“What would Beyonce do?” Adele joked as her concert wound down Tuesday at the Riviera.

As glamorous pop divas go, the 23-year-old north London native with the powerhouse voice and blue-collar pedigree is no Beyonce. But she has pretty much owned the pop charts so far this year.

Even by the standards of the relatively young British neo-soul singers with whom she is most compared – Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Duffy – Adele Adkins is modest almost to a fault. She walked on stage with one pop-star affectation – “my first weave,” she laughingly proclaimed – but otherwise looked like she’d be more comfortable hosting an art-gallery opening rather than fronting a six-piece backing band at a concert that sold out weeks in advance.

Adele debuted in 2008 with “19,” a subdued, largely self-written folk-soul collection that showcased a robust voice that didn’t need to shout, warble or unnecessarily drag out notes to connect. It also brought her a “Best New Artist” Grammy Award, and then the pros took over on the follow-up. With top-line producers and songwriters massaging it, “21” was groomed for stardom and it’s been the year’s breakthrough album so far with more than 1.7 million sales.

Adele: The U.K. pop-soul vocalist is shaping up as the breakout star of 2011, with her heavy-hitting second album, “21” dominating the pop charts on both sides of the Atlantic, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Riviera, 4746 N. Racine, $35 (sold out) etix.com.

greg@gregkot.com

3 stars (out of 4)

Few contemporary singers do unrequited love as righteously as British vocalist Adele Adkins. Part of a recent wave of U.K. neo-soul singers including Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Corrine Bailey Rae and Estelle, Adele sounds simultaneously bruised and defiant. Without histrionics or excessive melisma – the bane of way too many over-emoting pop singers these days – Adele cuts straight to the heart of a song and puts the emphasis on emotion rather than acrobatics.

Her second album, “21” (XL/Columbia), named after her age when she recorded it, is an improvement over her 2008 debut, “19.” Already it has sold more than 600,000 copies in the U.K., a rare double-platinum release in that country, and now it is making its U.S. debut. In contrast to the folk-based songs of the first album, “21” beefs up the rhythmic drive and the drama of the arrangements. A handful of hot-shot producers, including Rick Rubin, Ryan Tedder and Paul Epworth build a more elaborate platform beneath Adele’s aching vocals.

Too bad the songs themselves aren’t better. It’s only the sheer conviction of Adele’s voice that prevents “Don’t You Remember” from drowning in its own sap or the tortured turns of phrase in “Set Fire to the Rain” from collapsing. It’s best to focus on the sheer sonic splendor of Adele’s voice set against some dramatic arrangements, especially the rumbling regret of “Rolling in the Deep” and the piano-based melancholy of “Turning Tables.”

greg@gregkot.com