Drive (Amerie EP)

Drive is the first extended play (EP) by the American recording artist Amerie. It was released for online streaming and purchase on May 20, 2016, by her independent recording label Feeniix Rising Entertainment. It contains production by Mike City and Focus..., as well as her long-time collaborators, The Buchanans and Rich Harrison. The lead single, "Out Loud", was released on March 16, 2015. It was her first musical release since her fourth studio album, In Love & War (2009). The EP was recorded at the same time as her upcoming studio albums Cymatika, Vol. 1 and BILI. A following EP was announced for July 2016, but nothing came out from those plans.

Drive
EP by Ameriie
Released	May 20, 2016
Recorded	2011–2016
Genre	R&B soul
Length	22:49
Label	Feeniix Rising, TuneCore
Producer	Mike City The Buchanans Rich Harrison Focus...
Ameriie chronology
In Love & War (2009) Drive (2016) 4AM Mulholland (2018)
Singles from Drive
"Out Loud" Released: March 16, 2015

Background and release

In July 2011, it was reported that Ameriie was in the studio working on her fifth studio album, titled Cymatika Vol. 1.^[1] The EP's title is based on the word cymatics, the study of visible sound and vibration. The production line-up consists of, among others, Riley Urick, The Buchanans and Andre Harris (of Dre & Vidal). Ameriie said that she may reunite with Rich Harrison for the project but that it would be "a matter of when and in what way". Cymatika Vol. 1 will also include special guest appearances from Drunken Tiger's Tiger JK and Tasha Reid.^[2] According to the singer, Cymatika will explore freedom, androgyny, and the new world order, and is influenced by trance, electronica, house, and new wave.^[3] Second and third volumes of Cymatika are planned.^[4][5]

In 2012, Ameriie announced a forthcoming 'mini-LP' titled The Prelude;^[6] subsequently, in 2013, she stated that she had been working on a new project, Because I Love It Vol. II, a follow-up to her 2007 album.^[7] Ameriie said that this album, now titled BILI, stemmed from songs that did not fit sonically or thematically onto Cymatika—"songs that are heavy in percussion, but have a very aggressive, soulful element to them. They don't exist in any one time, or sound of the moment." BILI and Cymatika are both slated for release in 2015.^[8][9] A single, "What I Want" (which samples "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band), was released from BILI in 2014.^[5][10] Later in the year, Ameriie premiered the track "Mustang" and announced a UK tour for March 2015.^[11][12] In March 2015, Ameriie collaborated with long-time friend and producer Rich Harrison on a single, "Out Loud". She promoted the song through live performances and made it available on SoundCloud and YouTube. In May 2016, she appeared on The Breakfast Club and announced an EP titled Drive set for release on May 20, a second untitled EP due in July, and that she was still at work on her Cymatika album trilogy.^[13]

Title and artwork

The artwork is a photo taken from a car. Ameriie said in an interview that the EP is titled Drive because it is "music that you can put in your car and drive to". It shows a road with fog and nature around it. It has Amerie's name at the bottom right (stylized as AMERIIE).

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Every Time" (featuring Fabolous)	Focus...	4:37
2.	"Thru the Stars"	The Buchanans	4:05
3.	"Sing About It"	The Buchanans	3:31
4.	"Trouble with Love"	Mike City	3:27
5.	"Take the Blame"	The Buchanans	3:35
6.	"Out Loud"	Rich Harrison	3:32
Total length:			22:49

Sample credits

• "Every Time" - contains a sample of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by The Floaters.

Personnel

• Ameriie – primary artist (all tracks)
• Fabulous – featured artist (track 1)
• Focus... – producer (track 1)
• The Buchanans – producer (track 2, 3 and 5)
• Mike City – producer (track 4)
• Rich Harrison – producer (track 6)

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, format(s), record label and reference.

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	May 20, 2016	Streaming digital download	Feeniix Rising	[14]

References

1. "Ameriie (formerly Amerie) is back with 'Cymatika Vol 1.')". Pop Wife. 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
   - "MUSIC NEWS: AMERIIE DISCUSSES "CYMATIKA, VOL. 1" + POSSIBLE RICH HARRISON REUNION". Concreteloop. 2011-07-18. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
2. Ameriie Shares Exclusive Details on Upcoming Album, 'Cymatika Vol. 1' – The Juice. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-29.
3. Q&A: Ameriie Explores Freedom, Androgyny, & New World Order on New Album. Rap-Up.com (2011-07-25). Retrieved on 2011-08-29.
4. lamazzi asked. "Hello Amerie, I have several questions for you. First question: how come you have changed your name with an additional i ? In fact, I thought I was following you on FB when I realized it wasn't your FB account (amerie instead of ameriie). Second question: when is your new album out (even approximatively), I think it's been 3 years since your last one ? Last question: any collaboration(s) planned for that album ? Anyway looking forward listening to your next album... Best regards. | AMERIIE . . . the blog ^A^". Itsameriie.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-08. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
5. "Ameriie chats to So So Gay". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
6. "New Music Premiere: Ameriie – 'Every Time'". Rap-Up.com. 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
7. "Ameriie Plots Comeback With 'Because I Love It Vol. II' | ..::That Grape Juice // ThatGrapeJuice.net::.. || Thirsty?". Thatgrapejuice.net. 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
8. "Ameriie interview: 'I want to be naked on a horse!'". Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
9. "And Another Thing: Ameriie Interviewed". September 2014.
10. Mike Wass (2014-06-03). "Ameriie Returns With "What I Want": Listen To The R&B Diva's First Single In 5 Years | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
11. "Ameriie Drops New Track 'Mustang' - Listen Now!". Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
12. "Audio: Ameriie, "Mustang" - Saint Heron". 30 December 2014.
13. "Ameriie Talks Hiatus, New Music, & Beyoncé on 'The Breakfast Club'".
14. "DRIVE". SoundCloud. May 20, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

External links

• Official website