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19 es el álbum debut de la cantautora británica Adele. Fue publicado el 28 de enero de 2008, la semana en que el sencillo principal, «Chasing Pavements», fuera lanzado en formato físico. En su primera semana, el álbum debutó en el primer lugar de las listas en Reino Unido.1 El álbum incluye una versión de la canción de Bob Dylan «Make You Feel My Love». Este álbum le hizo valer a Adele dos galardones en la 51.ª entrega de los Premios Grammy como mejor artista nuevo y mejor interpretación vocal pop femenina por «Chasing Pavements». Se estima que el álbum ha vendido 10 millones de copias.
Adele grabó «Make you Feel My Love» por la recomendación de su representante, Jonathan Dickins, quien amaba la canción. La canción «Hometown Glory» ha aparecido en los programas de televisión Skins, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Hollyoaks, Secret Diary of a Call Girl y más recientemente en So You Think You Can Dance, donde fue bailada por los participantes Kate Shean y Joshua Allen.
En julio de 2008, en una entrevista con Pete Lewis (de la revista Blues & Soul), Adele explicó la razón por la que llamó a su álbum debut «19»: «Solo recuerdo haberme convertido en un poco más mujer en aquel tiempo. Y creo que eso está definitivamente documentado en las canciones.»
La versión taiwanesa fue publicada el 5 de marzo. Además de la lista de canciones normal, el álbum presenta tres bonus tracks: «That’s It I Quit I’m Movin’ On» (lado B de «Chasing Pavements»), «Now and Then» (lado B de «Cold Shoulder») y «Painting Pictures» (lado B de «Make You Feel My Love»). La versión especial de 19 para Indonesia se publicó el 3 de marzo; además de la lista de canciones normal, esta versión presenta un vídeo adicional para «Chasing Pavements».
User Album Review
It's easy to get the wrong impression about Adele. She looks like another Kate Nash, all Top Shop dresses and haircuts that only a mother could love. And the fact that she's been a fuss on MySpace for a while only ups the sense of trepidation. Add to that a Later… debut which came filled to the brim with nervous caterwauling, and hopes for her album aren't pitched particularly high.
This is why it's such a shock that it's a genuinely touching, maturely considered and brilliantly sung opus that belies her titular age. Listening to it for the first time is the aural equivalent of walking into one of those oh-so-quirky little bars that you expect to be filled with bland scenesters and discovering that everyone within is friendly and they're serving the finest soul food to fill you up with.
Pitching up somewhere between blues, folk and jazz, she's included something for everyone without ever pandering to a particular trend. Her melodies exude warmth, her singing is occasionally stunning and, in the dramatic Hometown Glory, the spiky cool of Cold Shoulder (which is unexpectedly reminiscent of Shara Nelson-era Massive Attack) and the piano epic Make You Feel My Love, she has tracks that make Lily Allen and Kate Nash sound every bit as ordinary as they are.
That said, there is a note of caution to be sounded. There's a danger of the hyperbole exceeding the actual potential here: The Brit Awards made her their first ever winner of the Critics' Choice award and the BBC's Sound of 2008 list named her as the most promising new music talent in UK, while one magazine compared her songbook with Leonard Cohen's! While she is undoubtedly good, she's not quite worthy of those accolades yet, as her voice lacks a little soul and her songwriting a little depth.
Adele is a fine prospect and a genuine talent, but just like Amy Winehouse, who went to the same performing arts school, her brilliance will truly shine when she's a little further into her career – though hopefully, she'll be better at handling the astronomical fame that awaits her than the crumbling Mrs Fielder-Civil.
19 is a great start, a solid base to build a career on and a wonderful reminder of just how great our home grown talent can be. Just goes to show that the old adage is true – you really can't go judging a pop star by their cover.
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