New Music Wednesday!

Each Wednesday, I will (attempt) to review two or three songs that I am hearing for the first time and review them, in an effort to both broaden my own musical tastes and perhaps inspire you to do the same.


Crazy For You and Hometown Glory
Adele, 19, 2008

Winning Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards will certainly get you noticed, and after Adele's big victory on Sunday, I decided that I needed to see what all the fuss was about. Last night I watched her appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly, a show that usually serves only to remind me that Conan is over and that all interesting TV is done for the evening. I need to write a seperate post on how lousy that show is. Enough about that. I kept watching to hear Adele's performance and some of her interview, given that they were dedicating the entire show to her. Immediately her voice commands the room, and as she begins her first song I noticed one of the rare talents she has: namely, the ability to sing softly while still maintaining the power and intensity in her vocals that you would hear from an Ella Fitzgerald or a Mavis Staples. Her singing is hard to describe. Too aesthetically pleasing to be called sultry, and too measured to be called overly passionate. The control she has over every note is impeccable.

"Crazy for You" is accompanied by only a bouncy guitar arpeggio, played by Adele herself in concert. It is a straightforward love ballad and, although it doesn't drag, the lyrics do read a little bit like most other pop songs--which is a shame, given her performance of it. Her voice is great and the recording quality is top notch, but the material is merely mediocre, unfortunately. The fact that the title called to mind the Madonna song and also the boy band/Mickey Mouse club girl era of the late 90's doesn't help. This is her debut album, however, and there is potential in spades. And you could do way, way worse.
Grade: C+

"Hometown Glory" evokes just about the opposite mood, as the piano immediately sets the tone for a more dramatic song. Her voice shines, once again, immediately drawing the listener in. Catchy would be the wrong word to describe it; gripping comes closer. You want to hear where the whole song is going, once it's a few bars in. Fortunately, the lyrics of this song, which she co-wrote, far exceed the limitations of our previous song. Strong and confidently written, this is a far superior song. While the title gives off a Bruce Springsteen kind of vibe, this song better exhibits her voice and her talents as an artist. Almost defiant, it's clear why this song was picked for a single whereas the previous one was not. While it might be the kind of song you have to be in the right mood to hear (and I'm admittedly too upbeat at the moment), I hope she continues to create music like this.
Grade: B+