Anglo For Your Ear: Adele’s “Hometown Glory”

For the second straight year, a one-named British singer-songwriter has commanded all of the music industry’s buzz. Who knows if Adele will reach Mika‘s level (four top 10 hits since January), but one would hope. She certainly doesn’t pierce the eardrum quite as much. That’s not to say she doesn’t have some vocal tics to overcome, and they are on display in her rendition of “Hometown Glory.” This song rose to great acclaim when BBC DJ Zane Lowe played it back in September, and comparisons to a certain boozy pop idol were thrown out there. Certainly, she has Amy Winehouse‘s lusty timbre, but she doesn’t have Winehouse’s good sense of how to use her voice. Here, she comes dangerously close to 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up” territory. If she can dial back on the melismas, we might have a great new star on our hands.