Adele | ||
| Allmusic Biography : When the U.K. press began dubbing Adele "the next Amy Winehouse" in late 2007, the hype didnt touch upon the singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoners music. Influenced by Roberta Flack and Suzanne Vega as much as Jill Scott, Adele soon became a phenomenon in her own right; her second album, 21, eventually sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, making her one of the few sales successes in an age of digital streaming. Adele first made an impression in 2006 when her demo landed her a deal with XL Recordings. She toured as an opening act for Jack Penate, and graduated to headlining status by the end of 2007, thanks to BBC Radio 1 playing her single "Daydreamer"; another song, "Hometown Glory," was also released as a single on Jamie T.s label, Pacemaker. An appearance alongside Paul McCartney and Björk on the BBC 2 television show Later with Jools Holland came next, and a recording contract with XL Recordings was finalized soon after. Early 2008 brought similar luck as Adele found herself atop the BBCs new music talent list, which was compiled from the votes of 150 music critics. That same January, XL issued a new single, "Chasing Pavements," along with her debut album, 19. The title reflected Adeles age at the time of the albums release, and its popularity resulted in the release of several bonus editions throughout the year. Also in 2009, Adele won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her sophomore album, 21, featuring the gospel and disco-infused single "Rolling in the Deep," was released in February of 2011. The album proved to be both a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the longest-running number one albums in history and spending over 18 weeks at the top spot. The glow of 21s success was dimmed somewhat when Adele was forced to cancel her tour after suffering a hemorrhage on her vocal cords. She underwent surgery for the hemorrhage in November of 2011. That same month, she released the concert CD/DVD Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Both Adele and 21 received many end-of-year honors, and in February 2012, as album sales began to creep closer to ten million copies, she won six major Grammy Awards, one of the few artists in history to accomplish the feat in one night. In October 2012, Adele announced that she had recorded the theme to the 23rd James Bond film Skyfall. Produced by Paul Epworth and recorded at the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, the single entered the Top Ten of both the U.K. singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. By early 2013, 21 had registered sales of over 25 million copies. Although she promised she was in the early stages of creating her third album, 2013 and 2014 came and went without fresh material. In the summer of 2015, reports of an imminent third album started to surface and, in October, the rumors were confirmed by Adele and her label. The albums first single, "Hello," debuted at number one in both the U.K. and U.S., becoming the first song to sell over a million downloads in its first week of release. 25 debuted worldwide in late November 2015. It broke the single-week U.S. sales record previously held by *NSYNCs No Strings Attached. 25 went on to top the Billboard 200 for ten weeks and took home awards for Album, Song, and Record of the Year, as well as Best Pop Solo Performance and Pop Vocal, at the Grammy Awards in 2017. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: 19 Released: 2008-01-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Daydreamer (03:40) 2 Best for Last (04:18) 3 Chasing Pavements (03:30) 4 Cold Shoulder (03:11) 5 Crazy for You (03:28) 6 Melt My Heart to Stone (03:23) 7 First Love (03:10) 8 Right as Rain (03:17) 9 Make You Feel My Love (03:32) 10 My Same (03:15) 11 Tired (04:18) 12 Hometown Glory (04:31) |
| 19 : Allmusic album Review : With just a couple of cursory listens to the few tracks that popped up all over the Internet through 2007, comparisons were made between Adele, the much-hyped brassy British songstress, and Amy Winehouse, the...much-hyped brassy British songstress. However, after a solid listen to 19, the first full sampling by the up-and-coming Adele, listeners are forced to throw all comparisons to the wind; Adele is simply too magical to compare her to anyone. Bluesy like its no ones business yet voluptuously funky in a contemporary way, Adele rocks out 19 with a unique voice and gritty sound that dazzle endlessly. Synthesizing blues, jazz, folk, soul, and even electric pop, Adele mystifies through her mature songwriting skills and jaw-dropping arrangements. As the album opens with "Daydreamer," Adeles illusionary instrument -- over minimal sounds -- engulfs the listener with a gorgeous feeling of awe and wonderment. On "Melt My Heart to Stone" and the bona fide hit "Chasing Pavements," Adele allows herself to soar over the strings and power her way through these incredible songs. The upbeat "Right as Rain" is just wonderful, with clear Ashford & Simpson influences speckled all over it in an upbeat set. Nearly all the tracks seem to have been nurtured to glory over months as labors of love. Whats simply awesome on 19 is its capability to capture the listener through mere teasing; Adele doesnt shout for attention, and doesnt rely on anyone but herself to prove shes worth it, in the same vein as Sara Bareilles, another heavily praised artist of 2007. The jazzy "Best for Last" is as retro as the tunes get on the album, yet it still manages to steer away from being boring or old-fashioned. The only awkwardness throughout all of 19 is the overly poppy galactic "Tired," which sounds as though it might have fallen off a Lily Allen track list, something that doesnt suit Adele as a musician. As far as artistic drive goes, it seems as though Adele is hoping to capitalize on the sounds of 2007 by borrowing elements of Feist, Regina Spektor, Norah Jones, and even, yes, Amy Winehouse; yet Adele blends all the artistic pizzazz of all those ladies into her own set of manipulative, glamorous wonder. Plus, as a terrific songwriter at merely 20 years of age, the Brit has so much room to expand her artistic dimensions into a full-fledged artist that its no wonder most critics see her as the top new talent of 2008. This debut isnt an empty promise of a great career; 19 is a fleshed-out stunning portrayal of a young woman with a talent beyond her years who deserves immense credit for a unique style that never fails. A beyond stellar debut in both quality and originality. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: 88 (Mixed By Mick Boogie) Released: 2008-12-17 Tracks: 9 Duration: 31:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Chasing 1988: The Intro (02:21) 2 Day Dreams (nVMe Remix) (03:36) 3 Tired (6th Sense Remix) (03:48) 4 First Love (Remot Remix) (03:24) 5 My Same (Garbs Infinite Remix) (03:50) 6 Melt My Heart to Stone (Kickdrums remix) (02:56) 7 Cold Shoulder (Garbs Infinite Remix) (03:35) 8 Right As Rain (nVMe Remix) (03:53) 9 Make You Feel My Love (Remot Remix) (04:11) |
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: iTunes Live From SoHo Released: 2009-02-03 Tracks: 8 Duration: 28:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Crazy for You (04:35) 2 Right as Rain (03:42) 3 Make You Feel My Love (04:14) 4 Melt My Heart to Stone (03:22) 5 Hometown Glory (03:58) 6 Chasing Pavements (03:47) 7 Fool That I Am (02:30) 8 Thats It, I Quit, Im Moving On (02:24) |
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: 21 Released: 2011-01-19 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rolling in the Deep (03:49) 2 Rumour Has It (03:43) 3 Turning Tables (04:10) 4 Don’t You Remember (04:03) 5 Set Fire to the Rain (04:01) 6 He Won’t Go (04:37) 7 Take It All (03:48) 8 I’ll Be Waiting (04:01) 9 One and Only (05:48) 10 Lovesong (05:16) 11 Someone Like You (04:45) |
| 21 : Allmusic album Review : Adeles 2009 debut album, 19, was a Grammy-winning smash hit that revealed the British singer/songwriters knack for bittersweet soul and folk-infused love songs that brought to mind an infectious mix of Dusty Springfield and Terry Callier. The album earned her a ton of fans, and interest was high for the inevitable follow-up. In many ways, her sophomore album, the similarly age-appropriate-titled 21, is a continuation of the sounds and themes Adele was working with on 19. She is still the bluesy pop diva with a singer/songwriters soul and seemingly bottomless capacity for heartbreak. If the tastefully organic production and overabundance of well-known co-writers come off a bit too on-the-nose in terms of delivering to fan expectations, then the best thing the album does is to showcase Adeles titanic vocal ability, which -- more than a few times on 21 -- is simply spine-tingling. Last time around we got the gauzy, Callier-esque folk-soul ballad "Daydreamer" to slowly draw us into the album; here, Adele immediately injects us with the propulsive gospel fever-blues anthem "Rolling in the Deep." While the track certainly owes a heavy debt to the punk-blues of Beth Ditto and the Gossip, it is also ridiculously sexy and one of the best singles of any decade -- and, unfortunately, completely sets the bar way too high for everything else on 21. Which isnt to say that 21 is bad; on the contrary, tracks like the similarly blues-inflected Ryan Tedder co-write "Rumour Has It" and the old-school-style soul cut "He Wont Go" are terrifically catchy, booty-shaking numbers, and exactly the kind of songs you want and expect from Adele. That said, if Adeles voice goes on forever here, so apparently does her appetite for bad relationship mojo. An inordinate amount of the material on 21 is about yearning for lost love. In fact, the centerpiece of the album, the mega-ballad showstopper "Take It All" -- co-written by her "Chasing Pavements" partner Francis White -- begins with Adele proclaiming "Didnt I give it all?" Delivered starkly at first with Adele set against simple piano accompaniment and later backed by a gospel choir, its an instant-classic sort of song in the tradition of "The Rose," "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going," and "All by Myself" that could stand over the years as a career landmark for the singer and a cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idols Pyrrhic lovelorn persona. For others, over the course of the album, that persona and the insistence of track after track of heartbreak can get a bit alienating. Ultimately, however, Adele does give us her all on 21, and for now that is enough. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2011 Released: 2011-07-13 Tracks: 6 Duration: 26:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 One and Only (05:43) 2 Dont You Remember (04:13) 3 Rumour Has It (03:43) 4 Take It All (04:02) 5 I Cant Make You Love Me (03:34) 6 Rolling in the Deep (05:21) |
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall Released: 2011-11-25 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:08:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hometown Glory (04:17) 2 Ill Be Waiting (03:56) 3 Dont You Remember (04:04) 4 Turning Tables (04:11) 5 Set Fire to the Rain (04:13) 6 If It Hadnt Been for Love (03:09) 7 My Same (02:34) 8 Take It All (03:56) 9 Rumour Has It (03:48) 10 Right as Rain (02:43) 11 One and Only (05:54) 12 Lovesong (05:17) 13 Chasing Pavements (03:41) 14 I Cant Make You Love Me (03:39) 15 Make You Feel My Love (03:48) 16 Someone Like You (04:54) 17 Rolling in the Deep (04:49) |
| Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall : Allmusic album Review : Live at the Royal Albert Hall features British vocal sensation Adele performing at the storied venue during her promotional tour for her 2011 studio effort, 21. Backed by her rock ensemble as well as a string section, Adele runs through most of 21 while adding in earlier hits off her 2008 debut, 19, including "Chasing Pavements," "Hometown Glory," and "My Same." Primarily, however, Adele focuses here on material off 21, including such cuts as "Rumour Has It," "Turning Tables," "Someone Like You," the über-ballad "Take It All," and the funky hit "Rolling in the Deep." In perfect vocal form here prior to her 2011 throat surgery, Adele is the epitome of a burnished soul diva with a singer/songwriters heart. Beautifully recorded and performed, Live at the Royal Albert Hall conveys all the drama of Adeles music and is the perfect companion piece to 21. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2012 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:19:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Skyfall (04:46) 2 Rolling in the Deep (03:49) 3 I’ll Be Waiting (04:01) 4 Chasing Pavements (03:30) 5 Someone Like You (04:45) 6 Many Shades of Black (04:27) 7 Set Fire to the Rain (04:01) 8 Make You Feel My Love (03:32) 9 Lovesong (05:16) 10 Hometown Glory (04:26) 11 Rumour Has It (03:43) 12 Right as Rain (03:17) 13 Turning Tabels (04:09) 14 Melt My Heart to Stone (03:23) 15 One and Only (05:46) 16 Cold Shoulder (03:11) 17 My Same (03:14) 18 Don’t You Remember (04:01) 19 If It Hadn’t Been for Love (live at the Royal Albert Hall) (03:06) 20 I Can’t Make You Love Me (live at the Royal Albert Hall) (03:33) |
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: 25 Released: 2015-11-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hello (04:55) 2 Send My Love (to Your New Lover) (03:43) 3 I Miss You (05:48) 4 When We Were Young (04:50) 5 Remedy (04:05) 6 Water Under the Bridge (04:00) 7 River Lea (03:45) 8 Love in the Dark (04:45) 9 Million Years Ago (03:47) 10 All I Ask (04:31) 11 Sweetest Devotion (04:11) |
| 25 : Allmusic album Review : Autobiography is baked into Adeles art. She called her first album 19, naming it after her age at the time of writing, and like a musical, millennial Michael Apted, each successive album represented another chapter in her lifes story. Fueled by heartbreak, her roiling 2011 record 21 ushered in her adulthood and superstardom, two acts that were instrumental in the creation of 25, the 2015 album purportedly documenting her mid-twenties. Between 21 and 25, Adele fell in love and started a family, an event that would surely be grist for a memoirists mill if Adele was as confessional a singer/songwriter as she appears, but she is not. Like 21 before it, the love that flows through 25 is either curdled or lost, love that can no longer replenish or nourish. It is certainly not the kind of love that would arise from a satisfying, stable relationship, but it is indeed the kind of love that is recognizable from 21: love that hurts, not heals. While her themes may remain the same, Adele isnt the same singer as she was in 2011, nor is 25 a carbon copy of 21. Success has given her the confidence to abandon any lingering Amy Winehouse influence, taking along with it any sense of swing or sass. Max Martin and Shellback give "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" a subdued, spliced electronic pulse, just enough of a rhythm to distinguish the track from the rest of the record. But it and the cinematically surging "Water Under the Bridge" -- a song begging to be played over the closing credits of an inspirational biopic -- wither when compared to the wallop of "Rolling in the Deep." This stateliness is intentional, forcing attention with both the full force gale that is Adeles voice and, not so coincidentally, her placid good taste. It isnt so much that Adele doesnt take risks -- shes hip enough to enlist Haim/Charli XCXs producer to helm "When We Were Young," a song co-written with hotly tipped sensitive soul Tobias Jesso, Jr., and she brings in Danger Mouse to help orchestrate the neo-gospel of "River Lea." But shes so devoted to ballads, ballads determined to convey grace and strength in the face of loss that she winds up residing in a middle of the road, which makes her seem much older than the quarter century of the title. Adele doesnt help matters by dwelling on the passage of time, repeatedly returning to the idea that she aint a kid anymore. Its a sentiment that suits a singer many years past 25 yet also suggests a bit of savvy on her part: these are songs that are meant to be heard -- and sung -- for years after the albums initial release, gathering resonance with the passage of time. Fittingly, 25 also plays better over the long haul, its march of slow songs steadily revealing subtle emotional or musical distinctions. Make no mistake, all 11 songs are of a piece -- theyre shaded by melancholy, gaining most of their power through performance -- but that cohesive sound only accentuates how Adele has definitively claimed this arena of dignified heartbreak as her own. | ||