Essel, talented soulful chanteuse and sister of Seedless frontman Matt Liufau, has recently debuted her second single “Make Me Shine”, following her inaugural recording “Stay” in March 2014. Although having only two tracks to her name, Essel has accumulated more than an impressive amount of performances alongside reggae big names such as J Boog, Collie Buddz, Fiji and more.
Essel’s impassioned melodies consistently enchant her audiences
Essel got acclimated to showcasing her talents to large groups of people by singing in her local church choir throughout her childhood and adolescence. Now working as a back-up vocalist for Justin ‘Kawika’ Young, Seedless and Common Kings, Essel’s impassioned melodies consistently enchant her audiences – even if they aren’t necessarily hers. Fortunately, Essel is transitioning to promote her own voice as a solo artist, with an expanding fan-base and a large quantity of reggae companions to lend a helping hand along the way.
And for a second single, “Make Me Shine” is far from amateur! The track was recorded and mixed at the award-winning 17th Street Recording Studio by two of Essel’s OG homies: brothers Jered and Corey Draskovich of Fortunate Youth. Essel makes the track overly delightful, utilizing her wide vocal range to emulate the blissful sense of security that only love can bring. And the FY boys do their fair share of adding little gems, such as their signature bubble organ and heavy reverberating bassline. Essel harmonizes against herself in the chorus and the end result is something so beautiful that you would think that she is an artist featured on MTV – at the very least. Regardless if a full-length album is the ultimate goal, one can bet that Essel is about to “shine brighter than diamonds” if she continues to produce tracks of this caliber.
Download “Make Me Shine” from
Released September 4, 2015
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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