After Adele Atkins’s debut album 19, came the astounding and talented collection of songs titled, 21. Also named after the age she was when she wrote the songs, 21 was released in hopes to be equally as successful as her first album; well it did much greater than that. What was originally released in the UK, went triple platinum in the US and had singles that were number one on billboards for weeks. I’m sure most of us have been “Rolling in the Deep,” for a while now. This best-selling album captures the listeners and really brings them into a world of Adele’s breakup experiences. With a mixture of soul, pop, R&B and full of piano ballads, Adele distinguishes what beautiful music really is. 
        21 was released January 21st of 2011, and about a month later in North America. It was written based on Adele’s breakup with one of her boyfriends, just as her previous album. "It’s  different from 19, it’s about the same things but in a different light,” Adele stated on her blog in November, 2010, when she was talking about her eagerness to announce her new album. Her most popular song is “Rolling in the Deep,” which became a worldwide hit within weeks of the release date. Other well-known songs from the album include “Set Fire to the Rain”, “Turning Tables”, and “Someone Like You”.  Adele performed “Someone Like You” at events such as the 2011 VMA Awards and the 2011 BRIT Awards. 21 has spent twelve weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, something that has not been accomplished by a British preformer since the late eighties.  
        “It's nice when the year's best-selling album also ends up being one of the flat-out best,” said James Montgomery, the news editor of MTV.  He said this about Adele’s 21 after it went number 2 on MTV’s mid-year countdown of 2011’s best albums. Her album won several awards for singles and music videos. She even won UK Musician/Solo Artist of the Year this summer at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Although it may not appeal to fans of rap, and people who hope to party to a song, Adele engages people willing to listen to a timeless piece by a soulful artist. Through her lyrics she is able to convey emotions in a new light and interest an abundance of new listeners.  A huge success for a follow-up album is not always expected, but this time it was greatly proven possible. 
        These recordings are able to attract a range of listeners. She has a select few songs on this CD that are fast paced, such as “Rumor Has It,” “I’ll Be Waiting,” and of course, “Rolling in the Deep.” Along with a lot of slow paced songs with long ballads, including “Turning Tables,” “Lovesong,” and “Don’t You Remember.” Adele’s success is based on not only the topic of these songs, and how people could relate them to them, but the soul and ample ranges of voice Adele is able to demonstrate to the listener. Adele evidently only uses basics of instruments in this album. Songs like “Don't You Remember,” include minimal instrumentation because of her powerful vocals. If she had added more instruments to accompany works like these, it would have possibly overpowered her- which is Adele’s key talent, her powerful voice. Clearly not lyrically challenged, when you listen closely to the words of these songs you can feel the pain, regret, and sorrow Adele had felt almost as if it is presented to you in a story. 
        This album was beautifully crafted and I can genuinely say that I was truly moved. It’s amazing to see that in an era where auto tune is the base of people’s talents, there is still a fabulous voice out there. Her album is superior to many others of its kind; it is full of emotion and rawness and is just remarkable in its entirety. She has greatly matured from her first album, and that is witnessed throughout 21. Another boyfriend, another breakup, another album, and another bestseller, Adele has outdone herself once more.