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Amazon.co.uk Review
It’s right there; on the cover, the spine, or illuminating from your iPod screen. But it’s hard to corroborate it in your mind. London singer-songwriter Adele’s debut album is titled 19, referencing her age, and there are hints it’s true--its themes are almost exclusively concerned with young love’s highs and (mostly) lows and there’s a clipped estuary English tide-mark to her voice, allying her with the fresh-faced modern female songwriting guard; Lily Allen, Kate Nash, et al. But the sheer weight of her maturity--vocally, emotionally and in overall poise—really reduces that all to circumstantial evidence. Adele is carrying something much bigger here, you can’t help but be consumed by it on "Daydreamer" with it’s jazzy tip-toeing guitar and elastic vocal range and "Hometown Glory" with its deep, lonely piano serving as a bed for the raw emotional undressing that takes place above it. Draw a line between timeless, powerful singers like Ella Fitzgerald and the modern standard of Amy Winehouse; Adele balances and pirouettes confidently along that tightrope. Winehouse particularly informs the likes of "Cold Shoulder" and double-bass heavy "Best for Last", and that’s not an alignment that’s ever going to be easy to realise credibly. Needless to say, she does, with ease. On future classic "Chasing Pavements" she also gives a nonsensical phrase a handful of heart in lieu of meaning and when you can pull that off convincingly you know you’re in possession of something special. Who dares to dream what bigger numbers could bring. --James Berry
Review
It's easy to get the wrong impression about Adele. She looks like another Kate Nash, all Top Shop dresses and haircuts that only a mother could love. And the fact that she's been a fuss on MySpace for a while only ups the sense of trepidation. Add to that a Later! debut which came filled to the brim with nervous caterwauling, and hopes for her album aren't pitched particularly high.
This is why it's such a shock that it's a genuinely touching, maturely considered and brilliantly sung opus that belies her titular age. Listening to it for the first time is the aural equivalent of walking into one of those oh-so-quirky little bars that you expect to be filled with bland scenesters and discovering that everyone within is friendly and they're serving the finest soul food to fill you up with.
Pitching up somewhere between blues, folk and jazz, she's included something for everyone without ever pandering to a particular trend. Her melodies exude warmth, her singing is occasionally stunning and, in the dramatic Hometown Glory, the spiky cool of Cold Shoulder (which is unexpectedly reminiscent of Shara Nelson-era Massive Attack) and the piano epic Make You Feel My Love, she has tracks that make Lily Allen and Kate Nash sound every bit as ordinary as they are.
That said, there is a note of caution to be sounded. There's a danger of the hyperbole exceeding the actual potential here: The Brit Awards made her their first ever winner of the Critics' Choice award and the BBC's Sound of 2008 list named her as the most promising new music talent in UK, while one magazine compared her songbook with Leonard Cohen's! While she is undoubtedly good, she's not quite worthy of those accolades yet, as her voice lacks a little soul and her songwriting a little depth.
Adele is a fine prospect and a genuine talent, but just like Amy Winehouse, who went to the same performing arts school, her brilliance will truly shine when she's a little further into her career - though hopefully, she'll be better at handling the astronomical fame that awaits her than the crumbling Mrs Fielder-Civil.
19 is a great start, a solid base to build a career on and a wonderful reminder of just how great our home grown talent can be. Just goes to show that the old adage is true - you really can't go judging a pop star by their cover. --Chris Long
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
73 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A promise of better things to come,
By
This review is from: 19 (Audio CD)
This is the debut album from Adele Laurie Blue Adkins who was, I assume, 19 years old when she completed it as she was born in May 1988 and the album came out in 2007. Credit must be given, then, to a young lady who not only sings well - most of the time - but who actually wrote most of the 12 songs here. My favourite one however was composed by Bob Dylan ('Make you feel my love') which stands out from all the others in terms of its lyrics and poetic balance.
It's an album that needs to be played several times to appreciate it. First time round I was rather disappointed; I bought it on the back of only hearing 'Chasing Pavements', which I think was also released as a single, but on first play I gained the impression that this was the only song I liked. Fortunately after a few more plays I changed my view on that, in fact I now prefer several other songs to the one she is best known for. One example is the more up-beat 'Right as Rain' which is pretty good. Adele wrote seven of the songs on her own (or at least she is the only credited writer for seven), and of the remaining five she played a key role on four of them. The only 'cover' therefore is the aforementioned song by Bob Dylan but it does come over as the most musical song, the best produced and the most complete. In other words, the mastery of Dylan shines through and demonstrates that while Adele has talent and promise, she has someway to go before she's the finished article. On occasions she seems (to me) to sing in a way that is removed from her natural accent; I noticed this on the opening track 'Daydreamer' in which she has a few Lily Allen-esque moments that I felt don't really suit her overall style. It's the sort of thing that she herself will probably cringe about when she hears it in years to come, but let's be fair, she's a teenage singer-songwriter and she should be admired for what she's achieved at such a young age. She shows signs of class, and I'm sure she'll improve with age and experience. Now that I have played the album several times, I like it more than I did on first audition, but it still doesn't blow me away. Quite good, and by no means a classic, but showing positive signs for her future.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!,
By
This review is from: 19 (Audio CD)
I ordered both Adele's albums at the same time because I'd heard one of her songs and given that I live abroad and I've totally lost touch with the British music scene, :-'( I hadn't heard much about her until that point. 19 is a great album led by a great talent with a great voice. I'd like to mention two strong tracks which are the honest and clever 'Daydreamer' and 'Best for Last' which I can only describe as two people's opposing ideas about where a relationship is going sung by one vocalist, Adele. It's just great! My absolute favourite though is 'Melt my heart to stone' because of the amazing vocals that she lays on the track. 'Tired' and 'hometown' are also just great. I feel nostalgic when I hear hometown and imagine her singing about our great capital! Great work!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
19 and so worldly-wise!,
This review is from: 19 (Audio CD)
Fantastic first album, have been wanting to buy this for a while now, listened the whole way through as soon as I got it and loved every song! Great artist, lyrics and music.
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