Estelle

Somewhere along the way between Leonna Lewis and Amerie, R&B lost its direction. But now its back on track, and its carrying a whole lotta sass along with it .Estelle’s here, and she’s gonna “Take you on a ride like a rollercoaster”, or so she claims on the album’s super energetic kick off -”˜Wait a Minute (Just A Touch)’ . This feisty little ditty is followed by the ingenious concoction – ”˜No Substitute Love’- a 60s style jazzy reggae-y chorus fused with 80s George Michael lyrics and an all out 21^st century hip hop diva assault. The retro meets hip hop fusion is felt further down  the album as well, especially on the track ”˜More Than Friends’,  as she declares  ”˜I’m not your weekend love, your secret fuck, brother I’m not playing’, all sung to a gentle lounge-y piano background. Support is provided by friends all through the album, with appearances from John Legend, Kardinal Offishall and even Kayne West on ”˜American Boy’, a radio friendly clubby hip hop tune which hit #1 on the UK charts.  The highlight of the album however is when she channels her inner Diana Ross with shockingly accurate results on her duet with Cee-Lo on ”˜Pretty Please(Love Me)’. Yes Estelle has taken her musical career to a whole new level, and she’s managed to fill the hole that Lauren Hill left when she disappeared from the music world.