SoundBites: Adele, Son Little, BORNS

Adele.

Have you caught Adele's new track yet? It's been a long time coming.

With her albums 19 and 21 named after her age when she was writing the songs, it had been joked the next album would be called 42. But here it is - Hello, from the new album 25 and her first track since the largely forgettable Bond theme tune Skyfall in 2012.

The 2011 album 21 was an instant classic and will be a hard act to follow.

Much of the attention so far has focused on comparisons to Lionel Richie's Hello, as well as Adele's use of a flip phone in the new video.

But the single took only two hours to hit No 1 on the iTunes singles chart in New Zealand and broke the record for most Shazams in 24 hours.

The album 25 will be released on November 20.

Two highly awaited debut albums have been released recently. Son Little's sound has been described as soul music for the hip-hop generation. Like a love letter to American music history, the self-titled album visits the roots of multiple genres, one minute a touch of good ol' boys, the next R&B and Motown.

Meanwhile, fans of the BØRNS track 10,000 Emerald Pools can finally hear a full album of material with the release of Dopamine. With a voice from the heavens, Garrett Borns delivers pop perfection with a yearning heart.

Revisit a classic
Amid all the new music being released, sometimes it's too easy to forget the best albums of the past. Why not take another listen to Lenny Kravitz's debut album Let Love Rule?

Released in 1989, it didn't make much of a splash. Kravitz was more famous for marrying Lisa Bonet. He gained much wider popularity with follow-ups Mama Said and Are You Gonna Go My Way, but it's well worth checking out that first LP, a funky, soul-filled jam of a record with nods to the Beatles and Prince.

The title track is worth the price of admission alone, with a sentiment Lennon would approve of, and a slow, summery rhythm, topped off with a fantastic sax solo. Be sure you get the version with the bonus tracks Empty Hands and Flower Child.