REVIEW: ADELE - 21

Sometimes an Artist just has to get hurt to record an amazing Album and that is the case with British Singer/Songwriter Adele's sophomore effort, 21. And does it ever hurt so good. It is quite astounding how polished a product the Set is compared to the double Grammy winner's debut from 2008, 19, and all it took was a bit more of a budget and the masterful production of some helping hands like Rick Rubin (Josh Groban, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Paul Epworth (Florence & The Machine), Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks), Fraser T. Smith (Cee Lo) and Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic). 21 is an immaculately-produced collection of songs which deliver truly on the promise shown in being awarded a Critics' Choice Award at The Brits before even releasing a full-length album.

The Disc captures perfectly the emotions one might experience post-breakup - that endless fluctuating between angst, lust, revenge and ultimately forgiveness. First single Rolling in the Deep soars high with its big Chorus, with Adele reflecting upon what could've been if it weren't for his "playing her.... to the beat". Adele leaves things open-ended for a brief moment, but quickly clarifies what happened  exactly in this love-gone-wrong, revealing on the gritty track Rumour Has It, that there might have been a bit of a wandering eye in this older Man with a taste for younger Women. Produced by Tedder, Adele manages successfully to maintain control of the track, refusing to let it sound like every other hit he has produced in recent memory. Turning Tables, also co-written by Tedder, is much in the same vein as Adele's earlier Hometown Glory with its euphoric piano arpeggios, strings and a mood darkened by her examining those hard feelings she still harbours which have in effect strengthened her.

21 features a strong selection of Ballads, tugging insistently on the heartstrings. Wilson adds a bit of Country flare to the album's most gorgeous ballad Don't You Remember, a likely candidate as a follow-up single with its crossover potential to a Stateside audience. The same could be said about Someone Like You, another winning collaboration with Wilson which appears late.

CEE LO GREEN - THE LADY KILLER REVIEW

It's this year's Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) in the sense that it is rare that a Traditional R&B/Soul album finds crossover success in this day and age.  Soulful Cee Lo Green releases his third solo studio effort The Lady Killer after a brief turn in the duo Gnarls Barkley, which saw the massive Billboard Hot 100 Chart number two hit single Crazy in 2006.  Back again and front-and-center where he belongs, Green is a star in a genre where Male Vocalists have been lacking for quite some time.

We've all heard Fuck You, or depending which part of the world you're located, FU or Forget You. The Smeezingtons-produced (includes Bruno Mars) hit has caught-on internationally with its Curtis Mayfield-like Motown swagger, appealing even to the most wholesome of demographics, with Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow just having covered it on Glee. Ideally, it would have been great if they could have lent their hands to a couple more collaborations here considering the magic they achieved together. But is Green a one-hit-per-album type artist? The Lady Killer certainly would prove that assumption wrong.

Bright Lights Big City is classic R&B, the type Smokey Robinson and and The O'Jays made, punctuated with the presence of a String Section; a fitting follow-up to the thrill of the album's first single. Green helps the amazing Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Hudson, Fergie) in co-producing the track Love Gun, taking a backseat to Guest Vocalist Lauren Bennett for a moment. What results is a bit of a James Bond-type moment, which works considering that much of the album is an homage to another era.

Satisfied is delightfully sunny and instantly likable, while Cry Baby owes much credit to some fantastic Horns as without them, it is just another sweet Motown number. Both tracks are produced by Fraser T. Smith, who has had a hand in some greatest tracks in recent memory, namely Broken Strings (James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado) and Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz). Green digs deeper emotionally on another Remi collaboration Old Fashioned, which really would have already been a fitting tight finish to the album, over No One's Gonna Love You.