Track Listing

1. Wait A Minute (just a touch)
2. No Substitute Love
3. American Boy Feat. Kanye West
4. More Than Friends
5. Magnificent Feat. Kardinal Offishall
6. Come Over
7. So Much Out The Way
8. In The Rain
9. Back In Love
10. You Are Feat. John Legend
11. Pretty Please (love me) Feat. Cee-Lo
12. Shine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #230 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-31
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

The Guardian
"(Shine)...may just provide Britain with its first successful female Hip Hop artist since The Cookie Crew"

Mojo
"From funk to soul to reggae...sparkling "

Customer Reviews

Estelle Shines
She had a hit called "1980" a few years back but I dismissed her as a one hit wonder and to be honest I wasn't blown away by her raps. When I heard she was working with John Legend I decided to sample it at the music store and realised that I had been completely wrong about her, she is a singer who raps not the other way around. More than that is that she has a beautiful voice.

When I heard the George Michael sample on "No Substitute Love" it was over, I had to get the album. The album is so nostalgic to me, I don't know if it is the samples e.g. Bob Marley on "So Much Out The Way" or it is the fact that she reminds me so much of Lauryn Hill.

The multitasking (rapping, writing & singing), the eclectic sounds (Reggae, Rock & Hip-hop influences) certainly justify comparisons to Lauryn Hill. But Estelle is her own woman. Her songs are not as heavy and are meant to be enjoyed without being taken too seriously.

The production on the album is top notch, not surprisingly given names like Will.I.Am, John Legend, Swiss Beatz & Mark Ronson. A criticism that might be levelled at the production is the over abundant use of samples but as stated earlier it adds to the nostalgia.

Overall the album is definitely a winner, the revolution of British soulstresses is in full swing. Estelle has something that the others ( Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele, Joss Stone etc.) do not have and that is a street sensibility and a light-heartedness.

Noteworthy tracks include the ballad "Come Over", "No Substitute Love" & the duet with Cee-Lo "Pretty Please", which sounds like a duet between Diana Ross & Aretha Franklin (Cee-Lo playing Aretha).

The most boring album of the year! Where are the hooks?
Estelle has a good voice no doubt about it and American Boy is one of the songs of the summer. Sadly, such elements have failed to contribute to a memorable album which feels like a rushed cash in with production values so tired, you can ever hear them yawn!

American Boy sounded really fresh with a brilliant use of horns but the rest of the album is just derivative R&B that could have been produced by any female artist within the genre. Estelle struggles to stamp her own identity on any of the tracks and she just sounds like a vocalist singing someone else's work. Generally there is little passion and soul in this, I found myself barely noticing any differences between tracks. As a result, it feels more like lounge music than anything else.

There are highlights as the first three tracks are very good and are funnily enough the ones plugged on the case promo sticker. Then we have to wait until the duet with John Legend called You Are before anything interesting of note is heard. Nothing is bad, but I have so many albums in my collection like this and those artists do it better. The whole thing left me cold and it plods along at an anaemic pace, it felt like it ran for about 3 hours!

Finest UK Female Artist Around!
Much like Her 2004 debut album, 'The 18th Day', Shine proves to be an outstanding contribution to the world of UK hip-hop. Featuring collaborations from Kanye West, Will.i.am, Cee-Lo & John Legend, the album had all the ingredients to be a major success. A very summer feeling on the record, and a 2008 must buy!!