In the beginning of this year, I made myself a promise to find The One. No, I am not referring to a soul mate to spend romantic evenings in front of the fireplace with (although that doesn’t sound half bad). My “one” was aimed towards an album. In the midst of headache inducing club bangers and meaningless lyrics – I’m talking to you, Kesha – I longed to find an album that just reaches into your soul, grips your heart and won’t let go. I had prepared to spend the majority of the year searching for such an album, but my hunt was over much sooner than I expected…February, to be exact, with the release of Adele’s sophomore album, 21.
It was actually towards the end of 2010 that I heard her first single off the 21 album, Rolling in the Deep. I had heard of the British beauty before, but had never really paid much attention to her music. I liked the song well enough and appreciated the raw talent in her voice, but, with all the holiday preparations and whatnot, the song faded for me…and then reappeared, wheels blazing, in February. I found her songs, as most do nowadays, on iTunes. As I listened to her songs, I felt my heart swell with each one. She had, with her poignant lyrics and melodic instruments, expressed the pain, pleasure, beauty and ugliness of love. By the time I listened through all of the songs, I was enamored by Adele and made it my mission to find out more about the singer.
After a bit of research, I discovered that the entire album was written about one relationship and that just made me fall even more in love with 21. All through February, March and April I had the album on repeat and had memorized every, single word of every, single song. I am still in awe of the power, scorn, vulnerability and hurt that she expresses through each song. Whether she is setting “Fire to the Rain,” singing a “Love Song,” going to find “Someone Like You” or begging to be his “One and Only,” Adele proves to be a powerhouse talent and one to watch.
Auto-tune free, expressive, and honest, Adele proves that in an age where crazy fashion and even crazier actions have come to be the norm, raw talent still exists.She has set the standard for what music should be. 21 encompasses human emotion and captures the beauty of a true songstress and is, in my opinion, the absolute best album of the year.