By Bethany Sanderson/reporter
Adele 21, Adele’s latest album released Feb. 22, is a more mature sound for the British artist.
Adele, 22, full name Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, has found even more personality in song lyrics and vocal exploration than in her debut album Adele 19 released in 2008.
Born in Tottenham, North London, in 1988, Adele in her teens began to succumb to the influences of The Cure, Billy Bragg and Peggy Lee.
Her latest album was released in Japan and the U.K. a month prior to the U.S. release.
Adele experimented with multiple genres of music to influence her sound for her latest album.
The voice quality has improved with Adele 21, and the lyrical quality remains about the same as on her previous record.
Writing from areas of personal issues, Adele has put an incredibly bluesy and warm tone to her tracks on this record.
The first single, “Rolling in the Deep,” was released in 2010. The track begins boldly declaring, “There’s a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch, and it’s bringing me out the dark. Finally, I can see you crystal clear.”
“Set Fire to the Rain” is the powerful fifth track that lays deep and jazzy vocal tones with understanding lyrics as she magically sings, “I set fire to the rain, watched it pour as I touched your face.”
The next track on the record, “He Won’t Go,” takes the listener to the setting of a tender 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.”
With multiple No. 1 spots on the music charts, Adele is the first living artist to achieve the feat of two simultaneous top five hits in both the U.K. singles chart and the U.K. album chart since The Beatles in 1964.
Adele 21 is now the biggest-selling album download in the U.K. and has hit No. 1 in Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Switzerland and Austria.
In March, the album landed at No. 1 in the U.S. for one week before dipping to second.
Adele has said she numbered her albums in years to catalogue what happened to her, like a photo album to see the progression and changes in a person throughout the years.
Overall, her latest album is different than her debut album, dealing with the same issue but in a different light.
The last track, “Lovesong,” begins slowly with a quaint and almost acoustic guitar feel to Adele’s unique cover of The Cure’s hit song.
A talented singer-songwriter, Adele has produced a stellar album that will have Americans talking about this British sensation.
From beginning to end, 21 is a must listen for those who love the revolution of the bluesy sounds of the ’40s-’60s.
