Its just over a year since I first scrambled through my dictionary for the words to describe the wonder of Adele, and finally some of that magic is about to be captured and released in the form of a limited edition 7″ and free download. Jamie T’s Pacemaker records has the privilege of releasing “Hometown Glory” on October the 22nd, and youre advised to pre-order it quick as they’ll only be 500 copies (cue people buying 10 each and flogging them on ebay for £50, as with Lily/Monkeys etc etc).
London has had its fair share of love songs over the years but rarely as beautiful as “Hometown Glory“. As Adele skips the cracks in the pavement, her chorus soars over the piano proclaiming all the wonders of this world… a woman asks if she is lost, “no and thank you madam, I ain’t lost, just wandering“. The lyrics “I love it in the city when two worlds collide“, or “Shows that we’re united, shows that we ain’t gonna take it” could be taken as a tribute to the multiculturalism of the capital, or as a rebuttal to the London bombings. Alternatively just listen, draw your own conclusions, your own meanings, and enjoy that shiver down the spine.
Obviously this blog making “Daydreamer” its track of 2006, and raving about her live show got her a few dozen fans, but since then its all gone a bit nuclear. She wowed on Jools Holland with a mesmeric version of “Daydreamer”, Lily Allen bigged her up in Rolling Stone, and she was on the cover of The Observer music monthly. Make no mistake this girl will make James Blunt put his khakis back on, leave Melua counting bicycles, and achieve the rare feat of appealing to Norah Jones fans while not actually being anodyne or bland. Of course she sounds nothing like these acts, having more in common with her influences, which range from Jill Scott, Etta James and Billy Bragg (and if those three names aren’t recommendation enough I don’t know what its).
Adele – Myspace / XL artist page
Listen:
Adele – “Hometown Glory (Radio edit)” (MP3 – removed)
Visit BRIT School (Class of 2005) to grab an early MP3 of her performing “My Same” – then visit her myspace to hear how much the songs changed.
Live:
Enter a Q-Magazine competition to see her live.
Watch:
Adele – “Hometown Glory (Live in Lancaster Library)” (Youtube)
Adele – “Daydreamer (Live on Later with Jools Holland)” (Youtube)
