Rated Adele - 21.

Wait till you reach 24 love, then the shit really does throw itself into the fan.

It’s been exactly three years since Adele’s stunning debut 19. The album presented this new talent as a formidable player in the new wave of female singers climbing their way into the limelight. Her soft, soulful vocals sounded wonderful on debut single ‘Chasing Pavements’ and conveyed raw emotion on a cover of ‘Make You Feel My Love’. For myself, it was mid-tempo ‘Cold Shoulder’ that packed the biggest punch.

Now the British starlet is back with 21, a coming of age album in a not-so ironic manner. Packed with love songs and anti-love songs, the songs here sound far more mature than those of 19. Lead single ‘Rolling In The Deep’ is a wonderful bluesy ride and Adele’s vocals are, in one word, perfect. “We could have had it all, rolling in the deep, you had my heart in your hand, but you played it to the beat”, sings the country’s pride on a song about revenge.

The highlight of the album is the persistent beating of ‘Rumor Has It’, which glows with a country/blues inspired sound. The song is relentless and the repetition of the title in the chorus will stick in your mind for days. Although the album is clearly country inspired, there are moments more resonant of Adele’s debut, such as the violins of gorgeous ballad ‘Set Fire to the Rain’. ‘Take It All’ and the heartfelt melody of ‘Someone Like You’ are other potent moments in this collection; the former demonstrating a superb vocal performance and some damn lovely lyrics and the latter being, perhaps, the most melodious and lyrically charming song of Adele’s career.

There are no fillers here, which is no surprise considering that there has been such a significant gap between her two releases. Some may find the blues sound of ‘If It Hadn’t Been For Love’ a difficult adaptation, but that’s purely subjective. 21 is the definitive album of 2011, even though the year has only just begun. What it does most importantly, is cement Adele’s position as one of the most authentic artists of her generation and, probably, the most unique.