Posted on 07/03/2008
Adele’s beautiful, aged voice belies her 20 years as it achingly weaves tales of heartache and young love. Yet at times, her debut 19 seems to be an exercise in displaying how many tricks this voice can perform. It’s like a Stuart sketch from MADtv with Adele shouting, ‘Look what I can do!’ before warbling, cooing, cawing and dramatically descending into deeper pitch. Once you pat her on the head and acknowledge such histrionics, you feel the need to pop in a less eager CD. At her best, her acoustic guitar-driven melancholy mirrors Nico, but when she’s really feeling herself, she hits the Mariah extreme of the spectrum and flexes her vocal chords in rambling blobs of emotion. None of this is criminal, but it detracts from the cool, jazzy quality she soundly nails on other parts of the album.

Adele’s voice is most enjoyable when she gets going on uptempo tracks like “Cold Shoulder” and “Right As Rain” where there’s less room for her to impress. She just sings and lo and behold, such a simple method works. Her unique style is put to good use on “My Same” as she contrasts the unlikely qualities that draw her and her perfect match together. It’s a rare glimpse at some energy and flair on this mostly somber album. At other times, on songs like “Crazy For You,” her billowy notes are too clean, a little too voice lesson-y. Yet, this clarity serves Adele well when she puts a tender spin on Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” She rounds out the album with another good story on the moving “Hometown Glory” about her native Tottenham.

Adele’s 19 is a fast-moving set with buoyant lyrics only occasionally bogged down by too much seriousness. Her maturity reflects her jazz influences and sets her apart from many of her fellow, young British contemporaries on the scene. Though it lags in the variety department at times, 19 is an accomplished debut from this talented writer and musician.

- Candace L.