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Monday, June 20, 2011

All About Adele - A Review of Adele's Music, Career and Life

All About Adele - A Review of Adele's Music, Career and Life

Her name is Adele.

If you turned on the radio at any time in the past several months, you probably have heard of this musical prodigy, who is currently dominating the radio airwaves, the Billboard charts, and the music industry as a whole.  The English singer-songwriter debuted a few years ago and instantly reached critical acclaim for demonstrating a masterful control over her raw, passionate, and powerful voice.  Her previous work "Chasing Pavements" became a cult favourite, but it was her recent hit single "Rolling in the Deep" that has sold over 2.5 million digital copies and climbing.  In addition, her sophomore album "21" recently reached 1 million in sales figures – the first of all albums to do so in the year 2011.  As the numbers indicate, Adele is clearly one of the breakout musical stars in recent times.

Nowadays, there are far too many young successful breakout stars emerging within our popular culture.  This is not surprising given the Youtube age, which brought us controversial teenage sensations like Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black, both of whom have questionable levels in talent at best.  Amidst these singers who are more famous for their celebrity status than their actual voices, Adele introduces a refreshing breath of fresh air for those who have lost hope in the young singers of our age and time.  She is one of the few rare exceptions whose growing popularity matches her immense talent.  Both her debut and sophomore albums, "19" and "21" (titled aptly to reflect her age at that specific point in life), received nearly unanimous positive reviews from professional critics and casual fans alike.  This is a feat accomplished by very few artists, let alone somebody at her young delicate age.

This article will cover Adele's life journey thus far, from her humble beginnings at a single-parent London home to her current international breakout success.  Her musical legacy has already marked at the young age of 22, and she shows no signs of stopping any time soon.  If there are any artists who can rejuvenate the music industry unlike any others before her, Adele has to be the one.  She truly is one-of-a-kind.

Analysis

Adele Adkins was born in a North London town on May 5th, 1988.  According to her family, she developed a fervent passion for music at an early age.  Like most girls of her generation, young Adele was obsessed with the UK pop sensation Spice Girls.  She even cited this girl band as one of her most significant musical influences in her career.  In her teenage years, her interests shifted towards the R&B genre, especially pertaining unique musical talents like Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige.  During this time, she developed a particularly keen interest in soul music.

Adele Music, Career and Life
After achieving moderate success with her first record "Hometown Glory" in 2007, Adele began to garner attention and make headlines with her second single "Chasing Pavements" several months later.  Her rich passionate voice combined with the poignant and sultry lyrics led to a recipe for success.  Amongst the general public consensus, Adele's distinct vocal style was praised as mature, sophisticated, and even voluptuous.  Part of her initial fame was attributed to the comparisons drawn between Amy Winehouse and Adele due to their similar sounds, although the latter would soon be identified as a unique tone of voice unlike any other.

All About Adele
Adele was not only recognized within her home country, but her fame quickly began rippling across international markets.  Her debut record "19" had sold over millions of copies worldwide.  It also earned her many impressive victories across multiple awards platforms.  Most notably, she secured the much coveted 'Best New Artist' title in the 2009 Grammy Awards.  Adele's "Chasing Pavements" was also nominated for 'Song of the Year', but ultimately lost to Coldplay's massively successful "Viva la Vida".  Nonetheless, she made quite a splash as a newcomer to the industry.

Adele Music, Career and Life
In the next two years, Adele channelled her new experiences into her second studio album.  Her career suffered for a short period of time, especially when she fell head over heels for a boyfriend.  It reached a point where she even cancelled her U.S. tours to spend more time with him.  When their relationship ended, Adele was able to get back on track again by channelling her heartbreak into her song writing.  As a result, her sophomore album "21" is darker, grittier, and more raw than its predecessor.  Adele is often noted as having an authentic soulful voice, because she finds her inspirations through genuine sorrow and personal angst.  Furthermore, the lyrics to her songs are not churned out from a corporate money making machine, but they are written thoughtfully and passionately by a singer who does care. Adele wears her emotions on her sleeves in these songs, which makes her music all the more powerful.

All About Adele
"21" was released to commercial markets early this year in 2011, and garnered immediate widespread success.  It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for many consecutive weeks and topped the digital iTunes sales across multiple countries.  One of the tracks, "Rolling in the Deep", became very popular for its dark bluesy vibrant tune.  The lyrics describe a scorned lover singing with pain, rage, and raw emotions about her recent heartbreak, as she confronts her inner demons: "There's a fire starting in my heart // Reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark"  She is infuriated and deeply hurt at the same time: "The scars of your love remind me of us // They keep me thinking that we almost had it all".  Adele manages to channel this unbearable melancholy through her voice, her lyrics, and her melody.  This ideal trifecta is a common theme present amongst all her songs.

Many predict that Adele will sweep the next Grammys for producing a nearly perfect album.  She rightfully deserves all the industrial acclaim and commercial success that she will receive.  Rarely does genuine talent get discovered and recognized in our modern society, so Adele should be celebrated for having this special one-of-a-kind gift.  Despite a recent vocal injury that forced the young singer to cancel the next several months of worldwide tours, her music still remains a prevalent trend in popular media, which proves that she has already achieved the "icon" status.  Adele's legacy will be noted in the music industry forever.  And it's only just beginning.

Top 3 Popular Adele Songs

1. Rolling in the Deep


2. Chasing Pavements


3. Hometown Glory

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