Estelle Live Review

Im home! shouts a teary-eyed Estelle after opening her set at Shepherds Bush Empire with Wait A Minute (Just A Touch). Watch Wait A Minute And indeed she is after touring and promoting her new material around the world- mostly with mentor John Legend. Busting out of a sparkling black dress the UK success story has learnt a lot from the yanks in the past couple of years. Tonights show has an impressive R&B/pop sheen with large band, dancers, an interval and a costume change. Tracks on her Shine album are produced by Will.I.Am, Swizz Beats and Wyclef Jean while Kanye West guests. Somehow it isnt a producers album though and Estelles own (often very English) voice and lyrics, er, Shine through. Its so good its comparable to the 1998's classic The Misseducation Of Tonight the London gal is particularly Lauryn Hill- like on the sweet soul of Come Over annd the best song from her latest album- Pretty Please- somehow does not miss guest Cee Los amazing lungs. Estelle also reminds us that she deserves recent success by playing near forgotten classics 1980 and Free- which has a honourable message. The in between banter at times gets a bit long but when pulling a male fan out the audience she is very funny. The audience of course erupts for final song American Boy- with its pumping house production and wide eyed tales of hitting America. Watch American Boy Which touches on another Estelle strong point- there are no forlorn tales of Bleeding Love or Chasing Pavements from her just positivity even in negative situations. Before blasting through another female empowerment anthem she announces: Im motherf**king magnificent. And after such a polished gig shes not wrong either.