Estelle - All Of Me
Artist: Estelle
Album: All of Me
Label: Atlantic Records
OUT NOW
Rating: 3.5/5
It’s been four years since the last Estelle album and in that time she has been honing her skills on the live circuit.
This week sees her return with her new record All Of Me, a collection of fifteen new songs that demonstrate that Estelle has grown not only as a singer but also a song writer.
This album also shows off the many sides of this very versatile artist from poppy upbeat number such as The Life to more soulful ballads such as Break My Heart.
The Life is the first track on the album and it mixes the singing and rapping style that she is so famous for.
International sees her team up with Chris Brown, the pair also penned the track, and there is a real mix of styles on this track from R&B to reggae as well as a punch bass beat - and all of these sounds really do come together perfectly.
But it’s not about these heavy R&B beats as she shows a really tender side to not only her song-writing but also to her vocals.
With tracks such as Thank You she tackles subjects of love and heartbreak, but also how she picks herself up and carries on.
There is a realness and a rawness to this album and this comes from Estelle recording no matter her mood or frame of mind - admitting to me in an interview that even when she was struggling emotionally she ploughed on with recording the album.
And I think that that emotion and that drive is evident in almost all of these tracks and you really feel like she has poured her heart and soul into the writing and recording of this album.
And Estelle’s song-writing has also progressed over the years and there really is a more adult feel to the tracks on this record as she writes about complicated adult relationships and the ups and down and emotions that go hand in hand.
However the album isn’t without its flaws as it really does lack that stand out track - there’s nothing wrong with the songs on there but you really do feel that it is just missing the song that would define the album.
Also there are a handful of spoken interludes dotted throughout the album that sees Estelle’s friends discuss life, love and careers - they just don’t work for me and it’s almost as if they break up the momentum of the album.
All Of Me it the most personal album that Estelle has delivered to date, you only have to listen to the lyrics to realise just how emotionally invested she is in this record.
The songs have been mixed and produced to show off the real strengths of Estelle’s voice and she really does show the versatility of her vocals throughout.
Estelle - All Of Me is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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