Adele 19 Album Review

Adele 19 Overview

As a struggling singer-songwriter in the early days of her career, Adele was rejected many times by labels and producers.

Adele's debut album, released in 2008, was called '19' as a reference to the age she was when she wrote and recorded most of the songs on it. The album is autobiographical and tells the stories of love and breakup.

The heartbreak is evident in the lyrics and in the soulful vocals on tracks like 'Daydreamer' and 'Chasing Pavements'. Adele has said that recording the album was a way of dealing with the pain of a breakup. It was released on January 28, 2008 and produced by Jim Abbiss, Mark Ronson, and Eg White.

Album Flow

The album has a total of 12 tracks, with most of them being ballads. The opening track, 'Daydreamer', sets the tone for the album. The second single and third track, "Chasing Pavements", is the highlight track from the album. The song is emotional and about relationships.

For a debut album the track listing is great with no real filler type songs. Adele showed us from the beginning what a great artist she was.

Adele 19 Review of Packaging

A standard single disc vinyl release is available for the 19 album. I find myself enjoying the Expanded edition CD the most for this release. I did not care for the vinyl mastering (more on this later).

The Expanded edition CD includes a bonus disc with an acoustic set live from Hotel Café in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed this and the last track feature Adele with the Raconteurs doing the song "Many Shades of Black".

 Check below for items still available on Amazon.

Adele 19 Deluxe CD

Adele 19 Vinyl

Adele 21 Vinyl/td>

Sound / Mastering / Pressing Quality

I have the original US release of the 19 on vinyl. Honestly it leaves a lot to be desired with the production. My copy has a lot of sibilance in the vocals on the LP. I believe it was mastered for CD and did not get a proper vinyl master.

At first I thought I had a bad pressing but have seen several others mention similar issues. Overall a great collection of songs that I really enjoy but I would love to see it get a proper AAA remaster.

Adele 19 Album Review of Lyrics / Music

Although not as refined as we would see in her next album, 21, the album 19 still offered the world a glimpse of the Adele we would all learn to love and is one of my favorite Adele albums.

Adele's second single "Chasing Pavements" was released in October 2008 and reached number two on the UK charts.

I remember the first time I ever heard Chasing Pavements. It was late one night, and I was just browsing through the music channels on TV. I came across this hauntingly beautiful voice, and I immediately stopped to listen. The song was so sad and emotional, and I could really relate to the lyrics.

I had been chasing after someone who didn't want me, and I felt like I was running in circles. The song spoke to me on a deep level, and it helped me to process my feelings. It was as if Adele had written the song just for me. The song's lyrics detail a lady's mission to give up on her lover and move on in life with a clear objective. Adele was inspired to write "Chasing Pavements" after finding out her partner had been cheating on her, and the fight they subsequently had in an English pub.

Since then, Chasing Pavements has always been one of my favorite songs. Every time I hear it, it still brings back the same emotions that I felt when I first heard it.

Adele's break-out hit, "Chasing Pavements" was followed by two other singles in 2009, "Cold Shoulder" and "Make You Fell My Love."

I didn't like "Cold Shoulder" at all when I first heard it. I think it was the slick production of the song by Mark Ronson that initially turned me off. After some time I have come to enjoy it when I hear it played but still not my favorite song.

"Make You Feel My Love" was another wonderful track on Adele 19. The Bob Dylan written track is the only cover song on 19. She either wrote or co-wrote all the others. This song truly shows Adele's amazing voice and touch on music. You can really feel the passion in Adele's voice as she sings these lyrics.

Adele 19 Review Conclusion

There are so many things to love about Adele. Her voice is one of the most amazing in music and I am always amazed at her ability to convey such raw emotion with just a few words or notes. One thing that may put some people off Adele's work is how emotional she can be, but for me it's what draws me in even more. When we were first introduced to Adele she was already an experienced artist and has only gotten better over time as evidenced by this album which I think is very good but not nearly as great as 21 (my favorite Adele album release). If you like Adele then make sure to check out 19 as it is an excellent album and has some truly great songs. If you're new to Adele I would still recommend Adele 19 as a good place for beginners to start their Adele collection and get familiar with her music before diving into 21 or Adele 25 (which many consider her best work).

For more album reviews, check out our Album Reviews page.

Adele - Chasing Pavements Video

Adele Cold Shoulder Video

Adele 19 Song / Track List1. "Daydreamer"
2. "Best for Last"
3. "Chasing Pavements"
4. "Cold Shoulder"
5. "Crazy for You"
6. "Melt My Heart to Stone"
7. "First Love"
8. "Right as Rain"
9. "Make You Feel My Love"
10. "My Same"
11. "Tired"
12. "Hometown Glory"
Total length: 43:40

Adele 19 Expanded Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Chasing Pavements"
2. "Melt My Heart to Stone"
3. "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On"
4. "Crazy for You"
5. "Right as Rain"
6. "My Same"
7. "Make You Feel My Love"
8. "Daydreamer"
9. "Hometown Glory"
10. "Many Shades of Black" (with The Raconteurs)
Total length: 33:31

Genre: Pop

Release Date: Jan. 28, 2008

Label: XL

Studio: Angel Recording Studios, Bimbos Highline Ballroom, Metropolis Studios, Olympic Studios, RAK Studios, Konk, Roxy, The Townhouse, World Café

Producer: Jim Abbiss, Mark Ronson, Eg White