Adele Rocks!

My article from an old Media & Tech blog (February 13th 2012)

In his book The Long Tail, Chris Anderson spoke about the democratization of production and distribution. In plain English, he meant that ordinary people like you and me had simple, ready media-and-tech means to create something like music, video, or blog, and to post it freely for millions to hear, see, or read.

So have a look at this cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep.’

This fab rendition is a discovery of mine, just moments ago, on YouTube. Adele is still a young woman, although her catchy, throaty voice resonates a maturity beyond her 23 years. Here, though, is an even younger talent: lovely 11-year old Angela Vázquez, who sings her blessed little heart out, while her brothers, Abelardo and Gustavo, not much other than she at ages 15 and 13, respectively, handle the instruments. The 42.5 million [now 129.2 million] views so far make this more than just a viral video, but a musical epidemic that Anderson probably wouldn’t have imagined when he wrote his book a few years ago.

How about this one, ‘Make you Feel my Love’?

I know this song is originally by Bob Dylan and it was Adele who did her own version of it.  But these two ordinary guys, who call themselves Bluewavec2004 [now Chris Morton] on YouTube, make such a heartfelt cover that I actually prefer it over Adele’s.

Next is the official video of ‘Chasing Pavements.’


Someone referred to the video ’9 Crimes’ by Damien Rice as ‘creepy good.’  This one easily falls into that category as well.  Macabre?  Maybe.  Poignant?  No doubt.  Imagine taking your relationship to the edges of life and death, its vicissitudes virtually dancing in the metaphoric way that this couple does.  Brilliant?  Of course.  That’s Adele’s music, plus the filmmakers who worked with her.

Is it any surprise, then, that she made a killing at the Grammys last night?  She doesn’t just create great music, she also inspires many ordinary people to cover her music and stake out their own greatness!

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD