|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| UK Soul Singer Adele Returning to the States Following her performance at the 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival in July, the critically acclaimed UK soul singer Adele will return to the states in late August for a quartet of concert appearances including a set at Seattle's annual Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival on Monday, September 1. Adele's upcoming US mini-tour marks the artist's first stateside performances since her sold-out North American headline tour in late spring of this year. During her spring tour, Adele appeared on the "Today Show, " "Good Day New York, " the "CBS Saturday Early Show, " "Late Show with David Letterman, " and "Access Hollywood." While in the states, Adele is scheduled for several high-profile television appearances including "The View" on September 3 and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on September 4. Things are heating up for Adele whose debut album, 19, debuted at #1 on the UK charts and was recently shortlisted for the 2008 Mercury Prize, the prestigious annual music prize awarded for the year's best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. The 2008 Mercury Prize will be announced on September 9. "Chasing Pavements, " Adele's current single and video, has been the #1 Most Watched clip in VH1's XXL rotation while the track is currently picking up adds and hitting #34 on the nation's Hot AC charts. Adele is a VH1 "You Oughta Know" featured artist. Released in the US on June 10, 19 has sold more than 84, 000 copies in the states and is consistently selling upwards of seven thousand pieces a week. In the digital realm, "Chasing Pavements, " a Starbucks "Pick of the Week, " has scanned more than 65, 000 units while "Hometown Glory, " Adele's first UK single, has scanned more than 35, 000 digital tracks in the US. "Hometown Glory" was featured on "So You Think You Can Dance" on July 2 as well as the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" on May 21. A third Adele single, her cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love, " has already scanned more than 18, 000 digital tracks. The stateside press on Adele and 19 has been ecstatic: " ... a penchant for powerful soul ... " - Interview " ... passionate virtuosity proves stunning ... " - Black Book " ... the highly touted British newcomer delivered a knockout performance of acoustic R&B-tinged pop, one of those tiny shows that will become legendary years from now when she's a star." - Minneapolis Star Tribune " ... she gives goose bump-inducing performances ... ." - Access Hollywood " ... a unique show-stopper who jazzily plucks pretty notes out of the air or bends them to fit the emotion she's trying to convey." - Newsday " ... endearing charm and powerhouse pipes of a bona fide star ... " - The Washington Post "With a knockout voice that's rich and supple, robust and sultry, it's hard to believe this singer-songwriter is barely out of her teens, " wrote People magazine, who gave 19 a four star review and proclaimed "Adele is Britain's Best New Singer." Born in London on May 5, 1988, Adele (nee Adele Adkins) has been the toast of the UK music press and record buying public since the October 2007 release of her first single, "Hometown Glory, " an autobiographic heart-rendering ode to London. In December 2007, Adele became the first recipient of the Brit Awards' newly inaugurated Critics Choice prize, presented to the year's most significant artist who, at that time, had yet to release an album. She was also honored as the winner of BBC Music's Sound of 2008 poll - a consortium of UK music critics, editors and broadcasters - as the most promising new musical artist likely to emerge in the upcoming year. XL Recordings (the influential independent label whose UK roster includes The White Stripes, M.I.A., Radiohead, Vampire Weekend, Devendra Banhart and more) released the UK edition of her debut album, 19, on January 28, 2008, the week following the introduction of the album's lead-in single, "Chasing Pavements" (which became the UK's #1 Airplay Single). 19 entered the UK Album Chart at #1 while "Chasing Pavements" held onto its #2 spot on the UK singles chart and "Hometown Glory" entered the UK singles chart at #32, meaning that new artist Adele had the UK's #1 album and two Top 40 singles all in the same week. 19 has been certified Platinum in the UK, where it has sold more than 350, 000 copies, and has charted Top 10 or better on the Irish Album Chart (#3), the Dutch Album Chart (#4), Billboard's European Top Albums Chart (#6) and the United World Chart (#8). Praise of Adele and her music has been reverberating throughout the UK mainstream and underground music press: The Observer's Music Monthly's "New Faces 2008" (December 30, 2007) correctly predicted that Adele " ... will begin 2008 as one of the year's most hotly tipped singers." In January 2008, The Observer Music Monthly section gave 19 a five star review simply stating that "Of all 2008's female vocalists, none is as great as this one ... ." Q called her a "Teenage Londoner with the voice of a Motown diva ... " while The Sun pointed out that "It's clear to see and hear why Adele Adkins is going to be 2008's breakthrough star ... . She is the owner of a remarkably bluesy, soulful voice ... ." The London Evening Standard summed it up saying: " ... Adele's the real thing ... ." Elle UK proclaimed Adele "a face to watch" in its December 2007 Hotlist. Since launching her MySpace page (myspace.com/adelelondon) on New Year's Eve, 2004, Adele has received more than 4.4 million profile views and 4.3 million total plays of her songs. Adele signed in the states with Columbia Records in a joint venture with XL Recordings, her worldwide label. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |