While most of us for the past 2 years have lived a somewhat mundane life of work with the occasional awesome moments, Adele’s 21 has ruled the Billboard as best selling Album. You heard right, for the first time the same album finishes as the United States’ best-seller for a second year.
I fell head over heels for Adele when I first heard “Chasing Pavements” from her debut Album 19. Her voice was very other worldly, as if she had lived a grand life. Her lyrics were so sincere I felt like she was a gal pal telling me about her latest romance, “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasin’ pavements?” and as I listened to more of Adele, it was her extraordinary gift of being able to console through her songs that really got me. Her soothing style provided comfort to those who desperately needed it, which I think, is the key to the success of 21.
“We could have had it all, Rolling in the Deep.” I have to admit, with radio overplaying “Rolling in the Deep” like the record was going out of style, I did not fully appreciate the song in the beginning, but on my own time, when listening to the entirety of 21, I became enamored with it like the rest of the world. First of all, the song bleeds soul and secondly, the lyrics are gut wrenching intense. “You had my heart inside your hand and you played it, to the beat.” / “You’re gonna wish you never had met me”. I think every girl who has ever had her heart broken wanted to yell those versus out, but we didn’t need to, Adele was doing it for us and then some. Women all over the world were sulking vicariously through Adele’s own heartache. Upon listening to the rest of the album, it was like discovering one treasure after the next. Each song was explicit as far as her emotions, you felt it, and it was cathartic. “Someone Like You” the albums second hit single became another phenomenon which was parodied on SNL. The skit is absolutely hilarious with Kristin Wiig, Nasim Pedrad, and host Emma Stone in an office crying to the song while scarfing down ice cream, then the office guys join in, even the cleaning guy. Right there is proof positive of the magnitude of Adele’s power and its reflection in all us love-lost souls. “Set Fire to the Rain” became Adele’s third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a serious power ballad and featured a higher level of production in comparison to the other tracks on the album, with its heavy instrumentation and vast string arrangement. “Set Fire to the Rain” was voted by readers of Billboard as their favorite hit of 2012. “Turning Tables” which was the fifth single released from 21, is my favorite. Adele co-wrote the song with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, which was no surprise to me as he is an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. The songs instrumentation of piano, string arrangement & guitar are absolutely beautiful.
To promote the album 21, Adele set out on the Adele Live Tour, but was forced to cancel dates due to a vocal-cord hemorrhage and had to undergo surgery. Prior to attending the BritSchool for Performing Arts & Technology, Adele had no formal vocal training, which was said to have been a contributing factor to her condition. I think every one on the planet was a little freaked out and wondered if Adele would sound the same after her surgery. I may have even lost some sleep worrying about it. We all waited with bated breath for the night she was to make her comeback on the 2012 Grammy Awards. Thankfully, Adele sounded like her harmonious self and ended up winning in all of the 6 categories she was nominated in.
In April 2012 Adele announced that her third album would most likely be at least two years away. She also confirmed in October 2012 that she would write and record the theme song for the twenty-third James Bond film, Skyfall. The song tied with Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” as the highest-charting James Bond theme song on the UK singles chart and was just announced that it has been nominated for Best Original Song at Academy Awards. On October 19, 2012, Adele and boyfriend Simono Konecki welcomed their first child, a son. Jokes came fast and furious that Adele’s next album would be a compilation of nursery rhymes. I guess we all selfishly were hoping she’d stay in “Heartbreak Hotel” for a little while longer. Let’s pray, if anything, the follow up album will have her signature vintage and authentic sound.
It’s pretty rare when an artist comes along that quickly develops a long list of famous admirers with artists like Madonna, Beyonce, and Celine Dion singing her praises. 
Even my man Dave Grohl chimed in, repeatedly praising her in interviews. Adele has received countless accolades, and broken various records. The level of success of 21 is almost ridiculous. Adele was listed as number five in VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music and Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. An artist, who not that long ago, took a job at a local record store in London, just because she wanted to be around the music. How can you not love that?
So if you are counting down, looks like we have about 1 year and 3 months until we get a new Adele record. Hang in there people! Even though Adele has said that she will not write another breakup record, saying, “I’m done with being a bitter witch.” Well she is only 24, there’s plenty of time for things to change, and she’s a new mom so we can always hope for a little postpartum.