Est'elle:
The 18th Day

Release Date: 18 October 2004

Reviewed By: Samantha Watson

1. 1980

2. Don't Talk

3. Dance Bitch

4. Change Is Coming

5. Go Gone

6. Free - feat, Megaman

7. I Wanna Love You

8. Maybe

9. Crazy

10. Hey Girl - feat, John Legend, Baby Blue

11. All Over Again - feat, Royston

12. Dance With Me

13. On and On

14. I'm Gonna Win

Nelly - Sweat
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After Est’elle dropped ‘Da Heat Pt.2 Mixtape’, everyone was wondering when she would drop a full album. So finally Est’elle has released ‘The 18th Day’. The 18th has a number of coincidences, not only the day of the album release and title of Est’elle’s album, it is also the day she was born.

‘The 18th Day’ is like a story tale of Est’elle’s life from tracks such as ‘1980’, ‘I’m Gonna Win’ and ‘Hey Girl’. She talks about growing up, the things she’s seen and the people she’s met in life; her past and her present love, and basically an overall feeling of success, despite the people who doubted her.

For those who have bought her previous sets of ‘Da Heat Mixtapes’ you will like tracks such as ‘Change Is Coming’, ‘Hey Girl’ and ‘Maybe’. On ‘Change Is Coming’ you will hear her spit social lyrics like: “Stand up and be counted/ You need to keep your head from out of mountains/ This for all my people in council housing/ Designed to keep you in debt/ Hustling to pay your rent.” ‘Maybe’ and ‘Crazy’ are contemporary slow ballads, but the tracks ‘Go Gone’ and ‘Free’ have a more ‘70s and ‘80s upbeat feel.

Est’elle is now a well recognised face in the widely used term the “Urban Music Scene” in mainstream music, as well as in her roots underground. This album has brought her to the mainstream with tracks like ‘1980’ and ‘Free’. The video for ‘Free’ features a host of artists in the UK, from Beverley Knight, Terri Walker, Jamie Scott, Ty, Lemar and others. The video uses a Malcolm X theme which sees Est’elle on a pulpit spitting thoughtful lyrics. The remix sees her in a duet with John Legend, one of the most promising artists coming through the US right now, (many will remember him on the track ‘Jesus Walks’ with Kanye West).

On the album she brings through emerging rapper Baby Blue on the track ‘Hey Girl’ with John Legend. This is a good song, although it didn’t really fit Baby Blue’s style of flow, and she is better on the track ‘Don’t Talk’. Nevertheless, it is a good start for the rising star. The track ‘All Over Again’ is another fine track, but it is slightly let down by Royston, whose vocals were not as strong as they could have been. However, the track did finish off nicely.

‘The 18th Day’ has something for everyone, especially if you want to hear diversity in vocals, and raps with thought-stopping lyrics, which she skilfully combines. The production throughout the album was good and consistent which fused well with her vocals. This is a good album for Est’elle; it will be interesting to see how she progresses in the future.

Rating: 3.5 Out of 5

Top 3 Tracks:
4)Change Is Coming
8)Maybe
10)Hey Girl

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