Although the best aspect of the album is Estelle’s voice, it gets lost in the average production, ordinary lyrics and unsuccessful attempt to pull off the songstress/emcee combination. Estelle attempts to rap on several tracks including Wyclef -produced “So Much Out the Way” (inspired by Black Moon’s “How Many MC’s”) and “Shine”. Her lackluster performance and overall simplistic lyrics detract from her amazing singing voice adding little value to the tracks themselves.
The album lacks continuity and can best be described as a collection of average singles. The tracks are relatively random and lack direction or a common theme; it is unclear what audience she is targeting. Reggae-inspired “Magnificent” (featuring Kardinal Offishall) and “Come Over” are pop tunes that one might find as background music at a local Chili’s. On the other extreme, “More Than Friends” and “You Are” musically appeal to the grown and sexy crowd. Despite collaborating with industry greats Kanye West, Cee-Lo and John Legend, the songs are creatively uninspiring.
Undoubtedly, Estelle has talent; unfortunately, she was not given the best venue to Shine. She deserves a platform that accentuates her best asset - her voice. The album has a few decent tracks which makes the listening experience somewhat bearable. However, it fails to deliver the musical and vocal versatility that she (along with her co-artists and producers) is capable of delivering. Better music (sans rapping) with more artistic direction can make the difference between a great album and an ordinary one.
