Hallmark and Godiva remind everyone in February that not having who you want is outright awful, and being with someone you want fills you with bliss. Through her vocal maturity and love songs, Adele provides the heartbroken with an honest and emotional set of singles. In a month of cynicism about love, Adele will lead you through her personal journey on her sophomore album 21.
The difference between Adele and other pop singers is that her lush vocals make every song she sings intrinsic; this voice wasn't fabricated in a studio. Though she sticks with themes from her debut album, 19, Adele's exploration of regret and heartache mixed with a bluegrass feel make for a beautiful set of lyrics and music. Simply put, Adele is real. The songs on 21 do not tell the explicit details of Adele's breakup, or even give a silhouette of the person she is confronting. She lays all of her emotions on the table.
21 is a mixture of genres: You can hear jazz, bluegrass, funky gospel and country influence in each single. Through each song, Adele shines brilliantly, deserving the same respect that she earned in 2008 with her Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
""Rolling in the Deep,"" 21's lead single, sets the bar high for the rest of the album with strong vocals and the theme of a collapsed relationship. In complete honesty, ""Rolling in the Deep"" is quite dark. With lyrics such as, ""Think of me in the depths of your despair / Make a home down there / 'Cause mine sure won't be shared,"" Adele is clearly inspired by a real-life breakup. She's not afraid to be frank.
The following track, ""Rumour Has It,"" picks up the tempo and eventually leads to ""Set Fire to Rain,"" showing the more electro-pop side of Adele. Many of her lyrics are generic, such as ""There's a side to you that I never knew / All the things you'd say / They were never true / And the games you'd play / You would always win."" But her voice with the mixture of musical genres makes Adele seem like a person to whom anyone can relate.
Throughout 21, Adele is desperately trying to convince herself to feel better and that life will progress. One of the most nostalgic and beautiful songs on 21 is ""One and Only."" The entirety of 21 is intensely honest, but this track epitomizes what Adele is trying to achieve through musical expression: ""I don't know why I'm scared / 'Cause I've been here before / Every feeling, every word / I've imagined it all / You'll never know if you never try / To forgive your past and simply be mine."" Forgiveness is hard, but she wants a chance.
Later in the tracklist comes ""Lovesong,"" originally recorded in 1989 by The Cure. Twenty-two years later, Adele covers their track with subtle acoustic guitar. With purely sexy background music, ""Lovesong"" is comforting. You can't help but admire the maturity Adele conveys through this track. At just 22 years old, it is breathtaking to hear her sing with such elegance and wisdom.
One of the final three tracks on 21, ""Someone Like You,"" is the archetype of a breakup song and again we see Adele's maturity. The song has incredible depth. Her voice and the soft to forte piano combine to create 21's standout track. Adele wrote this song when she could not drink legally in the United States, yet the acceptance she sadly sings of is something most adults cannot admit. She begins to come to terms with the fact that her perfect man is with someone else: ""I heard that you're settled down / That you found a girl and you're married now / I heard that your dreams came true / Guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you.""
Adele's sophomore album is nothing ordinary. Call it pop, but it is impossible to ignore all the other influences in her music shown through her vocal proficiency and emotional stamina. 21 is sensitive, but if you listen closely, it will charm you with each exceptional track.
