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Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Evening Standard	[2]
The Guardian	[3]
NME	(7/10)[4]
The Observer	favorable[5]
Pitchfork Media	(7.3/10)[6]
Stylus Magazine	B[7]
Time Out	[8]
The Times	[9]
Vibe	favorable[10]

Because I Love It is the third studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Amerie. Originally set for an autumn 2006 release, and originally to be called None of the Above, the album was released in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2007.^[11] The album was released in the U.S. on different dates to various retailers. The album was made available as online exclusives for Walmart.com on July 3, 2007 and FYE on January 15, 2008, while its physical release did not hit the U.S. markets until September 30, 2008. All future singles and promotion were scrapped due to Amerie no longer being signed on to Sony BMG. As of 2009 worldwide sales stand at 307,000 copies sold according to IFPI tracking.

Singles [link]

"Take Control" was the first and lead single from the album. The music video debut in the U.S. in December 2006. The song peaked on the Billboard R&B/Hiphop singles chart at number 66. The official remix featured South Korean pop singer SE7EN.

"Crush" was set to be a single in the UK, Europe and Australia. The single was sent to radio around November 2007, set with a commercial release date in early 2008. However for some unknown reasons the single was cancelled. A music video featuring the original version of "Crush" (produced by Johnny Douglas) was used for the radio and the video version of the single.^[12] The Johnny Douglas mix was originally intended to be featured on the album, however due to legal issues it was not used, instead The Buchanans version was used in its place.

"Gotta Work" was released as the album's second single. The single was used to help promote the NBA and AXN television. The single was released to international markets, however a promotional single was released in the US. The single peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Charts and number 6 on the UK R&B Singles Charts.

"That's What U R" was released in Japan as the album's third single only (forth over all). The radio version was a reworked version of the album adding rap verses by Fabolous and Slim Thug. The single was released as a promotional single only and did not receive a commercial release. The radio version can be found on some limited edition Asian Editions of "Because I Love It".

Critical reception [link]

Because I Love It received wide critical acclaim from various music critics. AllHipHop.com praised the album giving it 5 out of 5 stars, stating that Amerie has the "ability to convey excitement without sounding insane" but pointing out that "doesn’t fit neatly into any specific genre anyway, so she might as well leave the standard R&B fare to the army of standard R&B chicks available to sing them."^[13] Allmusic also praised the album; giving it 4½ out of 5 stars, stating that the album "lassoe[d] each song, whether it require[d] salt, sugar, heartache, delight, or any combination thereof." and further noting that "[s]he is the only female singer on the album, and hearing her backgrounds dance and swim around her leads is as moving as anything else in modern R&B".^[1]

Despite mixed criticism towards its ballads, Spin praised the album's sound and called it "R&B at its most dynamic".^[14] The Observer gave it a favorable review, writing "It's no classic, but the obligatory ballads are mercifully few, allowing a series of punchy, soulpowered tracks to shine".^[5] The Guardian gave it a 4 out of 5 stars while lauding Amerie as "one of the greatest singers in pop music" and that Because I Love It was a "spectacular work" because [Amerie] "catches the fleeting thrills and momentary rushes of intensity that permeate otherwise mundane days, and stretches those feelings out across four-minute songs without ever letting up."^[3] NME gave Because I Love It a rating of 7/10, describing it as "bar-raising pop" and calling it a "whip-smart collection of retro R&B that’s more Winehouse than Aguilera".^[4]

Track listing [link]

• Amerie co-wrote all of the songs on the album; additional writers are listed below.

Samples credits [link]

• "Forecast (Intro)" — "Farandole" by Bob James
• "Hate 2 Love U" — "Give It Up" by Kool & the Gang
• "Some Like It" — "World's Famous" by Malcolm McLaren
• "Make Me Believe" — reworked version of the Curtis Mayfield song by the same title
• "Take Control" — "Jimi Renda-Se" by Tom Zé and "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates
• "Gotta Work" — "Hold On I'm Coming" by Mighty Dog Haynes
• "Paint Me Over" — "Mother's Theme (Mama)" by Willie Hutch
• "All Roads" — "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" by James Ingram & Patti Austin
• "1 Thing" — "Oh, Calcutta" by the Meters
• "Losing U" — "Didi" by Khaled Hadj Brahim

Charts [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

• Because I Love It at Discogs
• Dancefloor Dynamite at The Guardian
• Album Review at About.com
• Album Review at UKMIX