OK, so Adele sings in a different accent from her native one. But at least she is free from that ghastly R&B-derived melisma, which abandons the tune in favour of a display of vocal gymastics, favoured by so many singers on both sides of the Atlantic. And she doesn't adopt that strange whimpery, nasal head-voice that afflicts so many young singers.

Adele can not only hold a tune, she can enrich it with her expressive tone, and you can hear every word. And she writes fantastic songs of her own, with great melodies and memorable words. She's not (I'm pretty certain) auto-tuned.

She doesn't feel the need to display her knickers or her knockers or her bum or her tongue, or dance like a pole-dancer, or surround herself with great choirs of half-naked, contorting backing singers of either sex.

There's a lot to dislike in the modern pop world, but Adele doesn't go in for much of that awful stuff. She just stands there and sings, and as a fuddy old folkie, I confess I'm a bit of a fan.

Marje