Shontelle recently told DigitalSpy that she was “living” the heartbreak-filled lyrics of ‘Impossible‘ and it’s safe to presume she’s not alone. A year and a half since the likeable-but-still-slightly-aggravating ‘T-Shirt’ hit the top ten, the Bajan songbird is back with a more mature sound – one that’s already paid off, as this Whitney-sized tale of heartbreak has become her biggest hit yet across the pond.

It’s not tricky to see why, with everyone involved in ‘Impossible’ delivering like they’ve got Sue Sylvester’s protein shake-scented breath warming their necks. Arnthor Birgisson’s Stargate-style production has a very appealingly restrained, Ina Wroldsen’s lyrics are blunt and utterly relatable, and Shontelle gives her strongest vocal performance yet without ever overdoing it. The result? A treat for everyone except the peeps at Greenpeace, who might not approve of a song that requires at least two Kleenex mansize every time you play it.

Impossible is due to release on UK Amazon & iTunes, September 9th.

(rated 5 stars)

Shontelle and her band performed at a ‘Back2College’ concert in Utica (NY) last night, to a sold out audience! The catch about this particular gig was that literally hours afterwards, we received tons of emails from people showing support and say how “amazing” it was.

According to the stories we’ve been getting, she must’ve really put on a good show! The setlist  (in no particular order) was “Licky”, “Say Hello to Goodbye”, “Perfect Nightmare”, “No Gravity”, “DJ Made Me Do It”, “Impossible” – mixed “T-Shirt” with a little bit of “Your Love” by Nicki Minaj and also did a little covers/sing-a-long section with short clips of “Airplanes” , “Rude Boy”, “Love the Way You Lie”, “OMG”, “I Gotta Feelin’”, and “Love is Gone”.

So far we’ve managed to get hold of a great performance clip of SHTG that was sent to us, hopefully more videos from the concert surface soon. Keep checking back for more! But in the mean time, watch the videos below shot from great angles, thanks to the videographer Tone Spliff and Matt Musacchio.

Say Hello To Goodbye (Acoustic Live)

DJ Made Me Do It / No Gravity / Roll It

Below is an extract taken from the Michigan Press review of “Rock The Rapids 2010″

[...] At Tuesday’s “Rock The Rapids” show in Michigan, 6,677+ mostly tweens and teens — who might be solely directing and funding the music industry — crowded the stands to fist pump in dramatic unison to their favorite summer hits.

A sound system that could have been clearer and consistent issues with feedback throughout the evening — which were at their worst during the headliner’s set — would have knocked this review down a notch had it not been for the powerful performance by B.o.B., the hardy pipes of rising R&B beauty Shontelle and the intricate rhymes and varied beats of drummer/rapper duo Chiddy Bang.

The bulk of both B.o.B. and Chiddy Bang’s sets were filled with solid hip-hop tunes anchored with versatility. Of course, the crowd came for their radio-friendly hits featuring catchy, melodic choruses. But the excitement for young people of seeing the faces that match the songs they’ve come to love for a few months kept energy high throughout the entire evening.

Pop/R&B Barbadian newcomer Shontelle, clad in a sparkling, rainbow-colored romper of sorts, was a welcome relief to the male-dominated lineup. Her hits “T-Shirt” and “Impossible” made the set. But for whatever reason, she only sang two additional tunes for a total of a 15-minute set.

I would have taken a longer Shontelle performance and a shortened Baby Bash set, which featured the on-again-off-again reggae/dancehall rapper mostly shouting spare lyrics to loud tracks of his hits, which, granted, are many. [...]

(more photos coming soon!)

Source: MLive / Photo Credit: Adam Bird

ARTIST: SHONTELLE

SINGLE: IMPOSSIBLE (SRP/SRC/Universal Motown)

Barbadian singer Shontelle shines on “Impossible,” giving one of the year’s standout female vocal performances and recalling the poignancy and technical precision of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable.” Shontelle already earned a top 40 entry in 2008 with “T-Shirt,” but this arresting midtempo ballad is now the bigger hit of the two.

The 24-year-old’s vulnerable delivery demands attention when she sings, “Tell them all I know now, shout it from the rooftops/Write it on the skyline/All we had is gone now,” releasing the pain of a broken heart. A gentle piano melody, acoustic guitar line, simple drumbeat and light synth production support a stunning melody co-written by Swedish producer Arnthor Birgisson (Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson) and Norwegian singer-songwriter Ina Wroldsen, who also supplies backing vocals.

The stunning lead single “IMPOSSIBLE” (produced by Arnthor Birgisson) from her upcoming album “No Gravity” is now available on iTunes! The new music video is scheduled to be shot in Los Angeles next week with well known director “TAJ” (Anthony Mandler’s protégé).

Last week IMPOSSIBLE was the 2nd most added of any song impacting radio and received amazing feedback thus far. Just moments after the anticipated release for purchase today, the iTunes “Customer Reviews” were rushing in, now the single currently has a 5 star rating! Please make sure you get it & keep requesting at your local radio stations! We can do this!

CLICK HERE TO GET IT ON iTUNES & AMAZON!

iTUNES MUSIC VIDEO / SINGLE FEATURES (Feb 9th 2010)

Whether it becomes a hit or not, Shontelle’s ‘Battle Cry’ has already secured its place in history. The Barbados-born singer can tell her grandchildren that her music was featured on a Barack Obama compilation album during his successful presidential campaign. Consequently, she’s unlikely to care a jot if it fails to set the charts on fire. However, as one of the strongest tracks from her Shontelligence LP, it’s curious that she’s held back its release for so long.

She may have over-egged things by describing it as a song about all the “drama in the world”, and the lyrics (“All we gotta do is stand up for us!”) certainly won’t be troubling the Ivor Novello judges, but this is still a pretty heart-warming tale of solidarity and friendship. The disposable R&B beats don’t do much to fend off accusations that Shontelle is merely a watered down Rihanna, but there’s enough spirit in her performance to suggest she shouldn’t be written off just yet.

Source: DigitalSpy

SHONTELLE – SHONTELLIGENCE
Many people have compared this new Barbados singer to Rihanna, probably because they have a similar style of music and they are from the same hood. It should be mentioned that Rihanna is no match when compared to Shontelle, vocally. One of the songs “T-Shirt” has already been getting major airplay, making her a good contender in the R&B world. Most of the songs are very reggae-influenced. I look forward to hearing her follow up album as this one has a handful of great tracks.

Source: BizLounge (Music)

There is a new kind of female soul sound. It is really an off-shoot of the old but mellower, less embellished and first made itself felt a year ago. I see it as a combination of Mary J. Blige and Amy Winehouse or of Beyoncé and Buffy. The result is soul but with none of the saccharine sweetness of Motown, remember the Supremes, or the big, hard edged vocals of the later years as in Aguilera. This soul is actually the sort that John Legend makes and among the females, I think that this album best exemplify the evolving genre.

Shontelligence by Shontelle. Rihanna comes from the Barbados in the Caribbean. So an enterprising producer hied off to the place to check if there are more Rihannas down there just waiting to be discovered. And there are. The result of that search was Shontelle, who was studying to be a lawyer when music came calling. And it looks like she will also make it big, thanks to that opening salvo that gave us the ubiquitous T-Shirt.

I think Shontelligence was produced as a mix of R&B and island pop hence some reggae tunes like Life is Not An Easy Road and Roll It are keeping company with T-Shirt and Superwoman. Just take those to the clubs though, because it is in new soul where this girl really excels. Shontelle who is, in fact, an even better singer than Rihanna, has expressive winners in Battle Cry, Cold Cold Summer and Ghetto Lullabye. Focus Pon Me, Plastic People, I Crave You, and Flesh and Bone are the rest of the CD.

Source: PhilStar (Philippines)

- WARMING up the crowd before Beyonce took to the stage was the feisty Shontelle Layne – tagged by one critic as a feminist answer to Rihanna.

Bursting with energy and backed up with a powerful voice and some catchy songs, she certainly got the thousands gathered in the mood to party as she bounced around the stage.

In comparison with what followed it was less about the big production and more about the music – as she went through a set of thought-provoking songs accompanied by her live band.

Source: Sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk

If you were expecting candy floss that sets your teeth on edge after all the hits have been served, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Despite being known primarily for channeling the pop diva through hits like ‘T-shirt’ and ‘Stuck on you’ (featuring Akon) Shontelle has more than a few scraps of intelligence going for her. Once her anthems to ‘love’ and ‘longing’ are over, she gets down to sharing some cool Shontelligence. That she is a Miss with a message is clear.

The underlying thread to her music is about working hard, struggling to make it work and not giving up. These themes made her third hit, ‘Battle Cry’, so appealing it was used in Barack Obama’s Yes We Can campaign. The resulting album placed her amongst music greats like Stevie Wonder and stars like Kanye West.

And what’s not to like about ‘Battle Cry’? It’s about standing up for what you believe, fighting for something you care about – it might be your relationship or your rights as a citizen. Shontelle skips genres like she’s playing musical Double Dutch and this is what makes her album a good listen. She switches from ‘Superwoman’ with its disco vibe and message of female upliftment to ‘Cold Cold Summer’ with its deliciously bluesy and retro funk edge.

Then nods to her Bajan roots with reggae flavored ‘Roll it Gal’ and ‘Life is not an easy road’. The songstress ‘keeps it real’ preferring to be critical of the ‘Nation of the Plastic people’ which is somewhat ironic given her own celeb status, styling and role as a performer. While ‘Naughty’ featuring Beenie Man has that butt wriggling appeal Rihanna is best known for and has club classic written all over it.

If you have stack of CDs you flick over and avoid then this probably won’t be one of them. It snaps, crackles and pops with something for everyone, from the divalicious for those who like Mariah and Beyonce to songs with social messages for those who prefer to ‘Roll with it’ and some dance tracks for those who prefer to shake booty and get ‘Naughty’. Shontelle may have dropped out of anonymity into the female pop galaxy but she could end up being one of its brightest stars.

Source: The Highlighter

After visiting the top ten with ‘T-Shirt‘ earlier this year, it looked as though Shontelle really could follow in the footsteps of her countrywoman Rihanna. However, her debut album Shontelligence has thus far failed to crack the top 100 on either side of the Atlantic, so her record company have sprung into panic mode. Deciding the best option would be to draft in an urban heavyweight to raise her profile, Akon’s services have been utilised and fingers are being kept firmly crossed.

The result is ‘Stuck With Each Other’, a Diane Warren-penned midtempo R&B tune that could just as easily have been recorded by the Rowlands, Sparks and Hudsons of this world. But having stretched the definition of “generic” and “mind-numbing” on recent releases, Akon comes across surprisingly well here, with the pair delivering a strong and mutually complementary vocal performance. There are more inspiring tracks on Shontelle’s album – ‘Roll It’ being a prime example – so let’s hope it’s one big porkie when she tells Akon: “There’s nothing I’d rather do than stick with you forever.”

Source: Digital Spy (UK)

A chronic album that I had not planned to listen to, that of Shontelle. Shontelligence, the title of the album is a pun that I do not understand but whatever. A good album was not the only thing I heard but it was a strong apprehension that made me purchase it. The album contains two rather distinct sides of the R&B/pop singer. The album was released on 18 November 2008 and was reissued on 9 March 2009. My criticism of the normal edition, having never seen the reissue of the album which I thought it was not even released was a good overall description as follows.

T-Shirt: First single from the album, very pleasant, it is a beautiful ballad pop / R & B as we heard at some point before all take a turn to electro is close to what can Ne-Yo provide instrument question, Beat this, not too powerful, acoustic guitar, a beautiful interpretation, opening album of simple but high quality and efficiency very well. I already knew this song and it was thanks to her that I want to buy the album was coming.

Battle Cry: Second and last single from the album, the third being on the reissue. A mid tempo R & B very pleasant, powerful beat of a clear and fresh voice, though rather banal, very pleasant and enjoyable. The comparison with Rihanna will be inevitable, but of course the songs from Shontelle are much less affordable than those of the success Rihanna had at a young age.

Superwoman: Here is the first of the new album, although I knew that T-shirt. A song in chorus is very striking and the “Oh wo wo wo” adds little later costs and easy to remember which is a walking song, the album starts with three well frankly song and hit as many.

Cold Cold Summer: A good instrument to blend in with a nice air of reggae. Shontelle’s voice, is less charismatic but so much more enjoyable. A nice title, the violin makes a difference in the song, once again I am very satisfied with the result.

(Note: This review was translated from French, so it’s English may not be properly structured)

(Thanks ishmarsha!)

(Read more…)

Seventeen Magazine was invited to celebrate summer (and bare legs!) at Veet’s Spray On Soiree on May 7th – and even though it was a chilly night to be celebrating summer in NYC, things quickly heated up once we got inside!

That’s because Shontelle was there enjoying the party and celebrating Veet’s new Spray On Hair Removal Cream. We’ve used Veet before in the past, but this new spray bottle and scraper tool makes it even easier (and not to mention painless) to get rid of unwanted hair.

After much anticipation, Shontelle finally hit the stage to perform all her hits, including “Superwoman,” “Roll It” and “T-Shirt.” Between her awesome performance, we couldn’t stop checking out her super long, silky-smooth legs (C-R-A-Z-Y!).

Think you’ve got better legs than Shontelle? If you want to show off, Veet is currently holding a contest where you can submit a pic of your summer-ready legs to win a trip to Barbados (the Caribbean island that Shontelle and Rihanna are both from)! Visit veet.us/legs for more info and your chance to win!

Source: Seventeen Magazine

The following can be read in this Wednesday’s edition of The Weekender.
—
Surely while growing up in Barbados, neither Shontelle Layne nor Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty pictured how their careers would eventually shake out.

Rewind back to a time when both Bajan teenagers were enrolled as “Cadets”, a young Army program in the country. Rihanna may be the current pop music princess, but at the time the roles were reversed. Shontelle was in charge as a drill sergeant, even at one point ordering Fenty to drop and give her 10.

“It was a whole group, and they were late,” explained Shontelle, who is still friends with the “Umbrella” singer. “As drill sergeant, there are people above me who are expecting me to discipline people who are straggling.”

But Layne insists, the incident was isolated. “Funny enough, Rihanna was a really good cadet. Real good. Super sharp. But that day was just not a good day for her.”

Certainly RiRi’s ups and downs have been well-chronicled since – the latest set of events related to the alleged abuse by R&B singer Chris Brown on the night before the Grammy’s. The Barbados natives have spoken since the incident. “She is doing good,” says Layne. “She’s looking super-fly. I’m really happy.”

Meanwhile, the 23 year-old songstress isn’t doing too bad herself. Shontelle gained global notoriety with her smash hit, “T-Shirt” – which leads off her debut LP, Shontelligence. Turns out there was a specific shirt to ignite the song, and the singer still owns it. But she would not reveal the shirt’s original purchaser.

(Read more…)

In this weeks TV Week Magazine (Australia), Shontelle is featured in the song review section for her single ‘T-Shirt’ and was rated 7/10 – Check out the scan! (Thanks Melissa!)