21

by Adele

Overview

Adele's 2009 debut album, 19, was a Grammy-winning smash hit that revealed the British singer/songwriter's knack for bittersweet soul and folk-infused love songs that brought to mind an infectious mix of Dusty Springfield and Terry Callier. The album earned her a ton of fans, and interest was high for the inevitable follow-up. In many ways, her sophomore album, the similarly age-appropriate-titled 21, is a continuation of the sounds and themes Adele was working with on 19. She is still the bluesy pop diva with a singer/songwriter's soul and seemingly bottomless capacity for heartbreak. The best thing the album does is to showcase Adele's titanic vocal ability, which -- more than a few times on 21 -- is simply spine-tingling. Last time around we got the gauzy, Callier-esque folk-soul ballad "Daydreamer" to slowly draw us into the album; here, Adele immediately injects us with the propulsive gospel fever-blues anthem "Rolling in the Deep." While the track certainly owes a heavy debt to the punk-blues of Beth Ditto and the Gossip, it is also ridiculously sexy and one of the best singles of any decade. Elsewhere, we get tracks like the blues-inflected Ryan Tedder co-write "Rumour Has It" and the old-school-style soul cut "He Won't Go," which are terrifically catchy, booty-shaking numbers and exactly the kind of songs you want and expect from Adele. Similarly enthralling is the centerpiece of the album, the mega-ballad showstopper "Take It All." Co-written by her "Chasing Pavements" partner Francis White, the song begins with Adele proclaiming "Didn't I give it all?" Delivered starkly at first with Adele set against simple piano accompaniment and later backed by a gospel choir, it's an instant-classic sort of song in the tradition of "The Rose," "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going," and "All by Myself" that could stand over the years as a career landmark for the singer and a cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol's Pyrrhic lovelorn persona. Ultimately, Adele does give us her all on 21, and for now that is enough. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/2020
Label:	Xl
UPC:	0191404113813
Rank:	213

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Adele   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Peter Lale   Strings
Rita Manning   Strings
Stephen Morris   Strings
Patrick Kiernan   Strings
Caroline Dale   Strings
Jo Allen   Violin,Strings
Emma Owens   Violin,Strings
Natalia Bonner   Violin,Strings
Smokey Hormel   Guitar
Rachel Bolt   Strings
Carmen Carter   Choir/Chorus
James Poyser   Piano
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Ryan Tedder   Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar (Electric)
Pino Palladino   Bass
Matt Sweeney   Guitar
Cathy Thompson   Strings
Neil Cowley   Piano
Julian Leaper   Strings
Warren Zielinski   Strings
Dan Wilson   Piano
Amy Stanford   Violin,Strings
Chris Dave   Drums
Bruce White   Strings
Noel Langley   Trumpet
Chris Worsey   Strings
Lucy Shaw   Violin,Strings
Chris Laurence   Strings
Stephanie Bennett   Harp
Terry Young   Choir/Chorus
Boguslav Kostecki   Strings
David Daniels   Strings
Jackie Shave   Strings
Paul Epworth   Bass,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Carmen Twillie   Choir/Chorus
David Hidalgo   Banjo,Accordion
Jane Oliver   Violin,Strings
Jim Gilstrap   Choir/Chorus
Oren Waters   Choir Director
Emlyn Singleton   Strings
Ben Thomas   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Ray Carless   Sax (Tenor)
The Wired Strings   Strings
Rosie Danvers   Violin,Strings
Julia Tillman Waters   Choir/Chorus
Josef Powell   Choir/Chorus
Eleanor Mathieson   Violin,Strings
Fraser T. Smith   Piano,Guitar (Bass)
Harry Brown   Trombone
Ruston Pomeroy   Violin,Strings
Jenny Sacha   Violin,Strings
Ash Soan   Drums
Tom Pigott-Smith   Strings
Leo Taylor   Drums
Hayley Pomfrett   Violin,Strings
Jerrod Bettis   Drums,Guitar (Acoustic)
Stephanie Cavey   Violin,Strings
Kotono Sato   Violin,Strings
Lorna Maxine Waters   Choir/Chorus
Natalie Bonner   Violin
James Gilstrap   Choir/Chorus
Steve Morris   Strings
Ray Charles   Sax (Tenor)

Technical Credits

Andrew Scheps   Mixing
Kevin Metcalfe   Mastering
Mark Rankin   Engineer,Engineer
Boris Williams   Composer
Lol Tolhurst   Composer
Greg Fidelman   Engineer
Greg Wells   Composer
Roger O'Donnell   Composer
Ryan Tedder   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,String Arrangements
Porl Thompson   Composer
Rick Rubin   Producer
Adele   Design,Producer
Dan Wilson   Composer,Producer
Dan Parry   Assistant,Vocal Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Simon Gallup   Composer
Paul Epworth   Composer,Producer
Jim Abbiss   Mixing,Producer
Tim Hanseroth   Composer
Michael Henderson   Composer
Adele Adkins   Composer,Producer
Tom Elmhirst   Mixing
Beatriz Artola   Engineer
David Campbell   String Arrangements
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Robert Smith   Composer
Francis White   Composer
Rosie Danvers   String Arrangements
Isabel Seeliger-Morley   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Chris Elliot   String Arrangements
Steve Price   Engineer,String Engineer
Lauren Dukoff   Photography
Phil Lee   Design
Lindsay Chase   Production Coordination
Fraser T. Smith   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Harry Brown   Horn Arrangements
Dana Nielsen   Editing,Pro-Tools
Ian Dowling   Mixing
AJ Clark   Assistant
Rodaidh McDonald   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Phillip Broussard Jr.   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Sara Lyn Killion   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Christopher Stapleton   Composer
Philip Allen   Engineer
Paul Thompson   Composer