Move over, Duffy
Estelle
Shine (Atlantic/Homeschool)
ESSENTIAL “More Than Friends”
It’s starting to feel like the British music scene is one big clown car out of which retro R&B chanteuses are emerging at an almost comical clip. The second album from the latest lady of soul, Estelle, comes complete with sultry vocals, silky hip-hop and reggae-tinged grooves, and big-name benefactors like Wyclef Jean, Kanye West, and Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley. The album is
the first on John Legend’s boutique label and the executive producer duets with her here on the love song “You Are.” Equally adept at slinging sharp rhymes and jazzy crooning, Estelle has a sweet sense of cool and charm. “No Substitute Love” sounds like a funky mash-up of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and George Michael’s “Faith.” (She actually borrows the melody from the latter.) On the title track the Londoner boasts that her heat has set the music world abuzz. While it may take a little time for the heat of “Shine” to truly blaze, Estelle is likely speaking the truth. [Sarah Rodman]
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