Adele burst onto the scene in 2008 at the age of 19 with her first album, “19.” For her debut album, she was awarded a Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Now, three years later, her sophomore release, “21,” shows a much more mature album by the British pop-soul artist. While her first album didn’t seem all that consistent, jumping from catchy pop to jazzy soul to passionate piano ballads, this new album has a much more solid feel to it. “21’s” songs are varied in the same way as “19’s,” but the transitions don’t seem as jarring, showing the album’s top-notch production values.
After the release of her first album, Adele was being compared to Amy Winehouse — and not without reason. Both artists have a similar style, and both received a Grammy for Best New Artist. But hopefully, Adele will be completely rid of those comparisons with “21.” While Winehouse’s music lacked substance and lasting appeal, Adele’s music has a timeless quality and a depth that Winehouse’s music is missing.
Adele masters singles
If there’s one thing that “19” taught us, it’s that Adele knows how to write a single. The hook in her 2008 single, “Chasing Pavements,” was incredibly well written, and she doesn’t disappoint with the main single from “21.” “Rolling in the Deep” begins the album with a rockin’ song that Adele herself described on her website as a “dark blues-y gospel disco tune.” The hook in this song isn’t as perfectly orchestrated as the one in “Chasing Pavements” — but nevertheless, it’s a perfect radio song.
The fifth track on the album stands out as one of the best. “Set Fire to the Rain” has a melody that will be stuck in your head for weeks, and the reverb on Adele’s vocals is perfectly subtle. Adele’s use of strings on this album is spot on. Most pop songs that have a string accompaniment end up sounding cheesy and contrived, but Adele really seems to know what she’s doing, overcoming the temptation to abuse the instrument.
Writing from the heart
“21’s” overarching theme is attempting to get over an unrequited love. Adele wrote the songs after breaking up with her first true love. Lyrically, the album is much less frivolous than “19,” and she seems to have put more of her heart and soul into the writing of this album.
Her second single, and final song on the album, “Someone Like You,” is a mournful piano ballad, where her incredibly rich and passionate voice shines brightest. The piano is mixed lower than expected, and her lovely voice carries most of the song. The lyrics are passionate and intense: “I had hoped you’d see my face/And that you’d be reminded that for me it isn’t over.” She sings them like someone who truly feels the lyrics, and the song nearly brought me to tears when I first heard it.
Timeless and unforgetable
Adele is one of the rare pop artists that sells incredibly well and is actually good. She became the first artist since The Beatles to simultaneously have two albums in the top five and two singles in the top five, according to the Official Charts Company. Adele has proved that you don’t need auto tuning, guest verses by famous rappers or persistent electronic beats to make a radio hit, and this gives a renewed hope for the future of pop music. This isn’t to say that the Lady Gagas and Katy Perrys of the world don’t write solid songs. It’s just that Adele is an artist whose music will not soon be forgotten. Even after the world forgets about Bruno Mars and Glee, Adele will still be remembered as a pop artist who transcended the need to be catchy for the sake of being catchy.
