And it's not just because their album titles vaguely rhyme either. But Amerie's In Love & War is one of the more unexpectedly delightful entries in hip-pop this year. It also builds substantially on her reputation as "that fashionable lark who chirped that catchy jingle some years ago." In fact with Rihanna's Rated R out soon, Amerie's strategic timing provides ample opportunity for those put off by the drama swirling around Rihanna to find a substitute who isn't as hyperbolic as Beyoncé. Four albums in and In Love & War may just be the beginning of her creative crest.

She has a new album, new label, and probably a new pair of shades