. October 30, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
49. "In Love & War: Amerie: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
50. HMV UK release date 3 September 2009
51. "In Love & War: Amerie: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
52. In Love & War (CD) - Amerie. Retrieved 2009-11-7.
53. "Amerie – In Love & War (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. November 11, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
54. "In Love & War: Amerie: Fan.pl". Fan.pl.
55. AMERIE - IN LOVE & WAR. Retrieved 2009-11-7.

External links

• In Love & War at Metacritic
• Album sampler at Island Def Jam Music Group
• Amerie’s ‘In Love & War’ Sets Benchmark For Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ at BlackBook Magazine