What made Adele -- the latest promising one-named British import, following Duffy and Estelle -- so surprising at the Highline Ballroom wasn't her remarkable voice (though I guess in these days of pitch correction, the way she was able to recreate and, in some cases, improve on the vocals from the recorded versions on "19" is stunning in its own right). It was her charming personality and the delightful poise of a 20-year-old clearly still trying to figure out what is going on.
She gasped in shocked appreciation when the crowd began singing her single "Chasing Pavements" back to her. She revealed that she was wearing Spanx, that the pineapple juice wasn't helping her voice, and that she was more of a Miranda than a Carrie, even though she bought a pair of Manolo Blahniks that she intended to wear onstage and then kick off because, "I can't really walk on high heels."
It was her charm that made all the songs from "19" so much better live than on record, another example of why the music industry's ongoing shift from searching for video-friendly one-hit wonders to bonafide live acts who can tour may actually help it survive in the long run. Of course, Adele would've been signed regardless, a unique show-stopper who jazzily plucks pretty notes out of the air or bends them to fit the emotion she's trying to convey.
Adele apologized for the lack of uptempo songs on her "dramatic, melancholy" album, though the irresistible groove of the Mark Ronson-produced "Cold Shoulder" was strong enough to hold up the entire hour-long set, along with "Right as Rain" and "Tired." And when the ballads are as strong as "Daydreamer" or "Crazy for You," no one will complain anyway.
SETLIST: Right as Rain / Melt My Heart to Stone / Daydreamer / Dreaming of You / Cold Shoulder / First Love / Make You Feel My Love / Tired / Hometown Glory // ENCORE: Crazy for You / Fool That I Am / Chasing Pavements
PHOTO: adele.tv