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Anyone find Adele's music boring?
Danny_Francis
Posts: 5,656 Forum Member
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Nothing against her talent wise clearly got a good voice and I really enjoyed her first album, I just think her output and range is limited and there are just too many ballads. Quite frankly, I was bored of her by (21 album)
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Yeah. Some people find her boring. Just not their style.
Anyone see her SNL performance last night? Probably not those of you coming to this thread I'd imagine. Well, anyway, it was really amazing. 25 has now sold 1.9 million copies here in the states in 2 days. If you don't care for Taylor Swift, you will be happy to know that it just passed 1989 as biggest selling album in 2015 in the states. In 2 days. But yeah. Some do find her boring.
I think you've nailed it by stating that the output and range is limited. It was reported by various newspapers that there was a writer's block issue a while ago, so if that were true I am left wondering whether the limitations of the output could be linked to that.
Her output is a bit like that of certain female artists with good/great voices in the 90s, who released ballads with very little differences between them (variations on a theme, almost) with the occasional mid-tempo song in between.
Like those artists in the 90s the albums sold well. The masses have a tendency to favour the familiar, though I think that people like my Grandmother who struggle to think of what to buy for Christmas and settle for buying the latest album from a new(ish) artist that Radio 2 have been playing a lot recently help keep the records selling.
Whenever 'Hello' comes on the radio I switch over. I've heard it all before. Low-key vocals with sparse, sombre piano before she belts vocals for a few bars and then back to the low-key vocals etc.
Wonder how close she'll get numbers-wise to the Now That's What I Call Music series for her future album titles?
She's like someone who can't drive who's been given a Ferrari. She still has to walk everywhere.
The same pattern of album titles-19,21, 25
The same ballads on the SAME bloody theme
The same kinda black & white/ moody videos.
This is an artist who's just coasting on a formula that works.
There's no creative development here.
No matter. Music is subjective. Stoked that millions of people like her.
19 and 21 were great albums, each had a couple of great songs and the rest were just the right kind of bland melancholy that makes everyone think she feels how they feel.
25 is more of the same. She's coasting.
I can't say much about 25 as I'm yet to get it and listen to it.
As for the subject? Lots of music has the same subject and her way of formulating things seems to resonate with the GP better than anyone elses. Saying this, I kind of hope that she will be able to widen the lyrical content in the future. Perhaps few more years of experience will help. Or maybe still some more self confidence is needed, what do I know. Songs like Hometown Glory or My Same show that she has it in her. But even if not, I'm not bothered that much. She can go around a relationship and present its different phases, "paint pictures" and describe feelings better than most others.
It's her Weeknd! Heck yeah.
Whilst you are probably right to a large degree, I find it depressing how many young and younger people don't just settle for this kind of mediocre output but actually hail it as ' great' music. I'm most probably in the age range you refer to and tbh if I were given her album for Christmas I would be quite offended that the giver didn't know the album I really want is Bowie's new release due in January. Adele, at 25, has released 3 albums over 5-6 year and already suffered from writers block. Compare to Bowie's copious output and as he approaches his 69th birthday is still producing interesting music like Black Star.
As they say, I may be old but I saw all the best bands!.:D
Adele and artists like her knock that purely subjective idea on the head, clearly millions of people connect in some way to Adele's music. That is there is something in Adele's performance, writing and image that appeals to millions, that's an objective thing. It includes her singing style, subject matter and public personality at least.
Bowie's reputation is very dependent on the people he worked with through his career. Be it Ronson, ENO/Fripp, Nile Rodgers .... many of these creatives helped him as catalysts when he had blocks. And there is a definite falling off in quality late 80s onwards. Although I like the creative revival this millennium. Springsteen might be a better example of someone who has seldom disminished creatively for over 40 years.
Of course this is true and a flawless career that spans 6 decades would be impossible but collaboration has been important to the majority of successful artists from the Beatles with George Martin to, more recently, Any Winehouse and Mark Ronson . I'm always mindful of the respect that Rick Wakeman has for Bowie. He has said that he had never worked with anyone who so clearly knew what they wanted in the studio.
Update: just found this.
http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/press/00/040602creem.htm
That is because, as far as the accountants who now run the mainstream music industry are concerned, that is all that matters, Adele has a formula that shifts in massive quantities and that is all they care about. The actual music is very much secondary in their thoughts.
Un, who do you think used to run music? There's a reason bands like The Beatles and The Stones used to have a album out every single year and an absolute ton of shitty compilations put out. It's a big money business so it's always been run by bean counters.
The music industry in the 1960s and '70s was run by musicians, the big band leaders, etc, from the 1930s and '40s. People who knew and understood the music business, as it was called then. People who knew that an artist wouldn't necessarily have an instant hit and it might take two or three albums for success to arrive. People who would take a punt on an unknown 16-year old like Kate Bush, on the recommendation of a fellow artist, let her develop her sound over a couple of years before releasing her first single and artist.
And the reason why bands then often released an album every year was partly because it was the done thing, there was far less global touring pressure then compared to today, and, more often than not, they had a collective drugs habit to fund.
Today the accountants don't allow that to happen, with the major labels it is instant success and a return on their investment or the artist is dropped. There is very little thought given to long-term artist development, longevity, and sustained success.
It's quite strange. I can only assume they haven't actually listened to the music? 25 is largely an album of looking back at her life now she is in a happy place, and not having regrets about what has happened before.
Rolling in the Deep is a great song, but there aren't many more uptempo songs like that on the new album.
The only really up song on the new album is Send My Love which I enjoyed. She needs more songs like that for more of a balance.
I personally respect her as she clearly has a great voice but musically I find most of what I have heard a bit dull. Chasing Pavements was a superb tune though