Name: 21
Brand: Adele

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

XLLP520

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-04-14

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

634904052010

Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

XLCD520

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Adele

Genre GB

Label GB

Adele is a British singer born on May 5, 1988 in London, England, United Kingdom. With her powerful and soulful voice, she has captivated audiences worldwide. Known for her heartfelt lyrics and emotional performances, Adele has become one of the most successful artists of our time.

Her debut album "19" was released in 2008 and received critical acclaim. It showcased her incredible vocal range and established her as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Adele's follow-up album "21" was even more successful, earning numerous awards including Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

Adele's music resonates with listeners from all walks of life. Her songs often explore themes of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. Whether she is belting out a power ballad or delivering a tender acoustic performance, Adele's raw talent shines through in every note.

An independent record label, XL Recordings was launched in 1989 by Richard Russell and his team. Originally an off-shoot of City Beat Records, XL quickly became known for releasing rave and dance music. Over the years, XL has grown to become one of the leading labels in the industry, managing a roster of talented artists including *Leah Riches*, *a6001996*, and *a60243*. In 1996, XL officially incorporated and became the copyright-holder of its releases. To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2004, XL launched their XLXV series of re-issues. Today, they continue to thrive as a pioneering force in the music world.

Our curated collection of essential albums on vinyl, CD, and tape at Rough Trade.

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Adele's 2009 debut album, 19, was a Grammy-winning smash hit that revealed the 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. If the tastefully organic production and overabundance of well-known co-writers come off a bit too on-the-nose in terms of delivering to fan expectations, then 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 -- and, unfortunately, completely sets the bar way too high for everything else on 21. An inordinate amount of the material on 21 is about yearning for lost love. In fact, the centerpiece of the album, the mega-ballad showstopper "Take It All" -- co-written by her "Chasing Pavements" partner Francis White -- 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. For others, over the course of the album, that persona and the insistence of track after track of heartbreak can get a bit alienating. Ultimately, however, Adele does give us her all on 21, and for now that is enough.

Music GB

Discover 21 by Adele - the Grammy-winning follow-up to her debut album. Available in LP and CD formats from XL label.