Music Review: Single: "Someone Like You" by: Adele

"Someone Like You"
Artist: Adele
Written by: Adele and Dan Wilson
Album: 21

"Someone Like You" reaches the right audience with soulful, blues sound and words, modern context, and a unique theme. We often here ballads like this about love or lack thereof, but Adele takes a new approach to this common theme. "Someone Like You" is a song to a former lover who has moved on. Instead of the normal angry, punk songs we generally hear concerning a break-up, this beautiful melodious piece has the speaker talking about finding someone else to fill the void left by their lost love. Though the 'loss of love' is not an uncommon theme, this approach- in both style of song and words seems unique. It combines both the fear of never finding anyone else with the sorrow of being left as well as the anger of being picked over for someone else. It is Adele's full alto voice that brings emotional honesty to the piece though. One can tell, upon listening to it, that Adele had a strong hand in crafting the song herself. I find the lyrics incredibly compelling and love the choices made involving the rhyme scheme. Here's the chorus:

"Nevermind, I'll find, someone like you, I wish nothing but the best for you, too."
(this contains a mid-line rhyme of "you" and "too")

"Don't forget me I begged, I remembered you said..."
(this contains a mid-line slant rhyme of  she makes  "bayged and "sayd")

"Sometimes it lasts in love, and sometimes in hurts instead."
(this line contains no mid-line rhyme which emphasizes the word "love" yet the end of the line still rhymes with the previous line so it seems fitting)

Without making this the title of the song, the last line of the chorus has now become the 'theme' through it's placement of course as well as the slight differential in the rhyme scheme.

Adele also does a good job of telling a story of two people who were in love, who have been separated, and are now parted by a new relationship that has formed between the subject (rather than the speaker) and a new person. I would also like to point out that the song never mentions any feelings in regards to the new person in the subject's life (other than to reflect on her own "guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you). This is rare in any genre of art where bitterness and third parties are involved.

So, here are my points:
Adele took a common theme and formed a unique and original song from a unique perspective which included a wide range of emotions though not neccessarily those we would expect
The song is technically strong. Adele's voice is not only lovely, but capable of carrying the message and emotion of the song. The instruments are not overpowering or underwhelming. It is a 'piano ballad.'
The rhyme scheme and lyrics make this a compelling story with a blatant, heartfelt theme: "Sometimes it lasts, in love, and sometimes it hurts instead."

I give "Someone Like You" by: Adele a...
Bright *****

What beautiful art that has surpassed any intentions and grown into an all-around success.