All of Me (Estelle album)

All of Me is the third studio album by English R&B recording artist and producer Estelle. It was first released on 24 February 2012 in Ireland, 28 February in the United States and 12 March in the United Kingdom.

All of Me
Studio album by
Estelle
Released24 February 2012 (2012-02-24)
Recorded2009–12
GenreR&B, hip hop, soul
Length41:42
LabelWarner Music, Atlantic, Homeschool
ProducerDon Cannon, Jerry "Wonder" Duplessis, Carvin & Ivan, Ne-Yo , Wizzy Wow
Estelle chronology
Shine
(2008)		 All of Me
(2012)		 True Romance
(2015)
Singles from All of Me
  1. "Break My Heart"
    Released: 26 April 2011
  2. "Thank You"
    Released: 4 October 2011
  3. "Back to Love"
    Released: 4 December 2011
  4. "Wonderful Life"
    Released: 14 February 2012

Background

Estelle confirmed her third album would be entitled All of Me in 2009. The album was originally led by the single "Freak" featuring Kardinal Offishall and produced by David Guetta. The video premiered on her website on 26 February 2010.[1] The original second single from the album was announced as being "Fall in Love", which featured versions featuring Nas and John Legend. Due to the underperformance of both "Freak" and "Fall in Love", both songs were ultimately left off the final track listing for All of Me.[2] However, "Freak" was featured on both the Step Up 3D soundtrack and the reissue of David Guetta's album One Love, entitled One More Love. In the US, both "Freak" and "Fall in Love" featured on the iTunes digital deluxe edition of the album.[3]

In 2011, it was announced that "Break My Heart", featuring Rick Ross would be released as the new lead single from All of Me. It was released on 26 April 2011[4] and sent to US urban radio stations on 17 May 2011. The song peaked at number 33 on the U.S. Hip-Hop/R&B, the week of 2 July 2011.[5] The following week the song rose to 37.[6] Dual second singles were released in the US and UK. In the US, the second single was announced as being "Thank You" whereas "Back to Love" (not to be confused with "Back in Love" from Shine) was issued in the UK. "Wonderful Life" was released as the third single from the album in the United States on 14 February 2012.[7]

Composition

Songs and lyrics

The series of skits that weave through All of Me involve a loose, wide-ranging conversation among several friends about relationships, education, family, careers and more.[8] According to Jon Caramanica from The New York Times, "even with the light soul-jazz in the background (produced in part by Questlove of The Roots), they have the feeling of intimate home recordings, modest and almost accidental."[8]

Estelle said that she wrote "Wonderful Life", in part, to help her appreciate her lot when she got sick of performing "American Boy".[9] "Speak Ya Mind" is a self-affirming boom-bap,[10] while "Break My Heart" featuring Rick Ross and produced by Don Cannon, is a modern hip-hop soul.[9] On the song, Ross glides smoothly over the beat, while Estelle sings about how she's unsure about committing to a new man because she just got out of a relationship and doesn't want to get hurt again. "I just wanna love you baby, I don't wanna waste no time," she sings. "I wanna be your only one baby, please don't break my heart."[11] The song "International (Serious)" featuring Chris Brown and Trey Songz is about Estelle's living the life as an international jet-setter.[12] The clunky, apocalyptic track finds her dipping into patois, while the guests Brown and Songz get to dabble in rapping.[8] "Cold Crush" is a slice of 1983-style R&B, all drum-machine snares and synthetic guitars.[8]

She bounces back-and-forth from rapping and singing on "Speak Ya Mind" and "The Life", informing listeners that she hasn't missed a step since her last album a few years ago.[13] "Speak Ya Mind" finds Estelle singing "I just want them to pull out ‘The Miseducation’ again," referring to Lauryn Hill's debut album.[8] All of Me also includes a funky Janelle Monáe collaboration called "Do My Thang" and the bouncy "Back to Love".[12] The fast-paced track "Do My Thang", which is an ode to individuality and uniqueness, also works as a girl power anthem, with each singer strongly declaring her independence: "You don't know where I'm going and so you think I'm lost, I ain't on your page, okay, so to you that means I'm off," Estelle sings, before Janelle chimes in with the line: "When I dance, I dance to the beat of a drummer you don't hear and can't see ... the problem must be you, and not me."[11] "Wonderful Life" is a positive jam, as Estelle sings about trying to find the simple pleasures of life during a rocky day.[13][14]

Singles

"Break My Heart" was released as the lead single from All of Me, featuring American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on 26 April 2011[4] and sent to US urban radio stations on 17 May 2011. The video was shot in L.A, Malibu and was directed by Iren Brown.[15] The song peaked at 33 on U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

"Thank You" was released as the second single from the album. The R&B ballad was written by the American hip-hop singer Akon and was produced by Jerry Wonda. It was released in the United States on 4 October 2011.[16] The music video for the song was directed by Iren Sheffield and premiered on 18 January 2012 on her YouTube account.[17] The video tells a story of love lost. It has charted on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and it's already her most successful single on the R&B chart.[18] It also debuted at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Back to Love" was released as the second UK single from her third studio album All of Me. It was released in the UK on 4 December 2011. The music video for the song and premiered on 21 October 2011 on her YouTube account. The video depicts Estelle and her former flame saying goodbye to their relationship. The couple are packing their belongings and looking through old photographs in preparation for moving out of the apartment they shared together. Though she relates that their relationship has changed and cannot be fixed, there are no hard feelings and she is ready to love someone else again.[19][20]

"Wonderful Life" was released as the third single from the album in the United States on 14 February 2012.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(70/100)[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[11]
AllMusic[22]
Associated Presspositive[13]
BBC Musicmixed[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[14]
Los Angeles Times[23]
The New York Timesmixed[8]
Paste Magazine(6.9/10)[24]
Pitchfork Media(7/10)[25]
Rolling Stone[10]
USA Today[26]

The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics.[27] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 given to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, based on 6 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[21] Ray Rahman from Entertainment Weekly gave to the album a "B+" rating, writing that the album has "feel-good soul-pop, melodic grrrl-power rhymes, and lush love songs that make even gruff guest Rick Ross sound like a romantic."[14] Another positive came from Associated Press editor Jonathan Landrum, who wrote that the album " is a solid piece of work, and she proves that her "all" is more than enough."[13] Margaret Wappler from the Los Angeles Times gave to the album 3 out of 5 stars, stating that "By the fourth track, Estelle sounds like Lily Allen at her most docile. But the real model for 'All of Me' isn't her fellow Londoner; it's Lauryn Hill, who married soul, dance hall-laced hip-hop and the most doo-wop strains of R&B on her landmark 1998 album. Estelle can trade in any of these formats too but she's not as rawly charismatic as Hill."[23] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone gave to the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote that "Co-writer John Legend and guests like Rick Ross and Janelle Monáe help Estelle construct a multifaceted album – from the resilient post-breakup neo-soul of "Thank You" to the self-affirming boom-bap of "Speak Ya Mind."[10] Elysa Gardner from USA Today was largely positive, giving to the album 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing that the album " is full of catchy melodies, effervescent grooves and positive (but not preachy) messages, all delivered in a sunny, fluid voice that assures us that spring is just around the corner, literally and figuratively."[26]

Mark Edward Nero from About.com wrote that the album "is a smart, energetic collection of songs, mostly revolving around love and relationships. Although her new album doesn't quite have the eclectic, international flavour that made her last album so great, it's still a solid, enjoyable listen."[11] AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave to the album 3 stars out of possible 5, writing that "the appearances from Chris Brown and Trey Songz may qualify as the least necessary collaborations of 2012" and that Do My Thing "won't get nearly as much attention."[22] A mixed review came from BBC Music editor Nick Levine, who thought that "The lack of standout hits here is disappointing, but All of Me's Achilles heel is its conversational interludes. They're not just dated and gratuitous, but also a knock-off from another record."[12] Jon Caramanica wrote a mixed review for The New York Times, analysing that the album did not "shows Estelle’s true potential" and that it " finds Estelle trying on familiar poses, or unfamiliar ones that vex."[8]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number twenty-eight, becoming her best debut on the Billboard 200 chart, with her previous album Shine debuting at number thirty-eight.[28] It sold 15,200 copies in the first week.[28] The album has sold 77,000 copies in the US as of February 2015.[29]

It is her first album not to chart in her home country of the UK.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Life"
3:28
2."International (Serious)" (featuring Chris Brown and Trey Songz)
Banner3:56
3."You and I"
 0:38
4."Love the Way We Used To"
  • Sean Marshall
  • Gary "Kadis" Spriggs
  • Swaray
Kadis & Sean3:33
5."Cold Crush"
Book & Bronze3:18
6."Don't Break It"
  • Angry
  • Thompson
  • Harris
 1:17
7."Break My Heart" (featuring Rick Ross)
  • Don Cannon
  • Vincent Montana, Jr.
  • William Roberts
  • Stephens
  • Swaray
Cannon4:17
8."Thank You"
  • Duplessis
  • Altino
4:12
9."Who We Are"
  • Angry
  • Thompson
 1:02
10."Wonderful Life"
  • Duplessis
  • Altino
3:32
11."Found My Way..."
  • Angry
  • Thompson
 0:26
12."Back to Love"
Duplessis3:47
13."Blue Skies"
  • Angry
  • Thompson
 0:20
14."Speak Ya Mind"
Tha Bizness4:28
15."Do My Thing" (featuring Janelle Monáe)
  • Tyler Reynolds
  • Shaffer Smith
  • Miykal Snoddy
  • Warren Zavala
  • Ne-Yo
  • Reynolds
  • Zavala
  • Snoddy
3:28
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."All Day Long (Blue Skies)"
  • Avriele Crandle
  • Irving Berlin
  • Swaray
 3:45
17."Fall in Love" (featuring John Legend and Nas)
  • Swaray
  • Nasir Jones
  • Stephens
  • Tiyon "TC" Mack
  • Le'Che Martin
  • Chad "C-Note" Roper
DJ Frank E3:48
18."Freak" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)
3:41
19."Thank You" (music video)  4:47

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label
Ireland 24 February 2012[34] CD, digital download Warner Records, Atlantic Records
United States 28 February 2012[35]
United Kingdom 12 March 2012[2]
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References
  1. "Music Video: Estelle ft Kardinal Offishall – Freak – TheNext2Shine:Exclusive RNB Music Downloads". Blog.thenext2shine.com. 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  2. "All Of Me by Estelle: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk.
  3. "iTunes – Music – All of Me (Deluxe Version) by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  4. "hmvdigital UK – Break My Heart by Estelle". HMV Digital. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  5. "Estelle Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  6. "All of Me – Estelle | Billboard.com". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  7. "iTunes – Music – Wonderful Life – Single by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  8. Caramanica, Jon (28 February 2012). "New Albums From Estelle, Lambchop and Matthew Shipp Trio". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  9. Godfrey, Sarah (24 February 2012). "Music review: Estelle at the Birchmere". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  10. Dolan, Jon (28 February 2012). "All of Me | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  11. Nero, Mark Edward (28 February 2012). "Estelle – All of Me". About.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  12. Levine, Nick (27 February 2012). "BBC – Music – Review of Estelle – All of Me". BBC Music. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  13. Landrum, Jonathan (27 February 2012). "Review: Estelle Thrives With Solid 'All of Me'". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  14. Rahman, Rey (24 February 2012). "All of Me review - Estelle Review | Music Reviews and News | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  15. "Estelle | Videos – Estelle". Estellemusic.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  16. "iTunes – Music – Thank You – Single by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  17. "Estelle – Thank You [Official Video]". Estelle Online. YouTube. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  18. "Estelle Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  19. "Estelle – Back to Love (Official Video)". Estelle Online. YouTube. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  20. "Estelle 'Back To Love' (New Video) – MOBO Awards". MOBO Awards. Mobo.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  21. "All of Me (2012): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  22. Kellman, Andy (28 February 2012). "Estelle – All of Me – Estelle | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  23. Wappler, Margareth (27 February 2012). "Album review: Estelle's 'All of Me'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  24. Weiss, Dan. "Estelle: All of Me". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  25. Colly, Joe (6 March 2012). "Estelle: All of Me Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  26. Gardner, Elysa (28 February 2012). "Listen Up: Estelle, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Chiddy Bang". USA Today. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  27. "Rap-Up.com | | Review Roundup: Estelle – 'All of Me'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  28. Langhorne, Cyrus (7 March 2012). "Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius Make Magic at No.3, Tyga's Fierce in Top 10, Maino, Estelle, Ja Rule & Too Short Invade the Chart | Sohh.com". Sohh.com. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  29. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015.
  30. ARIA Report 1149. Retrieved 25 March 2012
  31. "Estelle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  32. "Estelle Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  33. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  34. "iTunes - Music - All of Me by Estelle". iTunes.
  35. "Estelle All Of Me {search}: Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
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