Adele has a keen ability to cut close to the heart with the power and sincerity of her voice and lyric. It's actually the more stripped down arrangements - simple voice and piano - that seem to have the most devastating impact. So named for her age at the time of the recording, Adele's 21 follows her celebrated debut 19 which established her as an exciting talent to watch. Her sophomore album shows a broader musical range, while staying true to form. Cast throughout 21 as a young woman fighting against the challenges that life presents on all fronts, Adele calls on an inner strength, the sheer power of her voice, to overcome the odds.
Early favorites include "Turning Tables" and "Someone Like You" which explore the complexities of personal relationships, but it's the anthemic quality of songs like "Rumor Has It" and "Set Fire To The Rain" that may very well carry Adele to mainstream currents.
It was one of those jawdropping moments here at KCRW when Adele first came by the station and performed on Morning Becomes Eclectic back in March 2008, a full three months before her debut album was to be released in the US. It was a session that established her immediately as an artist to watch. So it’s not surprising that Adele's sophomore release is one of the most anticipated new albums of 2011, both down here in the corridors of KCRW and reaching around the globe.
-- Jason Bentley, KCRW Music Director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic
21 will be available to stream on demand from Feb 7 through March 8, 2011. The album will be released on Tuesday February 22, 2011. Adele will perform live on Morning Becomes Eclectic on February 25, 2011.
Listen to an archived performance of Adele on Morning Becomes Eclectic, November 2, 2007.
Artist website: http://www.adele.tv
Track listing
1. Rolling In The Deep
2. Rumour Has It
3. Turning Tables
4. Don't You Remember
5. Set Fire To The Rain
6. He Won't Go
7. Take It All
8. I'll Be Waiting
9. One And Only
10. Lovesong
11. Someone Like You
