Product Description

'19' is the debut album by London songstress Adele. In a vocal and style reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald this is an album that easily justifies the comparisons. Smoky, lingering vocals lament tales of lost loveand heartbreak whilst retaining a positive charm. Features the singles 'Chasing Pavements' and 'Hometown Glory'.

Track Listing

1. Daydreamer
2. Best For Last
3. Chasing Pavements
4. Cold Shoulder
5. Crazy For You
6. Melt My Heart To Stone
7. First Love
8. Right As Rain
9. Make You Feel My Love
10. My Same
11. Tired
12. Hometown Glory

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80 in Music
• Released on: 2008-01-28
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It’s right there; on the cover, the spine, or illuminating from your iPod screen. But it’s hard to corroborate it in your mind. London singer-songwriter Adele’s debut album is titled 19, referencing her age, and there are hints it’s true--its themes are almost exclusively concerned with young love’s highs and (mostly) lows and there’s a clipped estuary English tide-mark to her voice, allying her with the fresh-faced modern female songwriting guard; Lily Allen, Kate Nash, et al. But the sheer weight of her maturity--vocally, emotionally and in overall poise—really reduces that all to circumstantial evidence. Adele is carrying something much bigger here, you can’t help but be consumed by it on "Daydreamer" with it’s jazzy tip-toeing guitar and elastic vocal range and "Hometown Glory" with its deep, lonely piano serving as a bed for the raw emotional undressing that takes place above it. Draw a line between timeless, powerful singers like Ella Fitzgerald and the modern standard of Amy Winehouse; Adele balances and pirouettes confidently along that tightrope. Winehouse particularly informs the likes of "Cold Shoulder" and double-bass heavy "Best for Last", and that’s not an alignment that’s ever going to be easy to realise credibly. Needless to say, she does, with ease. On future classic "Chasing Pavements" she also gives a nonsensical phrase a handful of heart in lieu of meaning and when you can pull that off convincingly you know you’re in possession of something special. Who dares to dream what bigger numbers could bring. --James Berry

Customer Reviews

Nice voice but cheer up!!
I don't deny that this young girl has a nice voice, albeit not the greatest, but I cannot listen to this album the whole way through. I loved Chasing Pavements, but despite some OK tracks nothing else stands out, and it could all have been so much better. First and foremost, it's so depressing. I've tried a few times but I find it hard to listen to the whole album without either falling asleep or wanting to cut my wrists. Also, as I said she has a nice voice, but it might be even nicer if I could understand anything she's singing. Thank God there's lyrics in the booklet. And finally, the instruments. Adele really needs to get much more experience playing guitar as it ranges from mediocre to just awful, and this shows particularly on Best For Last.

It's not a terrible album, but a weak debut that hasn't set great future potential for Adele. Other new female artists around now such as Duffy and Gabriella Cilmi are likely to still be around in a few years, but I think if Adele wants to be remembered the same way, she's got a lot of work to do for the second album.

Tremendous!
Wow, well I thought superb, she is only nineteen - big future here.......Vocals on "Hometown" really moved me. A superb debut.

Not too bad but nothing to get excited about.
While I have to say this is quite an entertaining album especially the strangely upbeat "Chasing pavements" and the rather quirky "Tired" This album is really one of a long line of "Next big thing" "Ella Fitzgerald" etc etc......

First off she sounds nothing like Ella Fitzgerald and is about as distant from the great soul singers as you can get. While Amy Winehouse for example may be able to carry it off (To an extent) the whole "modern soul" Adel really just doesn't cut it. Now I am not saying that is a particularly bad thing rather just be aware of what you are buying. If you are expecting a modern day Dusty Springfield then you are going to be seriously disappointed.

So what will you get? A number of tracks (I already mentioned 2 a third would be "Right as rain") That are extremely enjoyable tracks. On the song "Tired" I actually found her very British vocal sound to be more appealing than her attempts at soul diva singing that really do come off badly. If you think of Duffy, Amy Winehouse etc then you have an idea of what you are getting and you certainly wont be disappointed. If however you fall for the record companies plug of her being some kind of next great thing of soul then I am afraid you really will be unhappy with this one.

File under "Great to listen to on your ipod on the way to work"