21
When the British soul belter Adele began working on the follow-up to her 2008 debut *19*, she had a difficult time finding songwriting inspiration. Then, her relationship imploded—and within a day of her breakup, she and producer Paul Epworth had written the stormy, tearful \"Rolling in the Deep,\" which would go on to not only open her second album, *21*, but eventually become one of 2011\'s defining singles and set the tone for a vibrant portrait of young heartbreak that showcases Adele\'s fierce alto. On *19*, Adele established herself as a key part of the 2000s class of British R&B-inspired singers that included Amy Winehouse and Duffy. For *21*, however, she added new dimensions to her sound, bringing in ideas borrowed from country, rock, gospel, and modern pop—as well as a gently psychedelic take on the downcast \"Lovesong,\" originally by fellow Brit miserablists The Cure. Adele\'s powerful voice and unguarded feelings were *21*\'s main draw, but her savvy about using them—and only going all in when a song\'s emotional force required her to do so—made it one of the 21st century\'s biggest albums. While a few top-tier producers, including Rick Rubin, Ryan Tedder, and Dan Wilson, worked on *21*, its coherence comes from the woman at its center, whose voice channels the anguish of the stirring ballad \"One and Only,\" the weepy \"Don\'t You Remember,\" and the vengeful \"Rumour Has It.\" The stripped-down \"Someone Like You,\" meanwhile, is the natural bookend to \"Rolling,\" its bittersweet lyrics and quietly anguished vocal sounding like the aftermath of the argument that track began. “*21* isn\'t even my record—it belongs to the people,” Adele told Apple Music in 2015. That\'s true in a sense; *21* was one of the 2010s\' true pop successes, reaching listeners from all over the world. But Adele is its key ingredient, a modern soul singer whose range is only matched by her ability to conjure up deeply felt emotions.
Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit Adele’s earth-shattering 2011 album, granting the British torch singer entrée into the pantheon of iconic pop vocalists.
Adele Adkins’ debut album, 19, opened with the mellow, twangy ballad “Daydreamer,” but 21 comes out swaggering with “Rolling In The Deep,” a gospel-infused deep-soul number that builds to a soaring disco chorus. Adele follows that immediately with the overpowering “Rumour Has It,” a soul-strutter with a persuasive…
Read the NME review of Adele's second album, '21' featuring the huge hits 'Someone Like You' and 'Rolling in the Deep'.
On 21, she sounds refreshed and poised to attack. There's no change in style—this is still the stuff of a sensual modern pop-noir landscape, heavy on retro textures and relationship drama. But she's sacrificed some of her debut's sparse moodiness, resulting in a more cohesive, immediate batch, littered with knock-outs. Working with an eclectic all-star production team (including Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, and Ryan Tedder), Adele emerges with a well-manicured batch of songs that, while still showcasing her interest in layered musicality, shoot straight for the pop charts with each go-round—which is exactly where she should be...
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Has class and style running through its vein...The sharp, effusive energy of 'Rolling In The Deep' is enough to spell out exactly what's going on here: Adele, two years on from her career kick-starting debut, has come of age.
If Adele ever has a successful relationship, that could be the end of her musical career. Luckily for her listeners, she seems really bad at picking partners.
In the two years between the titles of Adele’s debut and this, her second album, she’s clearly seen the world.
It’s only in the last few weeks that Adele has made a credible bid for her own place in the upper tier of female pop singers.
Adele follows 19 with an album that suggests she'll get invited to make 23 and 25 as well. By <strong>Will Dean</strong>