Back in 2008 when Adele picked up the very first Critics' Choice BRIT Award, there were cynics arguing she had become a victim of her own hype, that she wasn't as good as everyone thought she was, and that the accolade had lost its credibility before it had even got going.
But four years later, the annual prize has more than proven its worth as a reliable forecaster of the Next Big Thing. Since Adele, whose career now needs no explanation, the title has been handed down to Florence And The Machine, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J; and each triumphant lady has gone on to score a chart-topping debut album and a huge commercial following.
So you can imagine how much pressure Emeli Sandé is on to follow suit. Her first single, 'Heaven', will be six months old by the time the actual Brits ceremony rolls around, and now her full album, Our Version Of Events, is finally being unveiled as well. Is it worth the hype?
The answer is a comfortable yes. Bursting with beautiful vocals, thoughtful lyrics and lots of softly-softly production, the record is a perfect showcase of Emeli's potential as the country's new favourite songbird, and one who doesn't need to sing about hitting the bars on a Friday night to make herself noticed.
There are hints of Gabrielle and Corrine Bailey-Rae on the soulful 'Where I Sleep' and 'Lifetime', and parallels with Alicia Keys on emotive anthems like 'My Kind Of Love' and 'Mountains'. In fact, Keys is the very lady Sandé co-wrote late-album ballad 'Hope' with (click here to watch her perform the song exclusively for Entertainmentwise), and if you have to honour the obligatory habit of calling her "The Next..." anyone, it's the 'Empire State Of Mind' songstress who's probably the best fit.
It's unsurprising that one of the best songs on the collection is 'Heaven', but it is surprising that it's more-or-less the only song of its kind on the whole album. Whether that's a bad thing or not will vary from listener to listener, but whilst the originality and vocal standard are constant throughout, the 90s house-style feel of the breakthrough single is more or less on its own.
To that end, you could argue that the balladry is a little on the excessive side, and by the time 'Read All About It (Part III)' rolls around you'd be forgiven for struggling to tell a few of the downtempo ditties apart from one-another. But Our Version Of Events is to Sandé what 19 was to Adele: an accomplished collection that easily justifies all the hype, but carries with it that niggling feeling that the best is yet to come.
Click here to watch our recent interview with Emeli Sandé.
Emeli on stage
Entertainment News