To: Dave
Love: Adam
Date Sent: 9/4/2018
Adele – 21
Release Date: January 24th, 2011
I am quite sure that you are a fan of this album, as evidenced by the few songs that have surfaced on a variety of your playlists. But the album itself deserves more credit than I think I’ve ever given it, let alone the general public. I’ll be honest in revealing that I never fully quite appreciated Adele until 25 was released and Hello dominated every medium it was played on, but I still never got around to listening to her other two records. In fact, I apparently am taking a Star Wars approach to her discography, as I still haven’t tried out her debut album 19, but that is mainly because I refuse to stop listening to 21.
From start to finish, Adele showcases her powerful voice as expected, but the music is worth commenting on too. There is such a perfect balance between the music & her voice, alternating between fast- and slow-paced songs that, honestly, each compete for a mention of favorite song from the album. I truly cannot pick a weak song from this track list, which therefore makes a claim for this to be a better album than 25, in my opinion. Songs 1 thru 6 keep my full attention, although I will admit that Take It All briefly loses me before the horns in I’ll Be Waiting quickly draw me back in. The person(s) who compiled the track list deserve more recognition simply because the timeless Someone Like You rewards the journey of this album into one beautiful final destination.
A sneaky favorite of mine is Lovesong, which I believe I showed to you for the first time, although you’ve known the original song by 311 for over a decade. As far as choosing an actual favorite, I would really need to sit down with headphones and dedicate some time to dissecting each song before a peer-reviewed decision could be made public. At the moment, however, I do not have the luxury of participating in such an activity, so I will give you my 3 current favorites: Rolling in the Deep, Turning Tables, & He Won’t Go. That is a good mix of songs from the album, as I feel each song is different than the other two, whether musically or lyrically. Whatever the case may be, I see a song or two from 21 making an appearance on We Dig Music down the road.
Dave’s Reaction:
First off, Rumor Has It can suck it. OK, we got past that and now I can move on and hopefully sleep later tonight. But Adam, tremendous album choice. As most 32 year old fathers do at 10:30 at night, I am currently listening to Adele’s 2nd album with headphones on. This is my 3rd listen since you have sent the email. Your excitement about the album gives me so much joy. I am very happy that we can experience music together and revere its importance. I wanted you to know that your excitement was appreciated.
I love this album. I do think this is her best record as well. 25 is awesome and absolutely has some #FireJams. 19 is good not great. Give it a listen. Star Wars be damned. Turning Tables is a surprise and demands to be a single, I say! I don’t remember hearing this song or, I guess, appreciating it for what it is. It’s probably my favorite. I’ll Be Waiting is a close #2. Her voice, well, in every song, is so GD perfect and distinct. I get chills and just want to play it for Emery. She is now deciphering between a man and woman’s voice because we continuously force her to listen to music every day. She says “She’s a good singer” or “I like his voice.” She is correct more often than not now and it is fun to share the music with her. Adele may knock her on her ass. But maybe we won’t begin with Rolling in the Deep as the album commands, because there should probably be an age requirement for that song. You can’t submit such pure, raw energy to an innocent soul like Emery without any warning and expect her to just continue to listen to my shitty music all day without her saying “This is not Adele” with a tone.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not at least mention that 311 actually covered The Cure’s Lovesong. The true original. Mr. Robert Smith. Just don’t look directly into those eyes.
The Favorites:
Adam:
Dave: Turning Tables