I never really was a fan of Adele but I guess we can chalk that up to taste. There’s no denying the young artist is mature beyond her years, but I wasn’t that hooked when she entered the music scene. Or maybe I just couldn’t stand Chasing Pavements and everyone attempting to sing the song on TV and (especially) in real life.

It wasn’t until Rolling in the Deep from her sophomore album 21 that I started paying a little more attention to her. I’d heard this record was the outcome of a bad breakup. Admittedly, I kind of hated Someone Like You at first, thinking it was too whiny for its own good. But this song stalked me every day last week I had no choice but to endure it. Though I eventually found myself listening to the lyrics and so I began to understand her agony in this particular song. The entire album is about a relationship gone awry, but this track easily takes the cake for being the one to (seemingly) make her come apart at the seams.

I caught myself singing the chorus, much to a friend’s chagrin. “You’re singing the words wrong,” I was told. So I decided to get the album yesterday:

What can I say, this record is brilliant. Every track is strong in itself but, collectively, the album is greater than the sum of its parts. The through-line, of course, is her failed relationship but the record isn’t just a compilation of bitter, angsty songs (which, in hindsight, is a criticism of Alanis’s Jagged Little Pill). There’s a narrative here; you really feel as though the artist is taking you through the aftermath of her separation with a former lover.

The record starts with Rolling in the Deep, which sort of depicts her spiteful side. Don’t You Remember is just painful… no, not to the ears; rather the song is full of pain. My favorite track is One and Only. The song has the beat I typically dig but it’s really the lyrics that make this a choice cut — “I dare you to let me be your one and only” is one of the best calls-to-action ever haha! I’m not a fan of Love Song but I understand why Adele chose to cover it. It certainly fits here. The album culminates with Someone Like You, and you can tell the narrator is vulnerable and clearly in denial here. The earlierDon’t You Remember was dripping with pain but the simplicity and piercing bitterness of this song (“Never mind, I’ll find someone like you”) make it the most sorrowful track of the album. The last song is not a happy ending. There is no phoenix rising from the ashes.

This album was rather elusive; I had to go to three record bars to find a copy. Luckily, I got my hands on the deluxe edition, which contains three bonus live tracks. Ah, the perks of being a late adopter! Needless to say, I think I’m a fan now. It’s been a while since I last listened to an album as complete and as real as this one. It’s hard to believe someone as young as Adele has been wounded this much by a heartbreak; very much so that she effectively immortalized all the drama into this best-selling record. It only goes to show that the worst experiences truly make the best fodder.