Adele releases her sophomore album today, titled “21.” The now 22-year-old was one of a crop of young British female singers with a 1960s soul tinge, including Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Duffy. Those artists have struggled to keep the momentum going after splashy entrances. Will “21″ firmly establish Adele as a soul belter? Speakeasy heard a couple of songs from the album when Adele played the WSJ cafe and we’re convinced.
“With a top-notch production team behind the album, including Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth, every track is a highlight.” [Ian Wade, BBC] “Rolling in the Deep,” the album’s first single, provides Adele with the perfect stormy vessel; her voice tossing and turning, shipwrecked and mad but never losing control. There are other worthy tracks on “21,” like the Rick Rubin-produced “He Won’t Go,” with its elegant piano and ticking beat, and the softly sentimental “Turning Tables,” but they don’t scrape at an exciting greatness… Occasionally, Adele finds herself in lesser territory, like “Don’t You Remember,” which sounds overwrought in both construction and performance.” [Margaret Wappler, LA Times}
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