ADELE

Review: Now announcing her latest album 30, it's been Adele's longest ever hiatus between albums. Biting back at media hype earlier this year, our worries that 30 would be a "drum and bass record to spite you", in Adele's own words, have been assuaged; its lead single 'Easy On Me' is rather a dramatic, roomy, noir piano ballad. And now that the tracklist has been revealed, we can expect more of the same - belting emotion is, of course, what Adele does best. Watch out for interluding and ending collabs with Erroll Garner and Chris Stapleton, as well as the intimately titled 'I Drink Wine'.

Review: Already the winner of a Brit Award (Adele was voted the 'Critics Choice' - the most exciting new British artist expected to 'make it big' in 2008),
'19' is Adele's debut album. Citing influences as diverse as Etta James, Jill Scott, Bjork, Dusty Springfield, Billy Bragg, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley,
The Cure and Peggy Lee, Adele also recently completed her first solo UK tour, having toured previously with the likes of Jack Penate, Jamie T,
Raul Midon, Amos Lee and Devendra Banhart. '19' contains both her debut track 'Hometown Glory' and her smash single 'Chasing Pavements'.
Blues tinged and melancholic, Adele describes 'Chasing Pavements' as 'It's me being hopeful for a relationship that's very much over. The sort
of relationship you hate when you're in it, but miss when you're not'. A hymn to lost love and regret, 'Chasing Pavements' follows Adele's first
limited edition single 'Hometown Glory', which introduced her to the world to much critical acclaim, with NME calling it 'totally, absolutely beautiful',
Q Magazine calling her 'The voice of next year' and The Sunday Times saying 'A Star Is Born'