Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Adele
Label: XL Recordings
Release: 2008
Welsh-rooted Brit Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is one of the singers reviving the once hugely popular singer-songwriter scene in Britain. The album title is the age of the artist when it came out. A carefully thought-out track sequence takes the listener from the intimacy of her voice and acoustic guitar in the opener Daydreamer, through Best For Last, which leans mostly on bass guitar, something Adele handles pretty well, to the breakthrough Chasing Pavements, the song that made her a global name. A London studio orchestra comes fully alive in it, and Adele shows just what kind of spheres her songs can live and breathe in. Her voice glides gently, impulsively, at times sadly over melodies that are miles away from the pretentious hacks cranking out instant hits in the noughties. Producers Mark Ronson, Jim Abiss and Eg White turned the skeletons of the songs into strong, confessional bodies, which give the record a special freshness. Over the past two years every big label has been frantically hunting for its own new Amy Winehouse. The same thing happened with Britney Spears years ago; what comes in five years, we’ll see. Help for A&R people via websites à la myspace is huge, since they no longer hang around clubs and halls but find new talent this way. After Amy we got Duffy, Gabriella Cilmi, Sara Bareilles, Kate Nash and a ton of others, Adele among them. The vocal likeness between Amy, Adele and Duffy is unbelievable. You need a sharp ear and a good memory… Another link between Amy and Adele is producer Ronson, who’s been counted among the best in the business in Britain for the past few years. On 19, Adele leans dreamily toward old-school soul, and the lyrics fit it nicely: full of longing for a closeness that isn’t there, full of sadness over heartbreak, and full of joy at remembering or strolling around her hometown. For 2008, Adele won the Brit Award Critics’ Choice.
The instrumentation is packed with retro gear, and fans of the Hammond and the Fender Rhodes will be thrilled. Adele clearly learned from the greats; a few melodic passages are worthy of an Elton John or a Billy Joel. The latter is indirectly tied to Bob Dylan’s (To) Make You Feel My Love, since he recorded a cover of it years ago, and that’s exactly what Adele did on 19. A gentle, heartfelt, protective ballad for all the lost souls. Adele nailed the essence of it. In the swing-and-blues My Same she lays out her character traits, which are stubbornness, selfishness, but also caution and kindness, and compares them with her friend’s, since it seems that it’s precisely because of their differences that the two can’t make it work. In the end, Adele always finds a way out.
Despite her tender years, this debut has plenty of elements that older and more experienced musicians often can’t work into their own expression.
Lineup
Adele Adkins – vocals, bass guitar
Matt Allchin – guitar
Michael Tighe – guitar
Neil Cowley – piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer
Jason Silver – keyboards
Stuart Zender – bass guitar
Production
Mark Ronson, Jim Abiss & Eg White
Track list
1. Daydreamer
2. Best For Last
3. Chasing Pavements
4. Cold Shoulder
5. Crazy For You
6. Melt My Heart To Stone
7. First Love
8. Right As Rain
9. Make You Feel My Love
10. My Same
11. Tired
12. Hometown Glory
