Flushing aside the 10000 of female singer-songwriters on the market at the moment, Adele could be something special. As it stands she enters the marketplace searching for the element of uniqueness among the saturation and therefore seems to have more to rise. Her debut album '19' goes a long way towards stamping her musical talent on the populace awareness.
From the outset we can feel a gutsy, angst-ridden vibe from the young isaac Merrit Singer, infusing her music with a brash, funky genial of lady friend power (for want of a better phrase), reinforced around the strength of the distaff voice - gravelly and coarse, hence setting her in a different square bracket to the aforementioned embarrassment of female talent currently championing the charts.
While her debut chart-topping unmarried 'Chasing Pavements' is a great tricky pop birdsong, it is on the more simplistic and bare tracks that Adele's outspoken range is really plain. The adolescent singer whole kit and boodle a range of medicine styles hither from the blues-inflections of 'Crazy for You' to the stripped-back 'First Love', creating a sound that is mature and soulful.
What is brisk is that Adele isn't afraid to present her raw spokesperson, exposed - without instrumentals clouding the sound. The result is plenty of stripped-back material, that is reliant on the natural strength of her vocalization to carry the stories she tells in her songs.
If you're now thinking that '19' sounds like a whine-fest then have a listen to the brighter and bolder tracks like 'Right As Rain' and 'Cold Shoulder' before making a mind. Filled with big beats, they put up a impertinent vibe before the album has a chance to become stock.
She has Mark Ronson's stamp of approval, she has a sound that is far older than her 19 years and she isn't afraid to speak her mind - Adele has the potential to go far and she sure as shooting seems to have her head screwed on in terms of the fame game. We can plausibly expect a great deal more originative material from her as 19 becomes 20-something.
Linda McGee
More info
