Idolator

Last year, we were suckers for "1 Thing," the three-minutes-of-joy single from R & B singer Amerie; in October, a pal tipped us off to a leaked copy of Because I Love It, her first mixtape, and we went bananas for it almost instantly. From top to bottom, the mix—which is still streaming at LoveAmerie.com—is probably the most fun record we've heard all year; Amerie bends summertime stompers like "Money In The Bank" and "Money Maker" into her own mold, simultaneously taking charge and poking fun at the songs' excesses with some tongue-twisty wordplay. Plus, her reworking of the Kanye West/Pharrell track "Number One," the shimmering "Reminisce Witcha," is one of the most effervescent bits of pop to hit our ears since, well, "1 Thing."

Amerie - Reminisce Wit'cha [MP3, link expired]
Amerie - Money In The Bank [MP3, link expired]
LoveAmerie.com