All of Me (Estelle album)
All of Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 24 February 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2009-2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:42 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Estelle chronology | ||||
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Singles from All of Me | ||||
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All of Me is the third studio album by British rapper and singer Estelle. It was first released on 24 February 2012 in Ireland, 28 February in the United States and 12 March in the United Kingdom.
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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
In 2011, it was announced that "
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.
Estelle said that she wrote "Wonderful Life", in part, to help her appreciate her lot when she got sick of performing "
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.[14] "Speak Ya Mind" finds Estelle singing "I just want them to pull out 'The Miseducation' again," referring to Lauryn Hill's debut album.[9] All of Me also includes a funky Janelle Monáe collaboration called "Do My Thang" and the bouncy "Back to Love".[13] 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."[12] "Wonderful Life" is a positive jam, as Estelle sings about trying to find the simple pleasures of life during a rocky day.[14][15]
Singles
"Break My Heart" was released as the lead single from All of Me, featuring American rapper
"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.[17] The music video for the song was directed by Iren Sheffield and premiered on 18 January 2012 on her YouTube account.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20][21]
"Wonderful Life" was released as the third single from the album in the United States on 14 February 2012.[8]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork Media | (7/10)[25] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
USA Today | [26] |
The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics.
Mark Edward Nero from
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. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Life" |
|
| 3:32 |
11. | "Found My Way..." |
| 0:26 | |
12. | "Back to Love" |
| Duplessis | 3:47 |
13. | "Blue Skies" |
| 0:20 | |
14. | "Speak Ya Mind" |
| Tha Bizness | 4:28 |
15. | "Do My Thing" (featuring Janelle Monáe) |
| 3:28 |
| 3:41 | |||
19. | "Thank You" (music video) | 4:47 |
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
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Ireland | 24 February 2012[34] | CD, digital download | Warner Records, Atlantic Records |
United States | 28 February 2012[35] | ||
United Kingdom | 12 March 2012[3] |
References
- ^ a b c Wappler, Margareth (27 February 2012). "Album review: Estelle's 'All of Me'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "All of Me by Estelle: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk. 2012.
- ^ a b "iTunes – Music – All of Me (Deluxe Version) by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ HMV Digital. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "Estelle Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "All of Me – Estelle | Billboard.com". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ^ a b "iTunes – Music – Wonderful Life – Single by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Caramanica, Jon (28 February 2012). "New Albums From Estelle, Lambchop and Matthew Shipp Trio". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b Godfrey, Sarah (24 February 2012). "Music review: Estelle at the Birchmere". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Dolan, Jon (28 February 2012). "All of Me | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ About.com. Archived from the originalon 7 May 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Levine, Nick (27 February 2012). "BBC – Music – Review of Estelle – All of Me". BBC Music. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Landrum, Jonathan (27 February 2012). "Review: Estelle Thrives With Solid 'All of Me'". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Rahman, Rey (24 February 2012). "All of Me review - Estelle Review | Music Reviews and News | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Estelle | Videos – Estelle". Estellemusic.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Thank You – Single by Estelle". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Estelle – Thank You [Official Video]". Estelle Online. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Estelle Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Estelle – Back to Love (Official Video)". Estelle Online. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Estelle 'Back To Love' (New Video) – MOBO Awards". MOBO Awards. Mobo.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ CBS Interactive. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy (28 February 2012). "Estelle – All of Me – Estelle | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- Paste Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (28 February 2012). "Listen Up: Estelle, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Chiddy Bang". USA Today. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Rap-Up.com | | Review Roundup: Estelle – 'All of Me'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015.
- ^ [1] ARIA Report 1149. Retrieved 25 March 2012
- ^ "Estelle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Estelle Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - All of Me by Estelle". iTunes.
- ^ "Estelle All of Me {search}: Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 November 2012.