I enjoyed Sharif Iman’s Shine. I found his music reflects a lot of different musical genre mixed into one. You can tell he was influenced by some of the great musicians of our time from country to rock and roll.
Sharif has an amazing voice that is soothing and cool. His fun rhythm and beat along with his poetic songs makes you want to bop your head as you listen to his songs.
His songs are uplifting and all have inspirational messages that are truly motivating and uplifting. There are 13 songs on this CD.
Feel Me is the first song on the album and a great way to start. It begins with an electric sound that goes into a steady rock beat adding some jazz-fusion into the mix.
The next song, Let It Go, starts off with a guitar and piano interlude before Sharif comes in with his strong words. The song is about letting go of the pain and misery that you once may have had. He sings, “walk away from everything that brings you down and don’t look back.” All too often we hold negative feelings inside and Sharif is telling his listeners to let them go and lead a positive life.
Shine, the title of his album and third song on the CD, is also uplifting. The song is about how Sharif has worked long and hard to shine and that he knows that one day he will shine all over the world. The tune is so catchy that by the end of it, I was singing along with the chorus.
The weakest song on the album is Release Me. Although it was just as poetic as the other songs, I didn’t like the beat or the melody.
Sharif goes country on Tennessee, where he finger picks his guitar and then comes in with a banjo. I liked this song because of the harmonies. It just felt fun to hear.
On one of the songs, Love You ‘Till, violins, horns, piano make up the composition. It has a smooth jazzy feel to it. It’s a sentimental song that really shows off Sharif’s strong vocals.
Three of the songs on the album are places, including New York, Tennessee and Santa Monica. Most of the songs are about love; I thought the titles could have been a little more creative and compelling.
One song that I felt was the strongest rock/pop song was That Girl. All I wanted to do was dance.
Wake Up is a strong song to end the album. It doesn’t have a strong beat like the rest of the album but it projects a strong message, which is reflected in the entire album. He wants his listeners to wake up from the daze that they are in and focus on the “now.”
I enjoyed this album. I particularly liked the first three songs. All his songs rhyme, had inspirational messages and a strong steady beat. What else do you want in an album?
Article first published as Music Review: Sharif Iman – Shine on Blogcritics.
