Adele | “21” | Album Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Mar 1, 2011

Largely resting on the shoulders of dark, bluesy first single ‘Rolling In The Deep’, Adele’s latest release has kept fans waiting with bated breath, with both old souls and the Billboard 100 clinging to ‘Rolling In The Deep’ like childhood toy in anticipation of the album’s late-February release.

Truly an exploration of her talent across genres, ‘21’ is essentially an experiment of the grandest musical proportions; an exercise in success, if you will. Along the way, though, Adele goes a little diva at times (‘Don’t You Remember’) and at its finer points largely resembles a pop-oriented ‘Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.’

Yet whether it’s lounge, soul, gospel, or just a rumbling, scorching song for Top 40, Adele brings the sweet fire of a breathtaking artist. Nothing and no one controls Adele or her voice. Background choirs bow to her warbling British vocals (‘One and Only’) and the tunes are subject to her whim at all times.

It’s time to listen up, ladies (and gentlemen). Finally we have a girl who can tell it like it is, using her airtime to be heard rather than whine about minutiae. Adele, a pure mistress of song, possesses a voice that is going nowhere soon and a soul that bleeds clear through any lyric or melody.