3 Country and Folk Covers by Adele That Will Have You Itching for a Full Album

Nothing about Adele points towards the genres of country and folk. However, when you have a voice seemingly gifted to you by the divine and finely tuned by the greats, it doesn’t matter. Adele’s sheer talent allows her to toil with any genre she so pleases. And when she does do this, it’s always a sublime listen that entails goosebumps and possibly even teary eyes.

Given her ability to make any musical decision she wishes, Adele has created music outside of her typical genre. Which, is a culmination of pop, jazz, and soul. The more notable times when she has done this is when she covers country and folk music. As stated, nothing about Adele’s style of music or British upbringing would suggest a personal appeal towards the genre. Although, she seemingly has one, and these three covers prove that to be true.

“Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan

Despite the genre-shifting form of this song, at its root, it is a bluesy folk tune crafted by the folk icon himself, Bob Dylan. Released in 2008 on 19, Adele’s cover is a musically amplified version of the original. Her romantically profound voice encompasses the very longing and steadfast passion in the song’s lyrics. To many, the song is more Adele’s than it is Dylan’s.

The reason for this unofficial change of ownership is thanks to the cover’s flourishing success. Despite not making the charts in the US, it reached No.4 in the UK two years after its initial release. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Song at the BT Digital Music Awards alongside “Rolling in The Deep.”

“If It Hadn’t Been For Love” by The SteelDrivers

Originally a bluegrass tune written by Chris Stapleton and The SteelDrivers, this cover truly proves that anything Adele touches turns to pure gold. Released on the B-side of her album 21 in 2011, Adele’s cover of the southern staple is something that comes entirely out of the blue.

The song received little to no public success, though, who cares? Adele’s spin on the jailhouse tune provides the song with an appropriate taste of blues and soul that makes it seem like it was originally written in the Mississippi Delta. All of her songs evoke comparisons with singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Gladys Knight. However, this song shows a mastery of the genre both of those singers are known for.

“Need You Now” by Lady A

At the 2010 CMT Awards, Adele surprised the country music industry with a surprise performance of “Need You Now” alongside Darius Rucker. Despite never recording and releasing the song on her own, Adele’s performance further proves that she is a musical Swiss Army knife. She commands the stage, leaving Rucker no choice but to marvel at her generational talent and chime in when he can.

The fact that Adele just walks into the room and crushes one of the country’s best-known vocal songs is well, just so cool. Adele’s cover of the Lady A song is something all country and Adele fans need to hear. Not only is it an exemplary song to showcase her vocals, but it also shows her icon status as Lady A marvels over her from the crowd.

Photo by Paul Buck/EPA/Shutterstock