@Anela Reid

Mostly Bali Baby tracks

The singer born Adele Adkins honed her now legendary voice as a kid in her South London bedroom, listening to Etta James every night for an hour. But as soon as she made her television debut at age 19 in 2007, all potential comparisons evaporated: This girl with whopping hoop earrings and a pub landlady’s brashness had something unique. Heartbreak, indignation, and regret all found a natural home in her regal mezzo-soprano, the instrument that powered her 2008 debut album, <i>19</i> (which featured the brassy “Chasing Pavements”), and 2011’s <i>21</i> (the fiery “Rolling in the Deep,” the heart-wrenching "Someone Like You"). It took just one word to reintroduce her in 2015: “Hello,” she sang during an <i>X Factor</i> ad break, unveiling her third album, <i>25</i>, in the process. Songs like the swirling “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” and the pensive “Water Under the Bridge” helped it become yet another global chart-topper. In 2021, Adele released <i>30</i>, which grappled with motherhood, the aftermath of her divorce, and—perhaps most surprisingly—happiness amid life’s upheavals.

We'll admit it: “Chasing Pavements” chokes us up, “Make You Feel My Love” gives us goosebumps, and “Someone Like You” makes us full-on weep. Adele could wrench a tear from a drill sergeant, and this collection of show-stopping numbers confirms her status as the most powerful balladeer of her generation.