Estelle's Shine: The Album of the Year (So Far)
Estelle: "No Substitute Love"
from the forthcoming Shine
Estelle: "More Than Friends"
from the forthcoming Shine
Estelle feat. Kardinal Offishall: "Magnificent"
from the forthcoming Shine
Lauryn's name has been thrown around a lot with regard to Estelle, the Brit singer-songwriter-rapper releasing her U.S. debut later this month. And it's true, not since Miss Education has a female artist so deftly mixed singing and rapping without a fumble. On "More Than Friends" she sings softly, casually for two minutes before letting loose a confident, if unobtrusive rapped verse. Never once does the construction feel unnatural. That sounds like faint praise. It's not. Shine, only her second release and the first in the States, is a terrific album.
Estelle hitched her wagon to John Legend's Homeschool Records through Atlantic and their singing styles aren't too far off - there are flourishes of traditional soul, a background in hip-hop that shapes many of her melodies, dashes of jazz, even some Cole Porter kicking around. But there is something that really sets Estelle apart from her American label boss: A subtle but clear reggae influence on Shine, from the tense rhythms to the occasional patois, that while just a minor touch, makes all the difference. Chalk it up to Estelle Swaray's Senegalese mother and Grenadian father. And where Legend is simple and polite, Estelle is instantly more: fiercer, funnier and most importantly, less heartbound.
Tags: Estelle, John Legend
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