Posts tagged Estelle

Recently Leona Lewis stepped burst onto the music scene with her incredible CD “Spirit.” Lewis’ awesome vocals and catchy songs caught on, and it seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a recent influx of British artist crossing over to the United States. Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson also have delved into the American market in recent times, and now Estelle brings her own flare into the United State market.

“Shine” is Estelle’s second album, but her first released in the United States. The music on the album has a nice steady beat to them. It has a Lauren Hill feel to it – catchy beats, melodies and strong lyrical content. However, she lacks the same vocal quality as Lauren Hill. That does not mean that the music is at all bad. In fact, it’s has a refreshing feel to it. She transitions well from rapping to singing a la one of my favorite artist Craig David. It is this versatility that helps create an overall vibe. Each CD has a head bopping nature to them and it’s a relaxing listen.

“Shine” does not lack it’s star power. The song “American Boy” featuring Kanye West is an excellent song. Kanye’s beat blends well with Estelle’s hybrid rapping and singing. She also features tracks with will.i.am, Swizz Beats, John Legend and Wyclef Jean.

I’d suggest this CD to fans of Common, Kanye West, Talib Kweli and, of course, Lauren Hill. While the music is by no means new or breakthrough, it has its niche in the market these days. Estelle is not supposed to be compared to her British counterpart Leona Lewis in the vocal category or even the sounds of Joss Stone. Her soulful sounds are just as relaxing as the two previously mentioned, and she does it with her own style.

It’s another quality album courtesy of an artist from across the pond, which makes me think. Why are these British artist crossing over to America now? It’s part of this cycle in the musical world that is difficult to understand.

Now, British artist crossing over isn’t anything new. Remember the Beetles? Remember a guy named Craig David? Rick Astley anyone? However, I do think whenever British artists cross over it’s a sound not previously heard before which makes it popular. But what makes their sound so good? I think it’s because they take the quality traits of music from around the world and fuse them together to create a sound that is unique but not a stretch in terms of experimentation. It is the ones who combine it with solid vocals that can successfully make the jump to the United States and overall worldwide success.