By shelz.

Over the last decade the UK has flooded the American market with its reverent brand of soul.  Starlets like Joss Stone and Leona Lewis have captured US ears and dollars making them some of the more popular singers on the FM dial.  But the pair that has stood head and shoulders above the pack is Amy Winehouse and Adele.The career arcs are askew and there will never be a friendly competition to see who reigns supreme due to the unfortunate death of Miss Winehouse.  However, the career paths this pair walked even though years apart are similar.  The underground churned when both dropped their first albums, but it was with their sophomore releases, Back to Black and 21 respectively, that they came to US prominence.  11 Grammy’s are shared between the two and they rank 1 and 2 on the list of highest selling UK albums of the century.  But one has to take the crown.

After the jazz influenced, Frank, Amy Winehouse followed her personal aesthetic into the realm of 60’s R&B girl groups with Back to Black.  Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson took production duties, treading close to 60’s reproductions, but still maintaining new millennium freshness. Amy’s total persona recalled the lovelorn, yet innocent vibes of 40 years prior, but there was nothing innocent about her themes or delivery.  She delved into topics that were taboo in that golden period of soul, covering everything from adultery to addiction.  A genuine darkness hovered over her delivery leading everyone to believe she wrote from the heart and was killing herself softly with her own songs.  We were all too right.

Her style was smoky and irreverent, a brash sexiness devoid of the ingénue spirit that dwelled in her favorite time frame.  She was jaded and stubborn, but her love was sturdy.   Amy copped to her addictions (Rehab, Addiction).  She copped to her pain and she even admitted to sitting around waiting on a phone call from your husband (Back To Black).  As much as women try to sweep all of this bad behavior under the rug, Amy used that full, rugged voice to turn the lot of skeletons in her closet into a beautiful heart trending experience.  Still, there are some folks who believe that Adele’s relationship trauma trumps that of Amy Winehouse.

It’s early to predict how 21 will mature, but there’s no denying its artistic power or performance in the commercial realm. Adele’s 2nd album took on the confusion and sadness that a broken relationship evokes.  It wasn’t as in your face as Back to Black.  It appeared Adele was still stewing in her melancholy when she put together 21.  The whys of dissolution were front and center and Adele took them on with beautiful restraint.

Adele used 21 to incorporate roots music into her broad palette of genres, most notably on the vivacious stomp/clap opening to “Rolling In the Deep” and covered The Cure’s goth rock love letter, “Love Song.” “Rumor has it sounds crafted from long before, similar to the work of Amy Winehouse and Set Fire to the rain provides a huge sonic landscape reaching in multiple genre directions.  Even though Adele hops from style to style her vocal range allows her to find her center in all of them.  Her sadness adds to the grit leaving the listener hoping for a quick recovery.  Her voice sailed beautifully above the huge accompaniment and the production was damn near flawless. But which is better?

You decide.  Is it the throw back trashy devotion to wrong that is Back to Black or is it the evocative musical depression of 21?  Only one can make it to the top.

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