I’m usually late when “discovering” new artists across genres. This is no exception. A few months ago, while flipping channels, I came across the music video for her song “Rolling in the Deep” and I was hooked. I frantically switched through radio stations to find her songs. I added an “Adele” station on Pandora (and, by doing so, was introduced to amazing artists and songs that I had somehow missed up to this point). And I purchased her most recent album, 21.
Her music is a wonderful mixture of jazzy, soulful notes, and it’s been my perfect companion for writing or drowning out the world around me.
Out of all her songs, though, my favorite is “Rolling in the Deep” -something about the rhythm and beat of this song just gets me every time. It’s one of those songs where, if I’m driving, I’ll open the sunroof (or lower the windows), raise the volume, and just let the music consume me. It’s got attitude.
Editing this post to add:
While my husband and son sleep, I sit in the still, quiet morning with my headphones on, listening to Adele’s recent album, and it hits me while listening to “Someone Like You” –her songs remind me of heart ache and passion, and they remind me of someone sitting in a (coffee) bar, writing to make sense of the world and herself. They also remind me, in some remote fashion, of the canciones de cantina from Colombia that my father and grandfather listened to. These were the songs in the local bars, where men would go drown their sorrows. “Senora Maria Rosa” is one that comes to mind right now. But that image is the only thing that links these two.
Perhaps it’s the strong keyboard presence in the music.
Perhaps it’s the lyrics.
Or perhaps it’s the hue of sadness that paints these songs.
Alexandra Alessandri 