Adele - 19

Genre pop Publisher Columbia Records External Links Adele MySpace

Now that Amy Winehouse's meteoric career seems to be fizzling out almost as quickly as the time it took her to become a superstar on both sides of the Atlantic, the rush is on to find and proclaim the next big British retro-songstress! Inevitably, this frantic panning for gold by labels and bloggers alike will result in a lot of overly earnest, unoriginal crap shoved down our throats and into our ears. But even the most opportunistic of labels can get lucky and in their mad scramble for "next big thing", they manage to swoop up someone with actual talent and a reason to be heard. Sometimes they luck onto someone like Adele Laurie Blue Adkins.

Much like the troubled Winehouse herself, Adkins (known professionally as simply ‘Adele') is the owner of a distinctly soulful set of pipes and a jones for the classic singers and sounds of decades past. She has also been the subject of buckets of advance hype and praise in her native UK, with the well-known Brit awards going as far as creating a new award for her (the Critics' Award) well before her debut album was even released. Her first limited edition single "Hometown Glory", a gorgeous piano ballad big upping her native Tottenham, got the publicity ball rolling and by the time 19 dropped she was the latest press darling and many were anxious to see if she would be able to live up to her early high standards. Could she really be the next big British soul-singing export?

The short answer? No, not likely. Despite her distinct voice and big name tastemakers in her corner, including Jamie T and producer du jour Mark Ronson, there is little on the album to indicate that level of huge crossover potential. Adele sticks a little too closely to the classic jazz and soul elements to pull in the audiences that responded to the hip-hop flavor that made Winehouse and Lily Allen hits with the urban audiences. Except for the eminently funky "Cold Shoulder", Ronson's contribution with its old-school beat and chicken scratch guitar, she tends to stick to more subdued and traditional arrangements. The finger snaps and killer bass line that makes up the rhythm of "My Same" probably won't resonate too well with American kids grown accustomed to Timbaland's studio wizardry.

But, as is all too often the case, failing to capture the hearts of American audiences hardly serves as an indictment of the music on display (witness Blur, Pulp, or any of the other talented Brits that never struck gold Stateside). Adele shines on this album because she allows her voice and personality room to breathe and doesn't smother them with extraneous production. Case in point, the sweeping strings during the epic build of "Chasing Pavements" that underscore the heartfelt emotion. A simple trick to be sure, but no less effective on what becomes the album's shining moment. "Pavements" is the epitome of the undeniable hook that swallows you whole and refuses to let go, even if you feel like you should know better. And the organ and brass on "Right As Rain" makes an unbeatable combination.

19 is not without its missteps though. Her completely unnecessary take on "Make You Feel My Love" adds nothing new and only serves to further tarnish a once decent song already ruined by gallons of syrupy schlock. This song and the flat music box lullaby that is "First Love" nearly derails the last half of the album, sandwiched as they are between some of the better songs on the disc (the aforementioned "Rain" and the jaunty "Melt My Heart To Stone"). A more careful approach to ordering the tracks could have benefited the album tremendously, as could convincing Adele to cut back on a couple of the vocal gymnastics that do her simple charms no favors. But there are enough moments throughout to indicate a decent career ahead for such a young songwriter, the sublime "Chasing Pavements" and endearing "Hometown Glory" alone make her well worth investigating. She may not end up the next international superstar, but that makes it all the easier to enjoy her on your own terms.