Concert review: Adele at the Riviera
“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.