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Binding: LP RecordBrand: Big Decibel EAN: 0075678989971 Label: Atlantic / Wea Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea MPN: 512199 Publisher: Atlantic / Wea Release Date: July 01, 2008 Studio: Atlantic / Wea Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk: Award-winning British artist Estelle never got her just desserts for her 2004 debut album The 18th Day. Though the record was a critical success, it failed to make the mainstream splash many had hoped for. Her sophomore project, Shine, seems hell bent on avoiding the same fate. Backed up by a coterie of high profile US starlets--Wyclef Jean, will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Kanye West--Shine has surefire commercial success written all over it; though that's not to say Estelle has sold out. Despite the high-impact American-style production, Shine remains reassuringly British. Estelle's West London twang is as sharp as ever, and even Kanye drops rhymes about "WAGS" and "London Boys" (see single "American Boy"). It's every bit as diverse as its predecessor too, featuring dancehall party jams ("Magnificent", produced by Mark Ronson and featuring Kardinal Offishall), the will.i.am produced "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" (which uses a twisted up sample from Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You") to lovers' rock ("Come Over") and, of course, some love ballads too, such as "Substitute Lover", overseen by Wyclef. A solid all-round follow up, Shine should give Estelle the commercial success she deserves. --Danny McKenna Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Shine? I think glitters is a better adjectiveEstelle'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. Rating: - What a fun albumI 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! Rating:  - I was surprised by this!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. Rating: - GreatNote: 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. Rating: - If Neo-soul and Alternative rock had a child...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. |
