I will not be unfaithful to Diana Krall, but boy, after watching this performance of the UK soul singer Adele at the Grammys, I am sorely tempted. Man, this woman can sing! No wonder they gave her a standing ovation. I would have stood for a damn hour!
G-diddy says: “Rolling in the Deep” is the exact melody of “Gimme Shelter.”. Google it. Someone did an aural mashup on YouTube. Quite revealing.
Polichinello says: Just keep her away from the Bobby Browns of the world.
B. Minich says: Adele is probably the first real voice my generation has heard live. I love love love that voice.
Noah G. says: Have to say Rod, this one’s even better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fmCoUjOMXU
This was the first live performance I’d seen of hers, and I’d only heard the song once or twice on the radio. Needless to say, I was a fan afterward.
cecelia says: spectacular voice – so soulful – can listen to her sing for hours!
Mitchell Young says: One of the reasons the UK produces such a great lot of musicians is that there are so many venues. On Friday nights, late, there’s a show on BBC where they literally will have 10-12 acts on live TV, one after the other, no stopping for interviews. A lot of it is, of course, rubbish, but every once in a while a gold nugget will pop up. Wish I could remember the show’s name — do remember it’s hosted by the keyboardist for Squeeze.
Having said that, I much prefer the authenticity of a Kate Rusby (for example) to ‘blue eyed soul’.
Peter H says: Here’s a theory as to why we respond to Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and other songs that generate an emotional response.
Elizabeth Anne says: G-Diddy – …no, it doesn’t. it has a similar chord structure, but an awful lot of songs do. The point of a mashup isn’t that the songs are identical or have the same melody but that you can manipulate them in such a way that they work together. Notice that huge chunks of “Rolling in the Deep” weren’t used in the mashup.
Bruce Ross says: I keep in such close touch with pop culture, I’d never heard of Adele until she set or matched some kind of Grammy record last night.
But boy howdy, yes, she’s good.
I love Adele. The rest of her music is just as incredible. Just rich, soulful, amazing. And yes, I hope that she does not live a dysfunctional life that will drag her down and leave us too early.
Maxine says: I had thought “Rolling in the Deep” was fatally overplayed and I thought I was tired of it. But this performance was a revelation. Amazing. She rules, case closed.
Lulu says: Polichinello: what a perceptive and non-misogynistic thing to say! You do have a heart.
JonF says: Agreed– and finally someone who has risen to the top mainly because she can sing extremely well, not because she is a hottie or puts on outrageous acts.
John M. says: I totally agree. Plus, she is not a damn stick figure model but a woman with a real body, no ridiculous pyrotechnics needed.
TJ says: Also love the unintentional contrast the Grammy producers provided by having her sing right after Katy Perry.
Brett R. says: I like Adele, or I guess I more admire her than actually like her enough to put her in my regular listening rotation. I’m a staunch Amy Winehouse (RIP) loyalist as far as British female soul singers go, and all others- even Adele- pale in comparison. As great as Adele is, I’m sorry, but she just can’t compete with this.
Mitchell Young says: “Mitchell, you’re thinking of Later with Jools Holland”
That’s the one — thanks Richard.
Awesome times!!! If you haven’t seen the video for “Rolling in the Deep,” you should check it out. I walked into a department store during the summer, and it was playing on a screen at the back of the room. The images were haunting, and the tune was in my head for days. That was my first exposure to Adele. She’s absolutely brilliant!
Polichinello says: Lulu,
My statement was paternalistic, though, if not downright patriarchal.
Lulu says: That’s fine, Polichinello, I’ve known a few loving patriarchs in my day.
Adele can sing and is one of my wife’s favorites. This is pretty much what DVRs were made for, as she recorded the Grammy’s, watched Adele sing and win some awards and could fast forward through Nikki Minaj performance. She’ll probably see something about the controversy in a wrap-up article, but for her it’s like it wasn’t even part of the show.