21

Adele (Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) was born on May 5 1988. 21 is her second studio album, released on January 24 in UK and February 22 in US. This fantastic release currently topped both the UK and US album charts simultaneously, a rare feat. In UK, while 21 topped the chart, her first album 19 was #2. The album 21 has just passed the 3 million sales in UK and 2.5 million in US.

In UK, when Someone Like You hit #1 in the singles chart, while her earlier hit Rolling In The Deep was #2. She is the first living artist to achieve the feat of two top five hits in both the Official Singles Chart and Album Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964. In US, Rolling In The Deep was #1 on Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks and now also #1 in Adult Contemporary Chart for 19 weeks, plus it is the #1 digital download of 2011 at 5.567 million sale, the #1 best selling download by a British artist in the entire digital era.

Someone Like You was #1 in UK, a million seller and the best selling single in UK this year so far. Her live version of Someone Like You in the recent American Music Video Award was simply outstanding, with lots and lots of feelings. Someone Like You just jumped from 19 to Number 1 in US to become her second Number 1 single, and it stayed at Number 1 for 5 weeks, and now it also hit #1 in the Adult Contemparay Chart. Someone Like You has 2.96 million download so far. She also performed it in the Grammys and the Brit Award. I was dumbfounded by how young Adele is to write such an insightful and beautiful song and then she would deliver it with such power against that achingly simple piano.

In Adele's website, she wrote that she came to America when she was 15. Her dad took her on holiday to New York. She remembered going into the then massive Virgin store in Times Square where she thought how amazing it would be to one day have a record in a record shop abroad. Now her dreams have come true with a Number 1 CD in US.

The sound of this album 21 is described as classic and contemporary roots and country music. The change in sound from her first album was the result of her bus driver playing contemporary Nashville music when she was touring the American South. Adele told Spin Magazine that "her bus driver listened to all this amazing country music and they'd rock out late at night, chain smoking and listening to Rascal Flatts". In a recent interview on Radio Two in UK, Adele told the audience of giving up smoking and walking her dog.

This is an amazing album with great music and sound. Adele's voice was in top form. If possible, buy the Deluxe edition with two extra songs. Besides, Adele is having throat problems, ranging from laryngitis to bleeding of the vocal cords. Thus many of her current live concerts are cancelled. At this time, the best and perhaps the only way to appreciate Adele's voice is through this CD. This album is highly recommended.

The only way to see her "live" is through her concert at Royal Albert Hall. This blu ray disc will be released November 29, 2011. Pre-order it now before the price goes up.

Update: More amazing feats for Adele 21 CD:

Currently, it has logged 20 weeks at Number 1 on Billboard 200, thus surpassing even the Titanic reign of 16 weeks and equaling The Bodyguard's reign of 20 weeks. Only 13 albums in the history of Billboard 200 have spent more weeks at #1. Also, the single from Adele's Live At Royal Albert Hall called Set Fire To The Rain has now reached #1 on Billboard Hot 100. Thus Adele 21 CD has set chart history as the only CD with three #1 songs on Billboard Hot 100 while the parent set still regined as #1. Another chart record is that Rolling In The Deep is longevity champion in the Hot 100 as far as No. 1 hit is concerned, currently at 57 weeks. Finally, Someone Like You is the Number 1 song for the year 2011 in UK. Truly amazing feat!

Let's enjoy her return to live in the Grammy Award. It would have been a triumphant return for her after her vocal cord surgery, her first live performance, but unfortunately, it will be overshadowed by the untimely death of Whitney Houston. But enjoy her performance anyway tonight!

More Update:

Adele's live performance at the Grammy Award Show was simply great, with her rousing rendition of Rolling In The Deep. I am glad that her singing voice is back in great form. After sweeping the awards (and thank God she did not drop any F-bomb), she will be very busy this year with her upcoming concerts around the world. Welcome back, Adele!

More Recording-breaking Feats:

Adele's 21 logs a 23rd week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart, pushing it past Whitney Houston's soundtrack to "The Bodyguard" (1992-93) for the longest command for an album by a woman in the chart's 56-year history. The next challenge is Purple Rain by Prince with 24 weeks at the top.

Rolling in The Deep" logs an amazing 243,437,636 on YouTube Views!

Adele's three former Hot 100 No. 1s bulleted into the Hot 100's top 10: "Set Fire to the Rain" holds at No. 2; "Rolling in the Deep," the record and song of the year, which Adele performed at the Grammys, charges back 17-5 (in its 59th chart week - a record for longevity for a Number 1 song); and, "Someone Like You" jumps 11-7. With those advances, Adele is the first woman in the Hot 100's 53-year archives to place three songs in the top 10 concurrently as a lead artist. Only 4 other acts charted 3 or more songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10: Chris Brown (2008), Usher (2004), Bee Gees (1978) and the Beatles.

With Adele's 21 at No. 1 and 19 at No 4 (after 122nd week), only 3 acts earn the honour of having two or more top 5 entries: Adele, 50 Cents and the Beatles.

Adele and the Beatles are the only acts ever to post three songs in the Hot 100's top 10 and two albums in the Billboard 200's top five in the same week.

MORE AMAZING FEATS (March 27, 2012):

"21" has spent the most weeks - 23 - at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for an album by a female artist.
"21" spent its first 39 weeks on the Billboard 200 in the top five, passing Michael Jackson's "Bad" (38 weeks, 1987-88) for the most consecutive weeks in the top five dating to an album's debut.
"Someone Like You" became the first song featuring only vocals and piano accompaniment to top the Hot 100.
On this week's Hot 100, "Deep" spends a 63rd week on the list and "Someone" remains charted for a 37th week, making for an even, and fitting, 100 weeks on the Hot 100 combined for the two former No. 1 songs.

MORE UPDATE (April 13 2012)

Rolling In The Deep has spent a total of 65 weeks on the Hot 100, and is the longevity champion for a number 1 song. The current longevity champion is I'm Yours by Jason Mraz at an amazing 76 weeks, followed by How Do I Live by LeAnn Rimes at 68 weeks. (both songs hit only #3 on Billboard Hot 100)

MORE UPDATE (June 23, 2012)

On June 14, 2012, 21 returned to Number 1 spot on Billboard 200 for 24th week, equalling the records of two soundtracks: Saturday Night Fever and Purple Rain. Amazing feat!

MORE UPDATE: CHART ACHIEVEMENTS FOR 2012 (January 4, 2013)

In 2011, Adele was the first woman to notch three Billboard's biggest year-end honours: No. 1
on Top Artists, No. 1 on Top Billboard 200 Titles (with 21) and No. 1 on Hot 100 Songs (Rolling In The Deep).

Now, with 2012, she becomes the only act to be both the Top Artist of the year again, and 21 is again the No. 1 Billboard 200 album, two years in a row. Furthermore, she is also the No. 1 Adult Contemporary Artist of 2012. In the year-end Adult Contemporary Chart, her song Set Fire To The Rain was No. 2 (beaten by Kelly Clarkson's Stronger (That Doesn't Kill You). Someone Like You was ranked No. 8.

As reported on April 13, 2012, Rolling in the Deep became the longevity champion for a Number 1 song on Billboard Hot 100 at 65 weeks. Sadly, now LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem is the current longevity champion for a Number 1 song at 68 weeks!! Among all acts, only Jason Mraz's No. 6-peaking "I'm Yours" (76 weeks) and LeAnn Rimes' No. 2 hit "How Do I Live" (69) has spent more time on the Billboard Hot 100.

During 2012, her release of the Theme to Skyfall (the latest James Bond film) achieved moderate success. She is happily married with a new child. There will be no concert tours in the nearest future. There probably won't be any heartbreak song in the nearest future too. So treasure the current album 21, which is very special indeed.

If you're new to Adele you may be wondering which cd to buy.

Recently, traveling overseas in the UK and Ireland, every house I visited seemed to have an Adele cd, usually belonging to a teenage girl or young lady. When I inquired further, nobody had anything but good to say about her. Even parents like her.

Upon my return I bought 21 never having listened to an Adele song. By the time I got home from the record store I had listened to most of the album, and immediately ordered her other album 19.

On youtube you may discover a Saturday night live skit about her song Someone Like you where cast members broke into tears when they heard this song. So later when I watched her on video, I had quite a strong emotional reaction to it, which is unusual.

If one talks about Adele either a flattering comparative or a superlative might be in order.

Not since the Beatles has an artist had two top five singles and albums in the UK charts simultaneously. Not since Madonna has a female artist held the number one position in the charts for 12 weeks consecutively before Adele with 21. 231 million views of Rolling in the Deep on youtube. 6.7 million recoreds sold in the USA in 2011. In the Uk it's the bestselling album of the century so far beating Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. Her previous album 19 sold more than 5 million copies. She has sold more than 4.1 million copies of 21 in Britain alone.

Called 21 because that's how old she was when she wrote it. Several songs including Someone Like You and Turn The Tables are relationship driven pieces, inspired by an ex boyfriend, who broke her heart and inspired her art. The major hits are Someone Like You, and Rolling in the deep, although I find all the songs to be high quality. I have been listening to this album in the car, and only this album for about two weeks, and never pressed the skip button once.

In interviews, refreshing and down to earth. Asked on Chelsea Lately about her ex boyfriend, she said: 'I believe he's living in a shabby apartment in London. I am staying in a very nice hotel around the corner.'

Rarely have I experienced a singer who grabs your nervous system and drags you into her emotional world. At once she manages to sound both modern and retro. This album is very well produced, and in addition to her voice, we have great instrumentation with catchy piano fills and intriguing backing vocals from female singers, even a brass section on some tracks. If she reminds me of anyone it's Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man, but she is distinctly Adele..

My only concern for Adele is her vocal issues, surgery with bleeding vocal cords, canceling her American tour. Having undertaken vocal training for several years, I know of several great singers who have lost their voices through flawed technique or overdoing it, the obvious example being Julie Andrews, so she needs to follow a proven successful method adopted by many successful singers, such as the speech level singing method which will protect and nurture her voice. It would be a tragedy if someone as talented as Adele was lost ot the world because of what would be preventable issues.

If you are wondering whether 19 or 21 is better, get 21 first. Her voice is better. The song quality is better overall, the production values are superior. On 21 all the songs are good, and some of the songs are great. Not to say that 19 is not good, just that 21 is better. I love the energy of Rumor Has It, and also Turn The Tables, and Someone Like You is an iconic relatable anthem to lost love. I also love Rolling inb the deep.

One thing that intrigues me about her songwriting is her figures of speech, whether it is the metaphor of turning the tables or can you imagine what it's like to chase pavements, and can you really hit someone with your cold shoulder?

I think you will enjoy it, and I hope this was helpful.

Lately I've been discovering new female artists and I must say that two of the stand-outs are Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) and Adele.

This album is faultless - there is not one bad thing I can say about this disc. Her voice is raw and it soars. 21 is definitely NOT a happy album, so if that's what you're looking for, you won't find that here. These songs make you pause, listen carefully, and clench your fists along with her. A woman scorned writes the best material in this case! A great follow-up to her first disc 19. My favourite track is #9 ONE AND ONLY - I can't really describe it except to say that it's absolutely beautiful (though heart-breaking all the same).