Happy 20th Anniversary to Amerie’s debut album All I Have, originally released July 30, 2002.
When Amerie celebrated her 22nd birthday in January of 2002, she was destined to take over the forthcoming spring and summer seasons. The world just didn’t know it yet.
As we travel back to that pivotal year for R&B, a handful of memorable albums immediately come to mind. In early March, Brandy released her third album Full Moon. Just one month later in April, both Ashanti (the self-titled Ashanti) and Tweet (Southern Hummingbird) delivered magnificent debut records. Musiq Soulchild solidified himself once again as one of the best in the business with his second studio album Juslisen in May.
With heavy competition for attention on the airwaves and in the record stores, it was time for the world to get to know Amerie. The early stages of this discovery process began in a McDonald’s parking lot with a motivated producer named Rich Harrison, who proved to be a perfect match for the fledgling singer and what was to come on her debut LP All I Have.
It was paramount that Harrison and Amerie set the tone with the lead single for the project, which ended up being “Why Don’t We Fall In Love.” It took off immediately due to widespread radio airplay and eventually became a top-10 hit single on the R&B/hip-hop charts in the United States. It also had moderate chart success in the U.K., where it hit the top 40.
“Why Don’t We Fall In Love” was strategically produced to allow Amerie’s voice to shine and connect with her listeners. This was her grand introduction to the world, so Harrison wanted to highlight her biggest attribute instantly, which was accomplished by the way she serenades us during the song’s opening verse (“So many things I'm going through / So much that I wanna do / It's starting to become so clear to me / Tomorrow ain't really guaranteed (No) / So many days I've thought of you / It's about time you knew the truth / Got to act quickly, you and I / And fall in love, so many reasons why”).
Although the chorus is simply a repeated line, it’s catchy and easy to remember and sing along to. Twenty years later, we still associate “Why Don’t We Fall Love” as a summer love song. With the combination of smooth production and vocals coupled with a video that displays an inner-city summer vibe, it's no wonder that Amerie and this song is—and always will be—an unmistakable summer anthem.
In preparation for the album, Harrison had just wrapped up working with Mary J. Blige on her albums Mary (1999) and No More Drama (2001). Ironically, that’s exactly who I likened Amerie to when first listening to All I Have. The production, vocals and overall storytelling have glaring similarities to the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul’s repertoire. The parallels are especially evident on the second single “Talkin’ To Me,” which didn’t approach the success of the single that preceded it, but still cracked the top 20 on the R&B/hip-hop charts. While “Why Don’t We Fall in Love” owned the summer, “Talkin’ To Me” gives you the autumn, sweater weather, cuddy-buddy feels.
Amerie may not have had any more commercial hits throughout the rest of the album, but Harrison took a more creative approach for the rest of the songs. In fact, in an interview with Vibe, Amerie explains how Harrison loved adding different elements and incorporating soft touches to a more aggressive track, or vice versa, taking a more vocally aggressive approach to a softer song. Ultimately, the pair didn’t want to get bored with the same sound, production and rehashed lyrics.
The 12-track album does have some hidden treasures throughout. Personally, I love “Show Me.” From the beginning piano chord, it instantly takes me back to a late ‘90s Aaliyah or Mya sound, with a combination of great lyrics and quality production that you can’t help but sing along to.
Initially, most of the critical reception that greeted the album suggested that it was top-heavy and wouldn’t age well. But this sentiment proved to be far from the truth, as listening to this album for the first time in a while was admittedly refreshing with plenty of hidden gems ripe for rediscovery, including "Got To Be There" and the title track.
As Amerie made her climb up the charts on the heels of All I Have, she toured with Both Nelly and Usher, accompanying the latter on his Evolution 8701 Tour in 2002. All I Have debuted and peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 charts and reached the #1 spot on the R&B/hip-hop album charts as well.
The following year in 2003, Amerie walked away from the Soul Train Music Awards with the R&B/Hip-Hop Best New Artist Award—fitting testament to the successful debut album that catapulted her career in a hurry and helped her maintain momentum for her 2005 follow-up Touch and its instantly ubiquitous lead single “1 Thing.”
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