Adele - 19

Flushing aside the myriad of female singer-songwriters on the market at the moment, Adele could be something special. As it stands she enters the marketplace searching for the element of uniqueness among the saturation and therefore seems to have more to prove. Her debut album '19' goes a long way towards stamping her musical talent on the public awareness.
From the outset we can feel a gutsy, angst-ridden vibe from the young singer, infusing her music with a brash, funky kind of girl power (for want of a better phrase), built around the strength of the female voice - gravelly and coarse, therefore setting her in a different bracket to the aforementioned plethora of female talent currently championing the charts.
While her debut chart-topping single 'Chasing Pavements' is a great catchy pop song, it is on the more simplistic and bare tracks that Adele's vocal range is really evident. The teenage singer works a range of music styles here from the blues-inflections of 'Crazy for You' to the stripped-back 'First Love', creating a sound that is mature and soulful.
What is refreshing is that Adele isn't afraid to present her raw voice, exposed - without instrumentals clouding the sound. The result is plenty of stripped-back material, that is reliant on the natural strength of her voice to carry the stories she tells in her songs.
If you're now thinking that '19' sounds like a whine-fest then have a listen to the brighter and bolder tracks like 'Right As Rain' and 'Cold Shoulder' before making a judgement. Filled with big beats, they offer a fresh vibe before the album has a chance to become tired.
She has Mark Ronson's stamp of approval, she has a sound that is far older than her 19 years and she isn't afraid to speak her mind - Adele has the potential to go far and she certainly seems to have her head screwed on in terms of the fame game. We can probably expect much more creative material from her as 19 becomes 20-something.
Linda McGee

Sonny J, Disastro

Disastro has to be the most misleading misnomer of the year: Sonny J's debut is messy with styles, overcrowded with samples and almost overbalances with the respect it pays to different genres, times and places. Yet it never approaches even the outskirts of disaster. The album takes a bucket of ideas and shakes them up in a ragbag of influences. What comes out is as sweet and surprising as a birthday cake.

There's more to this collection though, than just a collection of warmed-over riffs and recycled vocals; Sorrow could easily be the lead track from a Chris Martin solo project, and it works perfectly as a standalone island of high quality, old-school music for musicians.

If you've ever worshipped at the temple of DJ Shadow or bowed before Beck, you'll find more than enough eclecticism here to whet your aural appetite. If you remember the early days of Big Beat, when the likes of Fatboy Slim and Bentley Rhythm Ace were at their most inspired, you'll adore the quirky blending of arcade-game sound effects, heavy metal guitar and francophone girlie-pop which kicks off the set.

And if you can remember back to the time of the Banana Splits TV show, during the golden age of Detroit pop at Hitsville USA, you'll recognise the skills employed on Can’t Stop Moving. It's surely no coincidence that master label EMI have released this gorgeous piece of work on old the $tateside imprint, one time home to Motown's output in the UK.

This is that rarest of musical creatures; a debut album full of promise.

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Kirsten Dunst Denies Drug Addiction

'Spider-Man' star Kirsten Dunst has fought back against reports that she went to rehab to battle an addiciton to drugs, revealing she sought treatment because she was suffering from depression.

The 26-year-old made headlines earlier this year when reports of her entering Cirque Lodge treatment facility in Utah circulated around the tabloids and gossip blogs.

Opening up to U.S. television show 'Extra', Dunst explained, "I didn't go to Cirque Lodge for alcohol abuse or drug abuse. I went there for depression."

“It was a good six months before I decided to go away. I was struggling, and I had the opportunity to go somewhere and take care of myself. I was fortunate to have the resources to do it. My friends and family thought it was a good idea, too.  But I didn't know where to go. My doctor recommended Cirque Lodge.”

She adds, “There’s been a lot of misrepresentation about what is going on in my life, and it’s been very painful for my friends and family. Everyone feels like they have to defend me. They hear the rumors, and it puts them in a defensive position. Now that I’m feeling stronger, I was prepared to say something.”

NEXT: Tori Spelling Returning To 90210 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures.