Online Review: Estelle ‘Shine’
Artist:
Estelle
‘Shine’
Atlantic Records/Homeschool
4/5
Words by Emmanuel J. Ezugwu
By way of association, ‘Shine’ is an album, faced with the predicament of having exceedingly high expectation placed before its impending release.
Not least because it is executively produced by John Legend, with Estelle being the first act released from the Grammy winners, Homeschool imprint.
The CD also has the added weight of an A list producer rostrum with the likes of Swizz Beats, Kanye West and Mark Ronson all contributing cuts aswell as Wyclef Jean who likened the 28 year-old to a young Lauryn Hill. And its under the heavy bated breath of anticipation that the album truly soars.
Considering, the predominant American influence the CD proves to be masterfully transatlantic in its sound although if you were to take ‘American Boy’ at face value you wouldn’t necessarily think that to be the case. The single though, with it’s undeniably catchy hook and Kanye laced verse has an ethereal gravitas quite unlike anything on radio right now. Which goes for most songs on the follow up to Estelle’s 2004 debut ‘The 18th Day’
Brimming with retro effervescence, ‘Shine’ superbly pays homage to Estelle’s devastatingly thorough musical influences, via tracks like the old skool’ed, reggae tinged ‘No Substitute Love’, all the way across to the 60’s high-kicking, Supreme-esque ‘Pretty Please’. There remains a remarkable coherence running alongside the CD despite the various heavyweight hitters on production.
Estelle’s blunt dissection of the various phases one goes through in a relationship proves to be the core of the album’s appeal and is facilitated all the way through by her raw and syrupy vocals. Smouldering mid-tempo ’More Then Friends’ for example, is a compelling confessional track that Estelle uses to profess her need for exclusivity within a relationship. Her rap too, plays out as a heartening soliloquy that is instantly relatable: “don‘t play me like an extra I got speaking roles// I am not that hoe, I am so much more“ .
Though, a lot has been made of Estelle sounding like Lauryn Hill it’s largely symptomatic of the media’s obsession to categorize artists to those before but to do so only diminishes ‘Shine’s individuality. That said, ‘Come Over’ is perhaps the only track that bares more then a passing resemblance to the latter day L Boogie. Both airy and seductive, it sounds like Lauryn Hill’s posthumous release with Bob Marley on ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’.
Elsewhere, Estelle’s bluesy and jazz smoked vocals prove to be blissfully intoxicating and just as masterfully commanding as her rap persona in ‘In The Rain’. The song is an effortless and irresistible ode that charts a rekindled relationship against a looping, meshed chorus.
Its not all great though. ‘Back In Love’ provides the only dip in quality so far and descends into neo soul mediocrity, though its only a minor dent which swells optimistically with the penultimate track ‘Pretty Please’. Its combination of gospel, R&B, soul, and rock'n'roll has all the hallmarks of what we’ve come to expect from the eclectic Cee Lo and serves as a glorious crescendo that screams from another Era.
The musical integrity seeping through each track is impressive and title track ‘Shine’ serves as a revision of debut single ‘1980’ which aptly charts her evolution thus far: “Who‘d have thought that it would happen// this London chick start rapping// Now American boys are chatting// all about me and my wicked accent”.
A sure fire classic that will only solidify her status as the UK’s reigning Queen of Hip Hop/Soul; uncompromising, raw and expertly laced, ‘Shine’ is nothing short of a triumph.
Shine is out March 31
RWD Magazine
MySpace.com/Estelleonline
‘Shine’
Atlantic Records/Homeschool
4/5
Words by Emmanuel J. Ezugwu
By way of association, ‘Shine’ is an album, faced with the predicament of having exceedingly high expectation placed before its impending release.
Not least because it is executively produced by John Legend, with Estelle being the first act released from the Grammy winners, Homeschool imprint.
The CD also has the added weight of an A list producer rostrum with the likes of Swizz Beats, Kanye West and Mark Ronson all contributing cuts aswell as Wyclef Jean who likened the 28 year-old to a young Lauryn Hill. And its under the heavy bated breath of anticipation that the album truly soars.
Considering, the predominant American influence the CD proves to be masterfully transatlantic in its sound although if you were to take ‘American Boy’ at face value you wouldn’t necessarily think that to be the case. The single though, with it’s undeniably catchy hook and Kanye laced verse has an ethereal gravitas quite unlike anything on radio right now. Which goes for most songs on the follow up to Estelle’s 2004 debut ‘The 18th Day’
Brimming with retro effervescence, ‘Shine’ superbly pays homage to Estelle’s devastatingly thorough musical influences, via tracks like the old skool’ed, reggae tinged ‘No Substitute Love’, all the way across to the 60’s high-kicking, Supreme-esque ‘Pretty Please’. There remains a remarkable coherence running alongside the CD despite the various heavyweight hitters on production.
Estelle’s blunt dissection of the various phases one goes through in a relationship proves to be the core of the album’s appeal and is facilitated all the way through by her raw and syrupy vocals. Smouldering mid-tempo ’More Then Friends’ for example, is a compelling confessional track that Estelle uses to profess her need for exclusivity within a relationship. Her rap too, plays out as a heartening soliloquy that is instantly relatable: “don‘t play me like an extra I got speaking roles// I am not that hoe, I am so much more“ .
Though, a lot has been made of Estelle sounding like Lauryn Hill it’s largely symptomatic of the media’s obsession to categorize artists to those before but to do so only diminishes ‘Shine’s individuality. That said, ‘Come Over’ is perhaps the only track that bares more then a passing resemblance to the latter day L Boogie. Both airy and seductive, it sounds like Lauryn Hill’s posthumous release with Bob Marley on ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’.
Elsewhere, Estelle’s bluesy and jazz smoked vocals prove to be blissfully intoxicating and just as masterfully commanding as her rap persona in ‘In The Rain’. The song is an effortless and irresistible ode that charts a rekindled relationship against a looping, meshed chorus.
Its not all great though. ‘Back In Love’ provides the only dip in quality so far and descends into neo soul mediocrity, though its only a minor dent which swells optimistically with the penultimate track ‘Pretty Please’. Its combination of gospel, R&B, soul, and rock'n'roll has all the hallmarks of what we’ve come to expect from the eclectic Cee Lo and serves as a glorious crescendo that screams from another Era.
The musical integrity seeping through each track is impressive and title track ‘Shine’ serves as a revision of debut single ‘1980’ which aptly charts her evolution thus far: “Who‘d have thought that it would happen// this London chick start rapping// Now American boys are chatting// all about me and my wicked accent”.
A sure fire classic that will only solidify her status as the UK’s reigning Queen of Hip Hop/Soul; uncompromising, raw and expertly laced, ‘Shine’ is nothing short of a triumph.
Shine is out March 31
RWD Magazine
MySpace.com/Estelleonline
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