Adele - 'Chasing Pavements'

Like Kate Nash, with whom she finds herself so frequently parodied, Adele needs grooming. Her debut album, ‘19’, is good, but perhaps not consistent enough to warrant the tag ‘great’ just yet. That’s not to say that she can’t earn that over time, however, as new single ‘Chasing Pavements’ shows. Take it for what it is, a song, as apposed to a single off an album, and it’s a frighteningly good example of raw talent. As in many of her songs, Adele’s voice resonates effortlessly over what is essentially a very minimal piece of music to such an extent that the lyrics (“about a shit boyfriend”) don’t immediately register. They don’t have to though; Adele’s mystic, and the reason she’s due to pick up the Critics Choice awards at this year’s BRITs is all down to one thing, her voice. It’s certainly one for the future.

Released 21/01/08 on XL Recordings.