Review Summary: Adele's sultry and soulful voice in on full display in her latest album 21, which is delightful to listen too.
Being recognized for your first work worldwide is very hard to do. More often than not, needing to release multiple works of art, whether those be paintings, records, or books; the first is hardly ever the most successful. This was also the case for the beautiful London native Adele, with her first album, released in 2008 titled 19, coincidently her age at release. Although there were a few very recognizable songs that made the main stream radio on her first album such as “Chasing Pavements,” “Daydreamer,” “Melt My Heart to Stone,” and “Tired”, Adele really broke into international stardom with the release of her second album appropriately titled 21.
Adele’s album 19 had a very bluesy, pop, and soulful mix that reminds me of Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Christina Perri, and Bruno Mars. I am very careful to say that these albums remind me of the style of these various artists, as to not say that she is in any way in the same pool as them. Adele is such an old soul in a young body in the sense that her style is truly incomparable to any other artists. Having just herself singing, a cappella, with only a piano player in the background is a signature of Adele. She has no fancy dance routines, special beats, or back-up dancers stealing the spotlight from what is most important-- the vocals.
Adele’s second album, 21, was instantly a hit, with the same soulful touch, however one major difference was her seemingly tripled confidence in herself and her stories through her songs. She also has a refined tone that really showcases her vocal range. All of album 21 has a similar connection back to this seemingly horrible and tragic breakup between Adele and her past love. Songs such as, “Set Fire to Rain,” “Someone Like You,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “ Rumor Has It,” “ Turning Tables,” and “One and Only” are all anthems that so many women and men can relate too. Being betrayed, cheated on, and left seemingly alone by a past lover, all have threads in these songs. You can hear the emotion in Adele’s sultry tone and how hurt she is, but also her ‘see you later’ attitude turing her strife in triumph.
Having a similar style to Alanis Morissette in a few songs with ‘hate anthems’ describing how life will go on after betrayal is something that Adele gets across in a civilized, honorable, lady-like fashion. Old school R&B goddess Etta James has had a distinct and very public influence on Adele and her style. James’ “At Last” is eerily influenced in “Someone Like You,” which is a love ballad, about discovering all the qualities you adored in the first person, a second time, without all the heartbreak.
I recommend listening to 21 all the way through, not just selecting the main stream songs, because so much emotion is transmitted through all the songs you really get a treat listening to them all. “Crazy for You” and “First Love” are ballads about hard ship and interconnect to the hits such as “Set Fire to Rain.” If you connect her with twangy artist Shania Twain, deep soulful tracks from Etta James and Aretha Franklin, and love listening to crooner tunes from Bruno Mars, you will hit the mother load listening to the amazing vocal range on Adele’s more mature album 21.
