"What stays in the memory is a feeling for Adele's own temperament. Rather than screaming for attention, there's an artistically focused stillness at the centre of so many of these bruising love songs."

"A cursory listen may lead you to conclude that Adele has a voice way in excess of her years. In terms of technical ability, that’s true."

"Adele does have her own identity and sound. She’s often at her best alone with an acoustic guitar instead of ornamented with retro R&B references."

"19 is a decent debut album that will sell by the bucketload and propel Adele to the inevitable success she's been widely tipped for."

"There are questions regarding authenticity, and what’s from the soul and what’s got all eyes on the wallet."

"It’s clear that, for all the hype, Adele is not yet ready to produce an album of sufficient depth to match her voice."

"Veering between faux-soul and Hoxton hipness, Adele simply hasn't found her own voice yet."

"The Amy Winehouse comparisons are as misleading as they are predictable. There is scant emotional heft behind Adele's prodigiously rich voice, little bite to her songwriting."