Yep! Yep!

Been after these little beauties for a little while…I need them in my life!

I don’t think you’re ready for this JELLY….

 

Seven Pounds ain’t got shit on this sucka!

Dream Big-Jazmine Sullivan

Been feeling this girl for a while now, looks like, everyone else is finally beginning to catch on.

My heart goes b-boom boom b-boom boom TAT!

Clowning in Hong Kong

Yes it’s official, I’m in LOVE!!!!!

The Best Cupcakes in London Town!

Beas of Bloomsbury, Theobolds Rd, Holborn sell the best cupcakes you will ever eat in your LIFE!!! I’ve eaten many cupcakes in my time, and trust me, they don’t get much better than this. Make sure you try the red velvet cupcake with marscopone icing(not pictured).

Shine-Estelle

 

OK, so the last time we heard from Estelle Swaray, after arriving onto the mainstream scene with the moderate success of 1980 in 2004,  she subsequently disappeared into obscurity after being dropped from her record label as a result of poor record sales of her debut album The 18th Day. Undeterred, Estelle soldiered on, relocated to New York and was signed by John Legend to his Homeschool label where she began work on her second album Shine.

Boasting a formidable array of producers – Mark Ronson, Will.i.am, Wyclef Jean and Swizz Beats, Shine documents the everyday common details of life and relationships. The joy and pain, the rough and smooth…the stresses, the humour…the general complexities of modern day relationships.

Opening with the Will.i.am produced lead single ‘Wait A Minute (Just A Touch)’, Estelle explodes back onto the scene with her unabashed message of ‘no nonsense’ against a backdrop of rousing horn arrangements and scattered synths on this throwback 1920’s track…’wrap it up, I ain’t carryin’ your embryo’… we find the West Londoner bristling with intent as she issues a stern warning to her lover, the dispatch is clear. Estelle is one not to be messed with!

And so the theme is continued on the Lover’s Rock influenced, ‘No Substitute Love’, ‘Bad gyal nah tek this!’ and the dancehall flavoured ‘Magnificent’, ‘I’ll give it to you swiftly if you start to act a fool’.

Lovers Rock, Reggae, ‘60’s soul and hip-hop are the distinct audible influences throughout which draw obvious comparisons to the great Lauryn Hill…an accolade that Estelle is happy to have, however Estelle’s USP is her ‘British-ness’. Accent aside, the British references and London slang which are littered throughout the album are what make Estelle individual….well, that’s if you push the Floetry comparisons aside.

So, one is left asking one question. Shine-appropriately named?  Well, the impressive calibre of producers, the instant commercial appeal of the Kanye West featured American Boy and the overall battle against record-label adversity that Estelle has gallantly managed to jostle her way through would suggest that it is indeed time for Estelle to shine.

However, assessing the album purely on content alone, one does struggle to see any major global success and longevity past the excellent American Boy. Undeniably, there are some great songs on Shine, the Lover’s Rock inspired ‘Come Over’, the soulful sounding duet with John legend, ‘You Are’ and the Doo-Wop sounding ‘In the Rain’ to name but a few…but, as much as it pains me to say it, Shine does at times sound quite bland and a bit ‘samey-samey’ as one track merges into another. However, the songs that are good are really good and ultimately save this album from being more than mediocre.

Overall, a good effort from Estelle, an indication that there is much more to come from this talented artist.

 

 

 

 

 

A&E-Goldfrapp

Love the organic feel to this song…beautiful!

Gettin Up – Q-Tip

My tune of the moment is Gettin Up by Q-Tip(formerly of A Tribe Called Quest).

This song is COLOSSAL!!!!! Seriously, it creates a sensation of inner-warmth, a feeling often associated with joy and carefree abandonment…a song that takes you back to the era of good old fashioned, authentic hip-hop…a thing  the scene has been lacking for far too long now.

Check out this link and let me know your thoughts!

 

www.myspace.com/qtip

The ‘Black Edition’

So, in reaction to the lack of black models on the catwalk, Vogue Italia has decided to feature black models exclusively in it’s July issue…well almost, you see, the press reports have been misleading to say the least.

Yes, Vogue Italia is dedicating this partcular issue to black models, however, it is not exclusive, instead an 80 page spread.

Hurrah! What a long way we’ve come?…or have we? It’s only taken around 50 years to do it! I find myself questioning Vogue Italia’s motives, after all, the general consensus or rather the propogandistic messages that are being pushed down our throats hold the view that Vogue are not expecting this issue to sell, in fact, they believe that it will be their worst selling issue ever.

I smell a marketing ploy!

What do they take us for? If this was the case, they would not bother to waste their time and produce the issue in the first place! Yes, there are a lack of black models on the catwalk, but as I see it, the lack of designers willing to hire black models is what we should be examining in greater detail, after all, this is not something new. The Naomis, Tyras, Alecs and Jourdannes of this world are common place in the inner cities and suburbs of many countries, but who is willing to give them a chance?!

 

Will this issue of Vogue Italia really change things? The very fact that Vogue feel the need to compartmentalize models of colour and put them in a ’special issue’ kinda defeats the purpose dont you think?

If you really believe in the abilities and worth of black models, put them on the front cover of your magazine more often and hire them for high profile catwalk shows, allow them to be successful in castings and don’t try to limit their progress.

Call me cynical, but it’s going to take a hell of alot more than one ‘Black Edition’ to help the plight of models of colour.

It’s time for the fashion industry to ‘work it’ and in the words of Ms Winehouse, go ‘back to black’.

Creativity Is My Therapy

Have you ever woken up in the morning, immediately questioning your purpose in life?

Looking out of my window, I observe that the sun is having difficulty smiling today…intermittent cloud threatens to mask the smile we all know and love…I’m in search of the silver lining..and it’s as I make this observation, I find myself once again questioning my purpose and making parallels of my life to the weather.

Thinking long and hard, I believe that I know what my purpose is, I just don’t know the full extent of it or the directions I will take in order to achieve it. I guess, this is where faith comes in…I believe, trust me, I believe, but this journey that I’m on is long and difficult. I am fatigued and when I take time to think about it, I haven’t been on the road for very long, so how is this possible?

I’ve encountered a few obstacles this year, in fact, the past year and a half has been one continuous obstacle, but I remain optimistic, clinging onto the philosophy of ‘the appointed time’…everything has it’s season and all that…lol!

I sense a shift beginning to take place, I’m so close to the breakthrough, I can smell it! Relationships have altered for both good and bad, I’m unaware of why exactly things have happened the way they have, but I know that eventually, all will be revealed…or maybe not all, because some things happen in life and we just don’t know why, but some things will be revealed.

I’m intrigued…

I continue to hold on to my personal philosophy…’colour beyond the lines’…I like to consider myself as being somewhat of an individualist. I don’t want to limit myself to the lines and borders. There’s so much out there that I want..no, HAVE to achieve…creativity is my therapy!