MUSIC REVIEW -- AMERIE

AMERIE

In Love & War

(Def Jam)

Back in 2005, when she dropped the terrific “1 Thing,” Amerie was prepped for Beyoncé-style superstardom. Her album sold respectably. But the follow-up, Because I Love It, went through record-company reshuffling, and its U.S. release was delayed for more than a year. No big surprise that it bombed. On her fourth album, Amerie still sounds like an R&B queen in waiting, barreling out of the castle gates with “Tell Me You Love Me,” a jittery club jam produced by New Jack Swing maestro Teddy Riley. Elsewhere she drives In Love & War with a potent mix of bangers and ballads. Best is “Heard ’Em All,” a beat-driven march that sounds like it’s preparing for a blitzkrieg. Check out the bonus-track remix, which includes typically lost-in-space rhymes by Lil Wayne. --Michael Gallucci