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Release Date: January 28, 2008 Label: XL Recordings UK Related Sites: · MySpace Page Grade: B

The average age of an American combat soldier in the Vietnam War was nineteen, so went the Paul Hardcastle mid-80's hit, but it's the battle against hype that England's Adele Adkins faces on her titular age debut, 19. Christened "The New Amy Winehouse" (sans drug problem, filthy mouth, erratic behavior and co-dependant jailbird husband) by the British press, Adele has some mighty big expectations to live up to, and large portions of 19 display the enormous talent that everyone is fussing about.

Even if her musical gifts had somehow gone unnoticed, Adele probably still owes her break in the business to Winehouse, whose Back to Black has propelled her to six nominations at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Indeed, record companies looking to cash in on the Winehouse sound would find similarities in Adele, but that doesn't paint the full picture. Her sound is a varied mix of blues, folk and jazz (and less of the Motown feel that Winehouse has recently employed), with a pop sensibility that keeps it all from sounding dated.

Chasing Amy: Young Adele doesn't mind comparisons to fellow Brit Amy Winehouse, but seeks to forge her own identity.

With the exception of the acoustic guitar-only "Daydreamer" (about falling for a bisexual friend) and closer "Hometown Glory" (which celebrates her home city of London), the songs detail the heartbreak of love-gone-bad with soulful honesty, and appreciated lack of vocal calisthenics that other singers (Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston come to mind) would likely bring to the material. She is accompanied by Ben Thomas on guitar, Steve Holness on keyboards, Tom Driessler on bass and Louis Sharpe on drums.

Alternately robust and deeply rich, Adele's vocal delivery is often stellar, with only occasional snatches of immaturity that belie her youth. I could definitely do without the annoying squeaky voice she employs on "Melt My Heart To Stone." "First Love" is a piano-only track distinguished with a tinkling of xylophone. "Cold Shoulder" totally lifts the groove from Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" but so what... it's an increase in tempo that's welcomed. Ditto to the spiffy Lily Allen sound-a-like "Tired."

The first single, "Chasing Pavements," features soaring strings, while "My Same" is finger-popping jazz. One of the highlights is "Right As Rain," a straight R&B gem offering swing beats that contrast with its self-loathing lyric: "Who wants to be right as rain/It's better when something is wrong/I get excitement in my bones even though everything's a strain/When night comes and I'm on my own/You should know I chose to be alone/who wants to be right as rain/It's harder when you're on top."

And then there's "Make You Feel My Love." I can't pretend to be objective about this Bob Dylan tune, because it has too much emotional baggage attached for me. With an ex-lover, it was "Our Song" and whether it was Kelly Clarkson singing it on American Idol, or Billy Joel's slightly-harsh reading, it's just a frickin' awesome song. Heck, "Our Soundtrack" (aka Hope Floats) even sported two versions of the song -- a #1 Country hit for Garth Brooks, and by (future wife) Trisha Yearwood. So, this would ultimately be the litmus test for Adele to win me over. Her rendition is rather true to the Dylan version, despite opening on piano similar to the Brooks cover. Subtle strings accentuate the pre-bridge and there's a tenderness to her delivery, but also a lack of worldliness that keeps it from being completely convincing.

In the end, I'm confident that 19 will withstand the hype and be appreciated for the solid career-starter that it is. All correlations to Amy Winehouse aside, here's hoping Adele finds similar success, without the descent into chaos. The Japanese edition of 19 will be released on March 5th, with three bonus tracks: Sam Cooke cover "That's It I Quit I'm Movin' On," "Now and Then" and "Painting Pictures."