I'm sure my recent absence from the blogosphere has not gone unnoticed. I'm not entirely sure how the world kept spinning without my timeless insights, but somehow, miraculously, it did. I mean, the old year left us with a whimper and the new year, already 18 days old, seems to be plodding along at a pace that is both challenging and agreeable to my approaching mid-life crisis. With that in mind (and with no further acknowledgement of my incredible laziness over the past 17 weeks or so…) I bring you the latest instalment of Tunesday.
The first Tunesday of 2011 is dedicated to an artist who has also been away for a while. Unlike me, she can hardly be described as new, upcoming or undiscovered. Thanks in part to the increasing role of soundtracks in today's cinema and, unfortunately also to the ubiquity of 'talent' shows both here and back home, most people with working ears will already be familiar with Adele or her work. Adele Adkins came to the forefront of British music in 2008, when she was given the first-ever BRIT Awards 'Critics Choice' and was chosen in a BBC poll the same year to be 2009's breakthrough artist. 'Chasing Pavements' marked her entry into the British mainstream arena, and established her as someone who intended to make good on the expectations placed on her by her growing fan base. But it was her cover of Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' that cemented her in local pop culture, getting to #4 in the UK charts in November of 2008. More recently, her version has been revitalised on UK TV, especially after a popular audition on 'The X Factor' boosted Adele's version back into the charts in 2010 (#24) and a cover of her cover later that same year (#3). It's a touching song, made no less so by the fact that it's also been crooned by (among others) Trisha Yearwood, Neil Diamond, Kelly Clarkson, Garth Brooks, and (I shit you not) Jeremy Irons*.
So now she's back and for my money, she's sounding better than ever. The first single from her new album '21' is called 'Rolling in the Deep'. It doesn't feel as heavy to me as 'MYFML', but it feels no less important, either. Particularly, I love the way it builds from the soft vocal and almost inaudible guitar to the entrance of the backbeat at 0:23. That underlying rhythm creeps up, building like the fire of the lyrics until at a minute into the song, she launches powerfully into the real heart of the tune – reminding us all that of the talent that got her recognised way back when. It steps back a little after that, but also continues to build. In the video, you can see her posture change, getting more aggressive, more confident. Girl's got some lungs, that's for damn sho.
At its core, it's a song about a love that didn't live up to its potential – nothing new there. What is great, and what sets this song apart from some others 'out there' for me, is her passion, her strength and, ultimately, her talent. I can't wait to hear the rest of what she's going to bring us. Welcome back, Adele. What? What's that you say? Me too…? Why thank you – it's like I never left, innit?
*note to self: Remember to write, soon, about the inherent hilarity of celebrity singing disasters. Must include Leonard Nimoy's 'Bilbo Baggins', William Shatner's 'Rocket Man', the entire 'Star Wars Holiday Special' and any song by Stephen Segal.
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