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GBSTL EXCLUSIVE: ESTELLE’S ALL OF ME: 6 TRACK BREAKDOWN
It’s been four years since Estelle released an album, and we’ve been waiting, impatiently! Luckily,
Estelle has something to say about it, “I take my time because I feel like, it
affects people’s lives when I talk. It affects peoples lives when you speak and
when you say things. This is something that goes into the universe and it gets
played again, and again, and again and it can’t be wack. It can’t be fake.”
The classy singer held a listening session last night in
NYC, at Open House, to share the first mix of her tracks to her latest release,
All of Me, to a happily antsy
audience. How does a night start off with hors d'oeuvres and
end up with everyone singing Adina Howard's “Freak Like Me!” Only Estelle
can make it happen.
The realities that Estelle presents to the listener on her
latest release All of Me ring true.
In addition to tracks about falling in and out of love, she has a track for
everyone, from loving yourself, to those international travelers with attitude,
to holding in feelings of angst against someone for a long time. Estelle
describes it all, in packaged form. And it’s hot!
Indeed, Estelle has a song for you, and you….and you. Don’t believe
me? Read the GBSTL preview and see which one’s you qualify under below.
--GB/TR*
If you want to bask in
the stardom that is all you, listen to “The
Life.” The reggae-electro up-tempo beat boasts of the life of a star, and
Estelle raps and sings on the track. As an ode to being herself and not caring
what anyone else thinks, she retorts, “That’s me, you can take your opinions of
that and eat cheese!” London talk.
For those jetsetters
who need plane music, or for those with
some old stamped-out passports, the track “International” is a perfect suit. Featuring Chris Brown and Trey
Songz, the track is about “cocky bastards” traveling around the world and
loving every minute of it. You can hear influences to gritty reggae singers (i.e. Mavado) in this song. The track isn’t too quick, supported by a heavy bass about “Uptown
swing, all the way to Beijing!”
If you’ve ever been
holding back your qualms about a person for a long period of time, “Love The Way We Used To” will make you
feel like finally spilling your guts. It’s about a friend who messed up in her
life, and she held what she thought about him for five years. To a doo-wop beat
she shows the progression of what happens when things change, but feelings stay
the same.
If you have lost
something dear, and life seems low, brighten up your day with “Wonderful Life.” “It’s a recession
right now, and there ain’t s*** to smile about, so I have to find some s*** to
smile about,” Estelle says of the track. Piano and uplifting bass are sure to
put sunshine right into your spirit.
Are you a woman who tells
it like it is? Or do you need to? “Speak Ya Mind” is for you. This track is
like an 80’s hip-hop “Da Butt” kind of School Daze feel. Of the track, Estelle
says, “People expect women to just do what everybody says. Speak your mind! Get
up and handle yourselves better!” To the chorus, Estelle sings the melody of Adina
Howard’s, “Freak Like Me.” “All we have to do is speak our minds,” she sings. “We’re
unstoppable. Take what’s mine.”
To all those individuals
who love your unique, eclectic selves, “Do My Thing” is your joint. Estelle had a point where some of her
counterparts were sipping some haterade! “Who do you think you are? You’re a
black girl from the hood. You’re from London!
WTF is that?” she mimicked of the naysayers. But after bringing in songwriter
Ne-Yo to write this song, she was in higher spirits. Janelle Monáe is on the
record, to do only what she can do! The song sports a 50’s sound.
Estelle's album is set to drop on February 28.
*Not the final tracklisting.
GBSTL Artists To Watch 2012
The next 10 OTLC's that I post fall under artists that you probably haven't heard of, but by after listening, you'll be hungry to hear more. These, my friends, are the GBSTL artists to watch for 2012. So get with it, won't you?
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