KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * *
Label: Atlantic/Homeschool Records
Verdict: A star line up of producers prevent Estelle from shining through
Shine may be Estelle's second album but chances are you haven't heard of the London-born lyricist before. The honey-voiced songstress and sometime rapper earned critical acclaim for her debut album, The 18th Day, but failed to capture public attention.
She did, however, earn the respect of various music moguls, who clambered to help with her sophomore effort. The single American Boy is already racing up the charts thanks to a guest appearance by Kanye West, while Will.I.Am, Wyclef Jean and Mark Ronson also contributed vocal and production talents to the album.
Samples of everyone from Aretha Franklin to Barry White add a final dose of star power to the record and provide a fun game for listeners to play at home - name that song. From the unmistakable beat of I Put a Spell on You to the lyrics of George Michael's Faith, the record is constant stream of musical name-dropping.
At times, the result is magic, such as the insatiably catchy American Boy. At other times, it comes off over-produced and distracting, as on Wait A Minute.
The divine soul pop of Pretty Please and lippy back-chat of Shine confirm Estelle is an outstanding talent in her own right. But with so many producers adding their own flavour, you can't help but yearn for something simpler.
