The 2012 Brit Awards - the winners

We don't like to blow our own trumpets at Bobbysix but, four years ago, we stated that a little-known singer from Tottenham called Adele had "the potential to be a truly remarkable artist." Four years ago! Well, her meteoric rise to megastardom continued this week when she took out Best British Female and Best British Album at the 2012 Brit Awards.

Mind you, how much faith can you put in the Brits, in terms of a yardstick of quality? Sure, Adele has talent, Blur deserve their pat on the back and Foo Fighters are worthy enough winners but, come on, Bruno Fucking Mars and One Direction? Far out.

The awards ceremony took place in London on Tuesday night and included performances from Coldplay (whose frontman Chris Martin later joined Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds on piano), Florence And The Machine and Rihanna. There were also video tributes to Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.

The Winners: 
British Female Solo Artist - Adele
International Male Solo Artist - Bruno Mars 
British Single - One Direction: What Makes You Beautiful
International Female Solo Artist -  Rihanna
British Male Solo Artist - Ed Sheeran
British Group - Coldplay
International Group - Foo Fighters
British Breakthrough Act - Ed Sheeran
International Breakthrough Act - Lana Del Rey
Mastercard British Album Of The Year - Adele: 21
Critics' Choice Award - Emeli Sande
British Producer - Paul Epworth
Outstanding Contribution To Music - Blur

Bobbysix.com's End of Year Review 2011 - Victoria Gottschalk

Bobbysix's latest recruit, Victoria Gottschalk, lists what has been pleasing to her eyes and ears this year. Check back in on New Year's Day for the announcement of the overall winners of best album, gig, film and song, as voted for by Bobbysix's readers and writers:  

Top 5 albums
1. 21 - ADELE (pictured, above)
2. Take Care - DRAKE
3. Fairytales and Stepping Stones – TARA LONDON
4. + - ED SHEERAN
5. Who You Are – JESSIE J

Top 5 songs
1. Miss You – ED SHEERAN
2. Someone Like You - ADELE 

 

3. Suburbs – CHARLIE SIMPSON
4. Til The Day We Die – ROX
5. Shake It Out – FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Top 5 gigs
1. CHARLIE SIMPSON – Concorde 2,  Brighton
2. JESSIE J – Brighton Centre, Brighton
3. THE SCRIPT – O2, London
4. PALOMA FAITH & FRIENDS – Union Chapel, London
5. EMINEM – V Festival, Chelmsford

Top 5 films
1. One Day
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2
3. The Help
4. Bridesmaids
5. Like Crazy

Top 5 books
1. One Day – DAVID NICHOLLS
2. How To Be A Woman – CAITLIN MORAN
3. Room – EMMA DONAGHUE
4. Before I Go To Sleep – S.J. WATSON
5. Postcards from the Heart – ELLA GRIFFIN

Highlight of the year.
The end of the News of the World newspaper. Here’s to PROPER journalism.

2011 in words
I dyed my hair green, found a long term friendship with vodka and my memory is completely shot to pieces. Obviously the latter has nothing to do with the 2nd point…

Prediction for 2012
Apparently 2012 will see in the end of the world. So on that note, drink up and make sure you have fun. Simple.

Victoria Gottschalk - Contributor

Victoria has a passion for attending gigs and digging nice and deep when she interviews people. Which makes her pretty much perfect for Bobbysix.com.

Adele - 19

Teenager Adele has been causing a stir in the UK recently. But is her album any good? I gave my opinion in this week's Drum Media: ADELE
19

Don’t you just love the music biz? As soon as an artist becomes successful the hunt immediately begins to find a younger, better version, and consequently a 19-year-old from Brixton called Adele Atkins is currently being hailed as The New Amy Winehouse. Amazingly, the newcomer recently won a hastily invented “Critics Choice” Brit Award before her debut album had even been released, which may seem contrived but certainly got the cash registers ringing, much to the delight of industry bigwigs.

However, hidden beneath such cynical marketing and despite the unfairly elevated expectations that go hand-in-hand with being compared to everyone’s favourite bee-hived trashbag, 19 is an undeniably impressive, soulful record and Adele’s vocal is rich, dexterous and extraordinarily powerful [yet notably different from Winehouse’s].

Current single Chasing Pavements offers a glorious arms-aloft chorus, while My Same gives a nod to Peggy Lee’s Fever. Elsewhere, a cover of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love is sweet, and Melt My Heart To Stone perfectly showcases Adele’s outstanding vocal.

Generally though, 19 plays it a little too safe. Occasionally it feels lyrically undeveloped and musically M.O.R, yet the sheer magnificence of that voice ensures that things never become too bland.

If age and experience bring an edge to Adele’s lyrics and she avoids being guided down the path of M.O.R. soul blandness [after all, the last thing the world needs is another Joss Stone] then she has the potential to be a truly remarkable artist. As it stands, 19 is certainly a good starting point.