Can Amerie Get a Win?

Kevin R. Scott doubts Amerie's star power:

"This question of her ability to carry this big image crept into my head after watching an episode of 106 & Park where she co-hosted and premiered the video for "1 Thing". I was so unimpressed. Her personality and her interaction with the audience was flat. Even those beautiful brown eyes were empty. Dead almost. No personal style, no pizzaz, nada, nothing,  nunca, noooch! The video banged though."

He goes on to mention her inability to sing live, which seems more important nowadays.

My view? Amerie is just a vehicle for Rich Harrison, who is emerging as the real star behind the popularity of that ultra banger, "1 Thing." Same thing for Jazzy Pha and Ciara.

Comments

[DJ DIVA]

Live singing is def the difference for an artist to make major long term bucks. Watching Beyonce on the Oscars belt out that operatic aria...then remembering her booty bounce on "Baby Boy" video? Jeez! Like Kevin said...she is def the real deal.
Amerie and Ciara?...pretty faces...even prettier beats...but that's it!

[Daniel]

I got into a heated argument with a friend of mine (who's in a multiplatinum pop group) about this very subject. After hearing the song. seeing the video (and peeping her in the Forest Whitaker's First Daughter movie), I was like, "She's gonna be the next big thing," owing to her ability and beauty and multiethnic appeal. And he was like, trust me, not in a million years. I have to say, after the initial flush of "1 Thing" was over for me, I think he was right. What can I say? Women of indeterminate ethnicity make me crazy.

[Nigel]

Hashim,

I think you're right on about Harris. He has been the focus of much attention lately.

[Joey]

Hashim, no doubt about Amerie and Harrison. I mean, does anyone really take her seriously? I like some of her tracks ("1 Thing," of course) but it's not like I hear her music and say, "Yes, this is a real artist." She's incredibly replaceable.

[GenoBaby]

I disagree... she may not have the huge star power that Beyonce has but neither did Beyonce when she started. Beyonce once was a correspondent for VH1 once and was just as blank as Amerie was on 106 but as time grew so did she and I expect the same from Amerie. There's a huge growth from the first album to the second. She co-wrote the majority of the songs on the new LP and even wrote the treatment and co-directed the video for the "1 Thing." Also her performance on the video "1 Thing" shows her growth in performance compared to her previous videos. I don't expect a huge star to come out overnight; that's for reality shows... however I do see huge potential in longevity in Amerie. I believe it's only a matter of time until you see a huge star in Amerie... like Beyonce. Also... it's nice to see Harrison getting some recognition as well... Go-Go is a genre of music that you only get to hear in DC so it's not to see it being heard by people who has never heard Go-Go or missed those EU (Doin' the Butt) days.

[lynne]

so are you saying that rich made amerie's first album with her - in hopes that he'd go one to make songs for j lo, beyonce, usher, and others? hmm....

[cto]

I dont understand this

[Stone]

>Amerie is just a vehicle for Rich Harrison

I read a Rich Harrison bio that said exactly the same thing. Can't find the link.

But I think, in all honesty, they're both using each other. Amerie although beatiful, isn't talented enough to make it on her own.

[shugaree]

I'm tired and need to go to bed but need to post.

Amerie, yes she is a very pretty girl.

That's it. Leave it as that.

That's what the market calls for today. Attractive women, who have a look, who can sing intune for 4 bars. Software will take care of the rest. That is why you don't hear of such artists doing as many "live shows" as you would expect.

Did you see "Rip the Runway" on BET.....

Sad.Sad.Sad.

Amerie, don't try to dance. Just stand on stage, continue to look pretty, and lipsync.

Same thing with J-lo. If you listen to the tracks closely, it's the same song. They even do the same oh, oh, ooohhh.......

We have to remember its the music business. Even though we don't want to think so the opperative word in the sentence isn't music. It's business. They're here to make money. If is sounds good in a club, and will get airplay, it'll will make money.

"have a bangin' beat, and they will come....."

That's why you have so many female artists sounding like they're singing into fans. Turn a fan on and speak or sing into it, and you'll know what I'm talking about.

shugaree.blogspot.com

shugaree --- holla!!!!!!!!!!!

[mePenelope]

i've always wondered why it is that amerie has never blown up. i remeber hearing "why donlt we fall in love" years ago and thinking this voice, this face!! and yet she does have something lacking....although i don;t endorse beyonce, you can;t deny that she is a STAR, and always will be, she has that oomph when others fall flat, but you gotta remeber that she's been grooming herself since she was about 5 years old to be a star, with gruelling dance and singing practice, sacrificing a lotta things on the way. every move she makes has been perfected over years. so yeah, amerie will never blow up but maybe thats a good thing as she'll retain a lot of facets of her life.

[jazzr]

i remember hearing 'why dont we fall in love' and not really paying attention to it and thinking it was just another average r&b song. then in 2004 my girl told me she wanted this album by amerie and couldnt find it. i remembered 'why dont we fall in love' from a couple of years before so it seemed weird that her album hadnt dropped.
a few months later we stumbled on 'all i have' her album which we didnt even know existed. im not heavily into r&b but have heard plenty of r&b albums, and what i notice is that most of the time there are too many ballads and not enough mid or uptempo joints. but when my girl plays the 'all i have' album in the ride it would have to be the only r&b album where most, if not every single song, is mid or uptempo. as a hip hop listener that is kinda an r&b album i always wanted to hear but didnt think existed. so props to amerie for keeping it real in that way, and doing what i thought would never be done.
sidenote(off topic): one album that does have plenty(but not quite all) midtempo+ songs is donnell jones 'my heart'. thats a hip hop listeners ideal r&b album. most of the songs are him singing melodies over rap beats. eg.'players anthem', 'can it be all so simple'.(plus he freaks the 'computer love' instrumental!)

[Vida]

1) Amerie cannot sing-she sounds like a cat that got its tail stepped on.
2) Ciara sounds like she is about to pass out at any given moment.
The list goes on they are all pretty but that is it. The radio stations play the songs so much until the crap gets embedded in your brain and you can't get it out.
Whatever happened to women who can really sing. If I knew back then what I know now I would have dropped an album. Hell, I'm multi-ethnic and cute too.Can I sing? Hell no, but who can these days.