If you were outside in 2005, you remember the drums. Those frantic, crashing, high-octane Go-go rhythms of "1 Thing" didn't just top charts; they basically rewired how R&B was allowed to sound. But then something weird happened. While the rest of the industry spent the next three years trying to clone that Rich Harrison production style, Amerie herself decided to move on. She left the "1 Thing" architect behind and crafted what many die-hard fans—myself included—consider her absolute masterpiece: Because I Love It.
Released in May 2007 (internationally, at least), this album is a strange, beautiful anomaly. It’s a record that feels like a summer block party in 1982 NYC, even though it was recorded in a New Jersey studio in the mid-2000s.
Honestly, the rollout was a mess. Columbia Records basically fumbled the bag so hard it should be studied in marketing textbooks as a "what not to do." Because of label drama and Amerie's eventual departure from the company, the Because I Love It album didn't even get a proper wide physical release in the United States until late 2008. By then, the momentum had stalled, and the singles had been scrapped.
But the music? The music was lightyears ahead of its time.
The Sound of a Creative Pivot
Most artists who land a career-defining hit like "1 Thing" spend the rest of their lives chasing that high. Amerie didn't. She took the executive producer chair alongside her husband Lenny Nicholson and decided to dive headfirst into 80s New Wave, British soul, and filtered disco.
She told anyone who would listen that she was obsessed with the 80s. People thought she was crazy. At the time, R&B was leaning heavily into "snap" music and polished, mid-tempo synths. Amerie wanted grit. She wanted the "lemon-spritzed" vocal energy she was known for to clash with James Brown-style horns and sugary bubblegum pop melodies.
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Take "Take Control," the lead single. It samples "Same Old Thing" by The Meters but filters it through this twitchy, Brazilian-influenced Tom Zé vibe. It’s nervous. It’s loud. It’s incredibly infectious. It peaked at number 10 in the UK, proving that Europe "got" the vision way before the US label heads did.
Why the tracklist is a rollercoaster
The album is famously split. The first half is a relentless battery of uptempo funk and Go-go.
- "Hate2LoveU" brings back those crashing drums but adds an organ that feels like a 70s chase scene.
- "Gotta Work" is probably the closest she gets to "1 Thing," built on a heavy Sam & Dave sample ("Hold On, I'm Comin'").
- "Some Like It" is just pure attitude.
Then, right around track seven, the mood shifts. It’s like the sun starts setting on the block party. You get "Crush," which sounds like it was ripped straight off a Prince B-side or a forgotten Cyndi Lauper session. It is, without hyperbole, one of the best pop songs of the 2000s.
The Label Drama That Killed the Momentum
We have to talk about why you might have missed this album if you lived in North America. Columbia Records was going through internal shifts, and Amerie—a Georgetown grad with an English degree and a very specific creative vision—wasn't interested in being a puppet.
The story goes that the label wasn't sure how to market a girl who didn't fit the "standard" R&B mold of the time. They pushed the US release back. Then they pushed it back again. Then they released it as a Walmart exclusive. Then an FYE exclusive. By the time it finally hit regular shelves in September 2008, Amerie had already left the label.
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It’s a tragedy, really. This was an album that deserved the Rihanna-level promo budget. Instead, it became a "cult classic."
The Producers Behind the Curtain
While Rich Harrison was gone, Amerie filled the void with a heavy-hitting, eclectic roster.
- Bryan-Michael Cox: The man responsible for every 2000s R&B hit brought a smoother touch to tracks like "That's What U R."
- The Buchanans: They helped ground the project in that soul-heavy, sample-driven sound.
- Cee-Lo Green: Before "Forget You" made him a household name again, he was in the trenches with Amerie helping craft this specific sound.
- Bink!: He produced "Paint Me Over," a track Amerie actually started during the Touch sessions but couldn't finish in time because she was such a perfectionist about the lyrics.
E-E-A-T: Why This Album Still Ranks
If you look at modern R&B today—think of the genre-blending of artists like Victoria Monét or the 80s nostalgia of The Weeknd—you can see the DNA of Because I Love It.
Amerie was doing the "retro-future" thing before it was a verified trend. She wasn't just singing over beats; she was arranging the vocals and picking the samples. She understood that R&B didn't have to be one thing. It could be jazzy, it could be punk, it could be "crunk frenzy" (looking at you, "Losing U").
Critics actually loved it. The Guardian gave it a glowing review, calling her one of the greatest singers in pop. Pitchfork gave it a 7.3, which, for 2007-era Pitchfork, was basically a standing ovation for a mainstream R&B act. They praised her ability to convey "excitement without sounding insane."
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Actionable Steps for the Modern Listener
If you’re just discovering the Amerie Because I Love It album or haven't spun it since your iPod Nano days, here is how to actually experience it in 2026:
- Seek out the UK/International version: The tracklist is tighter and the flow is better than some of the later US re-releases.
- Listen for the samples: From Curtis Mayfield ("Make Me Believe") to The Honey Cone, the album is a masterclass in how to use soul history without just "looping" a hit.
- Watch the "Gotta Work" video: If you want to understand the aesthetic of this era, that video is the blueprint. The styling, the choreography—it’s peak Amerie.
- Check out her YouTube: Amerie is now a successful author (she writes children’s books and novels!) and has a huge book-vlogging community. She often talks about her creative process there, which gives even more context to her music.
The Because I Love It album isn't just a "lost" R&B record. It’s the sound of an artist choosing her own path over a guaranteed radio formula. It might not have moved millions of units in the US, but it moved the needle for what the genre could be. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s brilliant.
Next time you’re tired of the same three chords on the radio, go back to 2007. Put on "Crush." Turn it up. You’ll get it.
To fully appreciate the legacy here, start by comparing the percussion on "Hate2LoveU" with her earlier work on All I Have. You'll hear the evolution of a woman who finally took the wheel of her own career, for better or worse.