DALLAS -- It's an odd thing, watching a star being born.
On one hand, Adele's sold-out Dallas debut Sunday night at the Granada Theater was technically flawless, a thrilling 70 minutes of music that captivated even as it awed. On the other hand, the woman at the epicenter of these penetrating moments couldn't keep from waving to giddy fans, cackling between numbers and cracking up at the sustained, vociferous adoration washing over her like great, staggering waves. Before launching into her encore, she paused to snap a photo of the roaring crowd.
With a pair of Grammys under her belt and a completely sold-out headlining jaunt ahead of her, Adele stands on the cusp of a truly break-out year -- and with only one album, the stunning 19 to her credit. She ran through the entire album (except for My Same), hitting one high point after another: the propulsive R&B of Cold Shoulder, the exquisite rendition of Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love and, of course, a full-blooded version of her signature single Chasing Pavements.
Her voice is a thing of aching beauty, adept at flourishes that send chills down your spine and capable of stripping paint from the walls. That Adele knows precisely when to deploy the big notes and when to hold back, carving the nuance out of her deftly observed, if slightly pat, slices of life, puts her ahead of the pop music pack, which frequently mistakes bombast for talent.
The native Londoner elicits plenty of comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Duffy, but stands apart from them, not least because Adele has the chops to incorporate covers of the Raconteurs, Etta James and Sam Cooke -- and knock all three out of the park. There's the matter of Adele trafficking in a bit of the throwback style, but Winehouse and Duffy seem to wear the retro mantle more as a matter of fashion than taste. Each sits at that nexus between past and present, inescapably old-fashioned and impossibly hip.
All three women are also more than capable singers, but Adele is the only artist to fully embrace the vulnerability of the classic soul mavens, making fame seem completely secondary to exorcising the demons of a doomed relationship. Put it this way: Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone weren't necessarily singing to become household names so much as they were in desperate need of purging themselves of hurt and celebrating the fleeting feel-good moments.
It's not hyperbole to suggest that Adele may, someday, stand alongside those icons. She's possessed of an unnerving maturity that is shocking to see in person. On record, she sounds a good 15 years older. Onstage, the singer/songwriter who has lived a life full of enough heartbreak to convincingly utter the words "I forgive you once again/Without me knowing/You've burnt my heart to stone" clashes with the giggly, spunky chatterbox who just can't believe this is all happening to her.
The year is only three months old, but mark this down: A star has arrived. With little more than guileless charm, a gorgeous voice and a clutch of truly remarkable tunes, Adele delivered one of the best performances North Texas has seen in 2009.
Preston Jones is the Star-Telegram pop music critic, 817-390-7713
