Women rule the world

MANILA, Philippines - In the recording industry today, there’s just no ignoring the likes of Adele and Lady Gaga. With new studio CDs from these two artists finally released, we can examine to what extent they’ll fall victim to the sophomore jinx. Of course, there also is the fact that an artist like Lady Gaga is larger than life, and she’s not just about the music. But nevertheless, it is interesting to see if the flash and promise of their first CDs are sustained.

Adele — 21 (Columbia Records). Ever since her 19 debut album, Adele Adkins has been an industry darling for her unflinching, take no prisoners approach to her song-writing and performing. No flash in the pan or sophomore jinx with this artist, as Adele’s 21 is a worthy successor, seeing a maturity in her songwriting skills, and a readiness to venture beyond the piano ballads she’s known for. There’s R&B in Rumor Has It, a lively syncopation on He Won’t Go; but it’s Someone Like You, Turning Tables and Set Fire to the Rain that truly sparkle! Authentic, honest and haunting — they all describe her ballads. With Amy Winehouse negating her own career, it’s left to the likes of Adele and Florence (of Florence and the Machine) to take up the mantle of premier UK female pop performers.

Lady Gaga — Born This Way (MCA Music, Inc.). The Gaga craze should live on with this sparkling set of songs. While the title track and Edge of Glory were the first singles off the CD, Hair, Bad Kids and Highway Unicorn are my immediate favorites. Sure there’s a very Madonna feel to a number of the tracks, and I had a great time associating some of these tracks to Madonna hits from yesteryear; but there’s no denying the energy, the celebration that these songs evoke. Electro, synth pop, ’80s disco, there’s a lot happening on these tracks to make it an evolution of sorts for the artist, and while the songs may not be as catchy on the first pass as her hits from Fame, there’s a slew of strong tracks that should be club hits for the next months. The killer chorus has always been the Gaga trademark, and it works to perfection on so many of the songs here.