All I Have

The album kicks off with Amerie's hit "Why Don't We Fall In Love", an instantly catchy track which shows off Amerie's voice nicely considering it is an upbeat song. The song is incredibly short however, lasting about two and a half minutes and seems to end just as it is beginning. Her other single, "Talkin' To Me" follows which is quite a repetitive track but not in such a way that it is irritating. The initial vocals are quite quiet which makes it hard to hear the lyrics. The song is quite nice but lacks anything really distinguishing. Following this is "Nothing Like Loving You", which is one of the better tracks on the album. It starts off as a sweet mid-tempo song and the chorus is simply beautiful. Amerie's vocals are truly dazzling in this song.

The next track, "Can't Let Go" has sweet and quite romantic lyrics. Amerie's vocals take on a slightly jazzy style making this one of the more memorable songs on the album. This track shows Amerie at her best vocally and stylistically. "Need You Tonight" comes next and it is seems to be only a typical RnB song when placed after the stunning track that preceded it. This is also one of the more repetitive tracks. The track that follows, "Got To Be There", has a semi-familiar tune though I'm not sure why. Otherwise, it is one of the better tracks. Amerie adds small amounts of sass to this track making it stand out from the others as one of the better tracks on the album. Subsequently comes "I Just Died", a definite album highlight. This song is lyrically the best on the album though Amerie's vocals are very quiet in the verses making it hard to hear. Otherwise, it is a beautiful track.

The next track, "Hatin' On You" has, as many reviewers have mentioned, a misleading title. One would expect an angry song, most likely about heartbreak. They would be incorrect however. This song is about trying to hate someone because you do not want to fall in love with him. This track is also very repetitive but the verses are great. The next track, "Float" is quite classy, mellow and very well written. Amerie sounds absolutely beautiful here and delivers the lyrics very well. Following this, we come to "Show Me" one of the most vocally stunning songs on the album. This song does not have any background singers in the verses so it really emphasizes Amere's vocal talent. The title track, "All I Have" is one of the album highlights and probably should have been put earlier on in the album. It is a very sweet, romantic song and it is lyrically and vocally stunning. The lyrics to the bridge are absolutely heartbreaking. Finally, there is "Outro", an incredibly short but vocally stunning track. It is basically a "thank you song" but Amerie sounds incredible and the lyrics are really nice.

Overall Mark: 3.5/5

Amerie definitely is a talented singer but her album lacks the catchy hit songs that made other RnB singers like Mya and Tweet so popular. Amerie has an undeniably great voice and her album contains beautiful lyrics but there is very little memorable about it. "All I Have" is a sweet, summery album but it is forgotten fairly easily with all the newer and more catchy singers like Beyonce and old favourites like Aaliyah, Monica and Brandy. It appears that Amerie tried to make a classier, sophisticated album that did not quite have the attention it deserved with all the hip-hop influenced (and unbelievably catchy) songs that are out now. Another major problem I found with this album is, while the lyrics are nice, they are extremely repetitive which draws attention away from the beautiful vocals and makes the songs all seem a lot longer then they are. In fact, it is a fairly short album, clocking only about 45 minutes long. Undeniably, All I Have is a vocally beautiful album and Amerie is extremely talented but hopefully her next album will have some songs that are a little more-attention grabbing.

That being said, I got the chance to hear Amerie live a few times and agree with another poster that before she releases her sophomore set, she really needed a few vocal lessons - she suffered from the same thing that Ashanti does in that they both sound very flat & monotone when they try to sing live.

I bought this album because I adore the initial song "Why Don't We Fall in Love" - this song helped make the summer of 2002 especially great for me. It's a catchy song that just makes me want to dance a little no matter where/when I hear it. The other standout tracks are: Need You Tonight, Talkin' To Me, Got to be There, I Just Died & All I Have.

I'm looking forward to her second album, especially if she continues to work with Rich Harrison who did an exceptional job on this album. If you love light r&b, this is would be a great disc to add to your collection (IMHO :) ).