It was a little over three years ago. I was a hopeful contestant three rounds into my college’s attempt at American Idol, and in desperate need of a new song to showcase another layer of my vocal abilities. In response to my anxious pleas, I was met with dozens of suggestions from friends, all good, but none of which I felt would accomplish what I needed: everything had been sung (or shrieked) at local dive karaoke contests. I needed a secret formula. Then, in my eleventh hour, my New Zealand-raised roommate said the sentence I’d been waiting to hear: “I know the perfect song for you” no one in the U.S. really knows the artist, but her music; oh my God; her voice is unbelievable!
Unbelievable it was. So unbelievable, in fact, that when I first heard Adele’s powerful voice charge through my roommate’s feeble laptop speakers, I knew there was no way I could do “Chasing Pavements” half of the justice it deserved without serious practice; Someone get me cowboy boots: I’m covering “Man! I Feel Like A Woman”. I also knew it was only a matter of time before I’d see this nineteen year old Brit’s name splashed across charts, award nominee lists, and television screens everywhere, with the U.S., too, finally caught up in the fury.
Call me psychic, but it’s March 2011, and Adele is on charts, award nominee lists, and television screens everywhere, and my American friends’ Facebook posts to boot.
I couldn’t be less surprised or more excited.
With the release of 21, Adele proceeds with the second chapter of the saga begun in her freshman album, 19. From the very first track, 21 is focused, an aching narrative told not by an emotionally scattered adolescent, but by a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, face-to-face with all of the unforgiving truths it has to offer. The brokenhearted mural that Taylor Swift’s songs attempt to paint in breadth, Adele achieves in 21 with depth: she tells her story, your story, our story, layering sentence after sentence, episode upon episode with tear-inducing precision; all with one central hero/heroine, all with one universally recognizable, ill-fated ending.
Arguably, not since The Beatles entry into American airwaves has the music scene glimpsed the real possibility of U.K. talent seizing the charts indefinitely (we all know, sadly, Winehouse is out). In fact, Adele, who lucked into being a professional vocalist, really, is already mirroring The Beatles’ feats: according to the Official Charts Company, she’s the only living artist to have two, top-five singles on both the Singles and Albums chart since the Beatles in 1964. And two singles from 21 are #1 in over nine countries at last count. And she’s got two Grammys. And a host of other awards. And all of this in under three years. With a head start like this, 22-year old Adele might well eclipse her British predecessors.
With Adele’s worldwide takeover, we may be reentering an age where artists (willingly, inspired by her, or forced challenged by her) strip away the costumes and theatrics, all of the lights, and stand solely on their ‘raw talent’ or fall, because of the lack thereof.
Adele can stand, as anyone sensitive to talent can attest: her talent and everything else of hers is raw. Her bronzed alto voice that sounds like its owner has seen “no” experienced all sorts of unwriteable tragedies; her electric emotions that, in songs and even interviews, seemingly run ahead of her without her consent; her sense of humor candid, poetic, uncensored. Maybe, it’s because the singer-songwriter is barely into her second decade of life, or maybe it’s because she’s just burgeoning as a global artist, but Adele captures something refreshingly fresh, real, and (as yet) untainted.
By now, you’ve likely heard “Chasing Pavements” (from 19) or 21‘s “Rolling In The Deep”. If not, check them out, and prepare to be slammed into the nearest wall. I truly feel that an artist is as good as their worst live performance. Frankly, I don’t see a bad performance in Adele’s future, ever, so here’s this ~ a spine-chilling rendition of “Someone Like You”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZtUjFJvYkA&feature=related
For more under the radar tracks, try this and this. And for a sense of her charm; uncontrived, youthful and British, have a look at this interview with Chelsea Handler.
Oh, Adele: the music world truly needed, well, Someone Like You.
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