Album Review: 21 (Adele)

So, four months after starting a blog that aimed to make me write more, and I haven't even updated with another post.  Well, I honestly have been writing more.  Incidentally, my 365 Project is also a channel for me to write about my photo and insights for the day.  I have probably written more in the last four months than I have in the last four years.  

Anyway, this post is intended to review Adele's sophomore album, 21.

Artist: ADELE

Album Title: 21

Tracks: 11

I adored Adele Adkins after hearing Chasing Pavements.  Back then, there seemed to be a scarcity of soul and jazz talents.  The genre being such a minority.  Joss Stone managed to give the youth an appreciation for jazz.  However, the industry needed more of these artists.  

Then came Adele.  I remember thinking that a voice this powerful cannot come from someone so young.  She is, though.  Only 19 at that time, she had managed to cop out a voice that will remind you of great blues singers.  She has the makings of one.  A friend said that she's like a sober Amy Winehouse.  I'd agree.  Amy Winehouse is a talent that got wasted on crack.  Hopefully, Adele is smart enough not to go that route.  

Back to the album.  

Given that her debut album was a critical and commercial success, there was a lot expectation from the fan base 19 has generated.  I'd say, 21 did not disappoint.  

The opening song, Rolling in the Deep, is a powerful opening that Adele said she wrote about her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her.  I love every bit of this song.  The power of her voice when she belts out the lines: We could have had it all/Rolling in the deep/You had my heart inside of your hand/And you played it to the beat.  You can feel the venom dripping out of it.  They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I guess this song is a testament of it.  The music video is also something to see.  It's an artistic montage of quiet vengeance.  My favorite parts being the water-filled glasses vibrating to the beat of the drums and the pile of broken dishes at the foot of the stairs.  I felt the anger when the china broke.

The second song, Rumor Has It, gives you a Broadway to pop feel to it.  It could easily be part of a musical (think Chicago).  The lyrics, probably even more biting than Rolling in the Deep, talks about a lover straying and trying to get back after being jilted by the woman he left his girlfriend for.  There's sarcasm in the lyrics that Adele brings a whole lot of class to.  It's a bit bluesy, really.

Turning Tables is a bit more ballad, which is something I haven't heard from this singer.  This is a welcome new flavor to her music mix.  Having co-written it with Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), it gives you a bit more pop feel to the ballad.  I can imagine this song being covered by an R&B artist, but I doubt it'll get the kind of sass Adele has marked it with.  Don't You Remember, on the other hand, feels a bit folk.  Understandably, since Adele wrote the song with Dan Wilson (Semisonic), who has folk-rock influences.

Set Fire to the Rain goes back to the blues, that Adele does with a whole lot of panache.  The song talking about being played and crying for the lover is very reminiscent of the age of twenty-one.  He Won't Go talks about the risks in trying to save a relationship.  I won't go/I can't do it on my own/If this ain't love, then what is?/I'm willing to take the risk.  This song feels a bit like an R&B flavored jazz.  

Take It All and I'll Be Waiting are probably the most soul songs in the album.  Take It All has a lovely sound to listen to.  It's still a sad song, but it's so lovely I forget how somber it's supposed to be.  I'll Be Waiting is the most upbeat song in the entire album in terms of lyrics.  Given that this is the only one (apart from the cover song) that gave more hope than bitterness.  

One and Only is the most reminiscent of Adele's songs from 19.  It's still different, though.  It has more depth and maturity.  I dare you to let me be your/Your one and only/I promise I'm worth it/To hold in your arms/So come one and give me a chance/To prove I'm the one/Who can walk that mile/Until the end starts.  The lyrics couldn't be more romantic.  This goes to my pick me up jazz song list.  Definitely one of my favorite tracks.

Adele's cover of The Cure's Lovesong was a pleasant surprise.  I'm partial to the song, because it's one of my favorite songs from the band.  I'd say she gave justice to the it in her own way.  I can't say it's the best cover of the song, as not everyone may appreciate the song in jazz, but it was very well done.  It was a very soothing jazz rendition of a classic.  It didn't lose the sweetness of the lyrics and sexy tone of the melody.  Which should be expected, since it's jazz.

Someone Like You is one of my favorite songs in this album, if not my favorite.  It's a sad story told in such a classy song.  Probably the most baring track of all.  With Adele's voice giving justice to the pain of the lyrics: Never mind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you/Don't forget me, I beg/I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love/Sometimes it hurts instead.  It sums up the bittersweetness of the age.

Overall, the album may be a collection of bitter, bittersweet, sad and melancholic songs of a vengeful jilted woman.  However, I think it's appropriate.  It's a collection of songs that define a coming of age.  The life of a woman at the age of 21 is mostly defined by her successes and failures in relationships.  You're too young to talk about a career, and too old to talk about first love.  The arrangement of the songs in this album is also very diverse.  The songs appeal to a greater audience, since the album has varying influences.  It's still very distinctive of Adele, though.  That voice is just too unique not to be distinguished.  

This album is highly recommended.  If you have ever or ever been loved, jilted, cheated, revenged, longed, and wished, you will find a song for you here.  Probably one for your lousy ex, another for the one who got away, and another for the one you wish you had.

I had my expectations of this album, because I was really impressed by her first.  21, though, not only impressed me, it blew me over.  Every song in this album is worth listening to.  I've read that this album has topped charts in both UK and the US.  I'm glad to hear it's reached a larger audience.  Maybe, Adele may just take out this genre out of the minority.