Timbre Tantrum

That voice.  It knocks the wind out of you upon first listen, leaving your mouth agape, gasping for air.  For her sophomore release, 21, Adele Atkins powerhouse vocals take the driver’s seat, resigning super producers Paul Epworth (Florence + the Machine, Kate Nash), Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Dixie Chicks), Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson), Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks), and Fraser T. Smith (Cee Lo Green, Taio Cruz) to build music around her rafter-rattling pipes.  And that they do, letting Adele’s voice vacillate between styles in blues, country, and soul-tinged tracks.

For an album that could have easily spiraled into a genre-hopping grab bag, Adele infuses her vocal performances in 21 with impassioned intensity, grit, and raw vulnerability.  The album’s opening track and debut single, “Rolling in the Deep,” assembles hand claps, gospel-style backing vocals, and a whumping kick drum to build a legitimate soul barn burner.  Similarly, “Rumor Has It,” utilizes the same raw materials with a tough-as-nails bite from Adele.  Other standout tracks include the syncopated subtleties of “He Won’t Go,” the exuberant horns of “I’ll Be Waiting,” and “One and Only,” a Motown-style track which deftly showcases Adele’s unvarnished guttural wail.

While there is a lot here to praise, 21 falls short is in its heavy reliance on down-tempo power ballads to exhibit Adele’s powerful pipes.  Yes, the girl can sing, but let her have a little fun in the process.  For “Don’t You Remember,” a winsome country twang can’t save the song’s overwrought and melodramatic leanings.  The album could also be well-served by a shuffle in the track listing.  After barreling through the record’s first two high-energy tracks, the album slams on the brakes, not fully recovering its pace until track eight.  One thing is clear, with 21, Adele rightfully pulls away from the pack of Brit-soul exports who rose to stardom when the Winehouse bubble burst.

Timbre Tantrum’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, is available now from XL Recordings / Columbia Records.

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British soul songbird, Adele, set a 40-day, 22-date North American tour in support of her forthcoming sophomore LP, “21.”  The tour kicks off in Washington, DC on May 12^th, and runs through June 20^th in Nashville, TN.

Tickets for the tour dates go on sale to the public this Friday, February 11^th, but pre-sale tickets for fans go on sale Wednesday, February 9^th at 12 PM EST / 9 AM PST exclusively from Adele’s Official Website.

Also, beginning today, Adele’s “21” is streaming in full at NPR Music.  Be sure to get your first listen before the album hits stores!

Adele North American Tour Dates

5/12 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
5/13- Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
5/15- Boston, MA – House of Blues
5/16- Montreal, QC – Olympia Theater
5/18- Toronto, ON – Kool Haus
5/19- New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
5/23- Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
5/24- Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
5/26- Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
5/28- Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
5/29- Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
5/31- Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
5/31- Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
6/1- Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
6/3- Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
6/4- San Francisco, CA – The Warfield Theatre
6/8- San Diego, CA – Humphreys by the Bay
6/9- Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
6/12- Austin, TX – Stubbs Waller Creek
6/15- Dallas, TX – House of Blues
6/17- Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
6/18- Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
6/20- Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, releases January 24^th (UK) and February 22^nd (US/CAN) from XL Recordings / Columbia Records.

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In celebration of her forthcoming album, 21, Adele is broadcasting her sold out one-off performance at London’s Tabernacle today via live webcast on her official website.  The full-length concert will feature performances of brand new tracks as well as songs off of Adele’s debut album, 19.

The live webcast concert takes place today at 20:30 GMT, which for her stateside fans, translates to 3:30 PM EST/ 12:30 PM PST.

Tune in for the webcast at Adele’s Official Website.

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, releases January 24^th (UK) and February 22^nd (US/CAN) from XL Recordings / Columbia Records.

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The video for Rolling in the Deep, the first single off of Adele’s forthcoming Sophomore LP, depicts a home left in ruins after a relationship ends.

“Its a pretty tense video, slow building and quietly atmospheric,” Adele told Spinner.com. “I wanted the feel of it to be somber but still wanted an icy vibe about it too so it matched the song. I’m not really into doing themed videos with dance moves and proper story lines because I’m not very good at it, so working with Sam Brown was perfect as he’s a fan of simplicity. I think he captured the song really really well — he got it from one listen.”

Check out the video, helmed by award-winning UK-based video director Sam Brown, below.

You can download Adele’s lead single, Rolling in the Deep, now on iTunes.

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, releases January 24^th (UK) and February 22^nd (US/CAN) from XL Recordings / Columbia Records.

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Adele returns to the spotlight for her highly anticipated follow-up to 2008’s debut album, 19.  The first single Rolling in the Deep, written and produced by Adele and producer Paul Epworth (Florence + the Machine, Bloc Party), is set to release January 16^th (UK).  According to Adele, the track is a “dark bluesy gospel disco tune.”

Of her sophomore release, Adele writes on her website, “I’m very excited, nervous, eager, anxious but chuffed to announce my new album! It’s taken a while and it knocked me for six when writing it. It’s different from 19, it’s about the same things but in a different light. I deal with things differently now. I’m more patient, more honest, more forgiving and more aware of my own flaws, habits and principles. Something that comes with age I think. So fittingly this record is called 21. Everyday something happens that affects me, whether it be relationships, events, something I hear, something I see or something I feel. All of which is helping define me and turning me in to who I’m becoming. The whole reason I called my first album 19 was about cataloging what happened to me then and who I was then, like a photo album you see the progression and changes in a person throughout the years.”

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, releases January 24^th (UK) and February 22^nd (US/CAN) from XL Recordings / Columbia Records.

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