Music From the Diaspora: Estelle's "Shine" Preview

Friday night, I was lucky enough to cop a ticket to see UK singer Estelle in Detroit. Her two current singles, “Wait a Minute” & “American Boy” get me dancing big time so I was hoping for a lot of fun & boy did I get it (but first I had to plot to get my camera up in that bitch).

So after happy hour at the Centaur with Cousin Dee, we headed for dinner @ Union Street where the food is awesome but the service is horrible.

After a delicious meal, we headed back downtown hoping to miss Estelle's opening act & luckily we did! I will not name any names but her MC/opening act sucks & he happens to be a social acquaintance. He always asks me how I like his work, I'm always like, man it's great. I really wanna tell him to get a full time job & give it up but who am I???

It's now 1030 & Estelle is actually going on & what a relief that was because some of the smaller concerts in Detroit, start late as hell, which is very aggravating. I mean, you say the show starts @ 9 but the main act does not hit the stage until 11 or midnight; WTF!!!

Anyway, Estelle hits the stage & turns it out from start to finish! Her energy level was so hype, that I know I missed some good shots because I was busy shaking my ass. Her band & background singers were icing on the cake. The crowd mos def helped to liven the atmosphere because the house was feeling her & letting her know.

After the set I got to chill with Estelle & crew, which was very nice. She is a grounded, approachable & genuine person. It's so fun talking shit with with people whose art you admire & I talked a lot of shit.

If you have been following her recently, you know her album "Shine" does not drop in 4/29/08 &I will be picking it up vs. iTuning it.

A Little About Estelle:

She may be a born-and-raised West London girl, but we’d venture that 28-year-old Estelle Swaray is right at home in the energy of New York, her newly adopted city. She’s got the self-determination with a bit of swagger. The get-up-and-go hustle. And this is one singer/songwriter/producer/rapper who is not afraid to take risks.

The brief period since moving to NYC from London in May 2007 has been an absolute whirlwind, as Estelle gears up for her re-entry into the musical landscape with Shine, her second album. She’s the first artist to release under John Legend’s new Homeschool label, in partnership with Atlantic Records. It’s her debut on a major label, and an American one at that, but with Homeschool’s philosophy of artist control and good soul music, her affiliation with the label is at the essence of what she’s all about.

Whereas her 2004 debut album, The 18th Day from V2 Records, was totally self-created, Shine marks the first time Estelle has brought other producers and artists into the creative process with her, and she’s excited by the scope of the music that has come out of these collaborations. Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Cee-lo & Jack Splash all lend talents to the album, executive produced by John Legend.

"Her sound is a unique blend of hip hop, pop, reggae and soul,” explains Legend. “She has a special voice, unlike any other voice out there in mainstream music, and she can really write. She writes hip lyrics with unforgettable melodies. I recognized that in her when I first worked with her in 2004." He continues, "I'm excited and honored to have Estelle as the first artist on my label, Homeschool Records. I believe the world is going to fall in love with her album, as I already have. Estelle is an amazing talent, and she's going to do big things." (Read More Here)

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Back to Me:

Cousin Dee & I had a great time on our 1st official "cousin date" this year. We joked & wondered how long it would be before we could top the fun we had.