When a teen breaks into the music industry these days, it isn’t generally because of her musical talent. Adele did just that with the release of her album 19. (The album title represents her age at the time of its production.) 19 was produced after the singer’s break-up with an unnamed partner, and delves into the emotions involved with the break-up.
Two years later, Adele is back with the release of her second album, 21. Again, the title reflects her age at the time of its production. Again, it was produced after the singer endured a major break-up. And again, it captivated listeners worldwide, but this time even more than before.
The album starter, which was also the lead single, is “Rolling in the Deep.” It’s a dark and bluesy tune to which you can’t help but stomp your foot as Adele belts out the verses. “Rumour Has It” appropriately follows, with a quicker beat, and a whole lot of sass from Adele, but quickly turns over to “Turning Tables,” a beautiful piano ballad. Then, anyone who has gone through heartbreak can relate to “Don’t You Remember.” Next is “Set Fire to the Rain,” the third single of the album, which has more of a pop feel than the rest of the songs, which is perhaps what makes it so catchy. Adele shows no evidence of letting up, showing as much soul in the second half of the album as the first. “Take it All” allows Adele to show off her uncanny ability to keep us captivated without more accompaniment than a piano and choir. She brings back the band for “I’ll be Waiting,” a piece that brings up the tempo again, before it slows down for the finale, “Someone Like You.” Adele truly saves the best for last on this album. In “Someone Like You,” Adele tells listeners how she comes to terms with the end of the relationship she had. Her evident anguish is sad, but beautifully portrayed.
It has been said that Adele is a gem in the modern music industry, that her voice is refreshing and clean, and that her emotion is raw in her performance. I quite agree with all of these statements. Adele knows how to tap into her emotion and use it to add a new dimension to music. What I do wonder is if we will ever see the other side of Adele. Will we have to wait for another relationship and a break-up to hear more of her music? Or if she does find happiness, will she be able to sing about it with the same power as she sings about revenge, heartbreak, anger, and forgiveness? I can’t wait to find out.
Adele’s 19 was strong. 21 is simply timeless. In the past two years, Adele has refined and reinvented her unique sound that always puts her aching yet powerful vocals and lyrics at the forefront. These are songs that could have been released in the 60s as easily as 30 years from now. Adele has injected her trademark piano ballads with the best from several different musical genres including Americana roots and country, r&b, blues and gospel. The music is exciting and simply is. It lives, breathes. I played a couple songs for my mom, who at forty years older than I, generally criticizes my music taste, and the first thing she said was “Wow, this girl really knows how to write a story–those songs are beautiful.”
Sara