Customer Reviews

Shine [Vinyl]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is definitely one of my top picks for 2008. Estelle has shown so much versatility on this album it is very refreshing. She shifts from pop, to reggea, to neo-soul without skipping a beat. While everyone is still being wowed by American Boy... I have moved on to "Back In Love". If you haven't already... check it out.

I had only heard Estelle's song with Kanye while I was in Italy. Thought it was fun but not overly complex. I decided to give the rest of the album a try and was pleasantly surprised. She has a great beat, some songs with a jazzy-hip hop feel, and great lyrics.

I just got this C.D last week. I've truly been meaning to buy it since American boy (a sung I really came to like) came out but just never got around to it. Boy what I've been missing! This is a seriously good C.D, and I'm surprised that none of my friends who know good music didn't recommend this to me. This music is above average as far as production goes. I like her voice, and her lyrical content is very "real". Another one of those C.D's you can listen to all the way through

Wait a minute(just a touch)is a great way to open the C.D. It has a great hip-hop beat to it, and her rap skills are commendable, very sexy song, like it a lot.

No Substitute love-is hot, she is really giving this guy a piece of her mind! Again she kills the rap, and this song especially in the begining reminds me of Lauryn Hill, hot, hot, hot!

American Boy-we've all heard it everywhere a couple of summers ago. Very nice way to introduce her to America. Good to hear Kanye too. (never thought I'd be saying that)

More than friends- is a really nice song where she ask the question many have asked, why can't we be more than friends? Very cute, and nice beat.

Magnificent-Features Kardinal Offishal, and I love the reggae feel to it. This is one where the girl truly knows her worth and isn't scared to say it!

Come Over- is so sexy, and I love her voice on this one. Another one with the reggae feel to it, sounds like a great song to end the night with, or ride to so mellow, and laid back, one of my favorites on the C.D

So Much/Out the way- another reggae flavored song, more on the hip hop side, gets you hype to get losers out of your life lol! it switches beats throughout the song. Definitely a song for when you need to get your energy up.

In the rain- has a realy hip hop feel to it, a very reminiscent of summers past, she says this song reminds me of summer, and it definitely does, one of those feel good songs, nice.

Back in love- is another one of my favorites, and I love how her voice sounds here. She speaks of being glad her and her love are back together (I know how she feels)and you can feel the emotion in her voice. I love this song!

You are- with John Legend is a very nice duet. It's a different sound for John using his deeper register(he sounds great). Their voices blend nicely together and it's another one of my favorites.

Pretty Please(love me) with Cee-lo is hot, it reminds of a song "when was the last time you danced" from the Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere album. I love Cee-Lo's voice, and this song is really fun, and has sort of a Motown feel to it. Hot

Shine-is a great way to end the C.D, and Estelle let's the world know she's gonna shine.

I really like this C.D, she is very talented, and I'm definitely a new fan!

This album is well titled because it shines. Estelle is a breath of fresh air to the pop/R&B scene. She injects fun, meaningful lyrics with a great beat in every song on her Shine album. I don't think there is a song on here that I don't love. She shows off her versatility with amazing lyrics mixed with rap. For those of you that love some good R&B/pop music, this is definitely a must-have. Some of the songs that I think stand out are No Substitute Love, American Boy, So Much Out the Way, Pretty Please, and Shine (probably my favorite). Definitely a great album and an artist to keep watching.

This is one of my favorite albums. I only knew one song when I bought the album but I love every single track. From start to finish, it's a must-have.

Great CD I love nearly all the songs on here and really dig her vibe.

I heard American Boy on the radio the other day and just had to find out who was behind such a fun song. I checked her out on iTunes, but they only have her previous albums. I had a feeling Amazon would have it because they usually do carry titles not found on iTunes, and luckily the program allows me to transfer to iPod. Anyway, the rest of her album was pretty cool. Definitely a unique sound, which is a bit hard to come by in R&B and hip-hop or music in general these days. Sing on, Estelle!

Note: I bought the MP3 album version from Amazon, and "American Boy" has a curse word censored out. Not happy about that. But amazon's price was ridiculous, so I'm not going to complain.

Estelle's vocals are a mix between three: Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Lauryn Hill: There seems to be a bit much over-dubbing going on in post production.

This collection of tunes isn't bad though. The writers are given kudos: The writing is great. The compositions are what need work. There are no real hooks here. I think if Rodney Jerkins had produced / written this LP for Estelle, this would have been major ear candy.