Customer Reviews

Shine

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For some reason, things never really took off for this talented young UK soul singer when she first emerged four years ago, all freshness and light.
Unwilling to settle for also-ran status, she upped sticks to the States and made some powerful friends.
Now resident in New York, the London lass gets an international makeover. Cue Kanye West guest slot, John Legend in the control room, with Will.i.am, Mark Ronson, Wyclef and Cee-Lo lending helping hands. With that sort of support and Estelle's smarts and agility - embracing everything from summery funk to Lily Allen lovers' rock - she can hardly fail. And, despite this being a bit heavy on production and light on substance, she doesn't.
Although the album includes mainly smooth American-sounding production, Estelle's gritty Englishness hasn't entirely vanished and she marks her personality neatly across all 12 tracks on this album: even with the stateside makeover Estelle seems to be sticking to her roots and definitely pushes the bar in making "Shine" as unique as possible
Kanye West makes a playful cameo on her current single, "American Boy".
Kicking off with a spunky opening, it is a track which clearly draws on many influences: velvety vocals and a certain 1940's dancehall feel make for some smash hit ingredients.
The songstress proves she is a lady of many talents by providing the record with a speckle of sassy rapping.
Not instantly catchy, take a few listens and you will be hooked on the Estelle vibe.
Refreshingly, despite the Amerie/Rihanna-style R&B pop of opening track "Wait A Minute (Just A Touch)", Estelle has remained true to her very British sweet ska soul sound on numerous tracks, and the entire album is a testament to her breezy, effortless ability to bring a host of musical styles under her soul-pop umbrella.
"Shine" is a truly original combination of sounds mixed with sassy rap lyrics and soft vocals, there guarantees to be one that everyone will take pleasure in hearing : it certainly shines bright enough, to make you consider pulling out the shades.
The 18th Day

I became a fan of UK soul singer Estelle in 2004 after seeing the
video to her delightful hit single "1980" as well as the hit "Free",
which led me to get her brilliant debut CD "The 18th day" (reminiscent
of Lauryn Hill's debut). It was a nice blend of soul and hip hop, with
a British attitude. Unfortunately (as happens ever-so-often in the
music industry), the public didn't get it (the album stalled at #35 in
the UK) and she was dropped by her record label after two more singles
which barely registered with the public (no reflection on the music
though which was, as I stated, brilliant!). Fast forward to 2008 and
Estelle is back with a bang, though she had to cross the pond and arm
herself with an armada of behemoths like will.i.am, Wyclef, Mark
Ronson, Swizz Beatz, and John Legend (the latter who signed her to his
record label) to do it.

The result? A #1 smash in the UK with her breezy throbbing techno/hip
hop hit "American boy" (sampling will.i.am's "Impatient") featuring
Kanye West guest rapping about "wags" and "blokes" (and pronouncing
rubbish as "Roo-bish") while Estelle sings free-form in an upper
register. Thankfully, she does not lose her British attitude (which
shines through in her singing/rapping), thus saving "Shine" from
falling into the "anyone could have recorded it" pit.

At 12 tracks, the album is mercifully not over packed like most
(American) R&B albums tend to be. Sampling the verses of George
Michael's "Faith" is the brilliant guitar festooned "No substitute
love" with a slight Island carnival feel. It sounds like something
Lauryn Hill or the Fugees would do, and is aptly produced by ex-Fugee
Wyclef, who also produces the similar hip hop-ish "So much out the
way" which lifts a few lines from Bob Marley's "So much things to
say". The retro sounding "In the rain" samples the chorus from Love
Unlimited's "Walking in the rain with the one I love" set to a hip hop
groove and complete with speeded up chipmunk vocals.

"Wait a minute (just a touch)" is a bouncy will.i.am production with a
very catchy hook (and a rapped message about thinking twice before
hopping in the sack; "Wrap it up 'cause I ain't carrying your embryo"
she says). This was actually the lead single which barely bothered the
charts unfortunately. Mr Legend himself lends his smooth vocals to the
Neo Soul ballad "You are", while Cee-Lo guests on the upbeat
Motown-ish "Pretty please (love me)" which sounds like something
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell would have done. "More than friends" and
"Back in love" are both lovely retro soul ballads.

The Mark Ronson produced "Magnificent" is a reggae song as is the
lovely and sultry "Come over" (which is to be more precise, Lovers
Rock; I love the way she says "Baby" and the soothing Ooo ooos).
Appropriately proclaiming her inner strength and resilience
(lyrically) is the upbeat Swizz Beatz produced title track with clunky
percussion and a semi biographical rap, and I am glad Estelle has had
her second chance to indeed "Shine".

A thoroughly enjoyable menagerie of Soul, Pop, Hip hop and Reggae,
with Estelle flitting from singing to rapping with the greatest of
ease. The album debuted in the UK at #6. Sometimes, second time around
is the charm; just ask Amy Winehouse.

I work for a company that regularly recieves CDs from new and upcomming artist. Most aren't worth the shrink wrap and postage they came in, but by the third track of "Shine" I was ripping the CD to put it on my MP3 player. Estelle's voice and sound are reminiscent of Lauren Hill's "Miseducation" but it's certainly no copy cat. The LP is well produced and creates an incredible mix of generes (a little hip-hop, soul, jazz, and reggae). I got my copy for free, and I just bought one for a friend. Estelle is definitely soul sincere!

She had a hit called "1980" a few years back but I dismissed her as a one hit wonder and to be honest I wasn't blown away by her raps. When I heard she was working with John Legend I decided to sample it at the music store and realised that I had been completely wrong about her, she is a singer who raps not the other way around. More than that is that she has a beautiful voice.

When I heard the George Michael sample on "No Substitute Love" it was over, I had to get the album. The album is so nostalgic to me, I don't know if it is the samples e.g. Bob Marley on "So Much Out The Way" or it is the fact that she reminds me so much of Lauryn Hill.

The multitasking (rapping, writing & singing), the eclectic sounds (Reggae, Rock & Hip-hop influences) certainly justify comparisons to Lauryn Hill. But Estelle is her own woman. Her songs are not as heavy and are meant to be enjoyed without being taken too seriously.

The production on the album is top notch, not surprisingly given names like Will.I.Am, John Legend, Swiss Beatz & Mark Ronson. A criticism that might be levelled at the production is the over abundant use of samples but as stated earlier it adds to the nostalgia.

Overall the album is definitely a winner, the revolution of British soulstresses is in full swing. Estelle has something that the others ( Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele, Joss Stone etc.) do not have and that is a street sensibility and a light-heartedness.

Noteworthy tracks include the ballad "Come Over", "No Substitute Love" & the duet with Cee-Lo "Pretty Please", which sounds like a duet between Diana Ross & Aretha Franklin (Cee-Lo playing Aretha).

I stumbled upon this sister right here one day two weeks ago and knew then no matter what the album had to be purchased. When a decision like that is made, it can be a major set up for disappointment. But, not in this case. I made my purchase the day after the album came out; made a copy for my Mom before I left NC to hit the road; hit the road and popped the CD in.

By the fourth song, I was letting my sister, cousin and two friends know this was a wise purchase they needed to make before the week was over--- scratch that--- before the day was over. My sister and cousin said it was on the list. By the time I got to GA, I had listened to the cd twice. By the time I got to Atlanta, I was putting the CD back in. By the next day my sister had it and had listened to it twice.

The album on a whole is very entertaining and enjoyable. It was a pleasure to listen to the different aspects of R&B, Hip Hop flavor and bit of ragga. Remember Lauren Hill's MisEducation album? Remember how hyped your were when to put it in (minus the classroom interludes)? Without fail, this is one of the better music purchases of today when the R&B, Hip Hop genres are trying to bounce back from the crappy music of the past decade. From start to finish, I was with Estelle, never realizing how fast 40min is and hitting repeat on the stereo. I want to say the cut with CeeLo is the best but if I listen to the album right now, I might change my mind again. I really like it all.

Enjoy your purchase.

From the soulful vein of John Legend comes Estelle's American debut album and the perfect follow up to her European debut, The 18th Day. The production is flawless, but this CD is more about an artist coming of age and laying out a work of art. You can listen to this CD from Track 1 to Track 12. There is no filler and fluff tracks. The collaborations with Legend himself, Kanye West, Kardinal Official and Cee-Lo Green are all testaments to her versatility. Summer afternoon on the back porch sippin' lemonade or something stronger and groovin'. Despite its forays into hip-hop, this is an adult album steeped in the musical arrangements of the soulful seventies. You will love the way her voice bounces and skips over every track. It will be interesting to see where her music takes up next time out after her first two efforts. This one is an actual purchase...don't even download it. You will want to owv the hard copy!

Was interested in this album based on a review I saw in "Rolling Stone" magazine. After reviewing the 30 sec samples of the album; I decided to purchase it. I listen to this album all the time. I think every artist should be appreciated for their own work and style, but when listening to this album I cannot help but think of Lauryn Hill and Floetry. Estelle is not imitating any of these artists, it's just the sounds that she evokes for me when I listen to it. Estelle is SUPER talented and I love the reggae feel of this album. I listen to this one start to finish and don't skip any of the songs. I have not been disappointed and am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy this CD.

I'm glad that I didn't miss out on this one and hope to see more from Estelle in the future.

Although Estelle has released albums before in her native U.K., I must admit this is my first time listening to the sister and I must say...BLOODY GOOD JOB! She sings, she rhymes, she looks good in a video (check out "American Boy" video with Kanye West). However she needs no guest spots to sparkle (although they are welcomed). My favorite tracks are "More Than Friends", "No Substitute", and the aforementioned "American Boy". She has soul in her voice when she sings, but it never teeters on pleading or whining about lost love like so many R&B songs. The production on the songs are fresh and can be played in a club, in your car, or at the office. This is just a great CD to listen to and I cannot say that abnout many CDs nowadays.

I caught the video on VH1 Soul for "Just a Touch" some time back. I was so ready for this cd. ESTELLE and her collaboraters did not disappoint. JAT is such a hot dance track. It's a club shaker! Put the zoom-zoom on me,ESTELLE!It's a crime that this cd hasn't blown up yet.Spread the word,people! ESTELLE is totally hot!Estelle is beautiful in her "American Boy" video with bad boy Kanye West.Hot tracks in abundance.After years in this business, ESTELLE is long overdue for her props! Love the Brits!BUY "SHINE" NOW!!!

I listen to this album practically everyday, I like all the songs on the albums for various reasons. The cd is a plethora of reggae/dancehall hits to soulful R&B love ballads. Usually, especially nowadays, more attention is put into the production of the track rather than the lyrics but careful attention has been paid to both on this album. One can tell that Estelle is singing from the heart about tricky relationship situations, obtaining self-confidence, and how to fight through life's struggles. Each song is infused with a message, even if it's a playful one (i.e. on "American Boy" "..don't like his baggy jeans but I might like what's underneath them") I really dig this album and wish her all the success. I want to go back and buy her first album and see what that "be like"