May 5

Adele may not belong on the blog this year, but I don't think she's going to become any less celebrated as the years go on. Her first album's called 19 because that's how old she was at the time she wrote and sang those songs, in a style that has never gone out of style. The results made her a Grammy-winning, platinum selling artist's artist. People aren't talking about her against the aspiring Beyonces and Lady Gagas of the world; they're expecting the next Dusty Springfield, Etta James, Aretha... they're expecting a future legend.
She's already making a dream album for her followup; it's being produced by Rick Rubin. Once "21" comes out (or "22", depending on when it's released), and the world embraces her heartbreaking voice all over again, I'll never be able to write about her.
If you want to hear what makes her one in a million, look around the Internet for any cover of Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love", a relatively recent entry from his songbook. It's been covered by Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Joan Osbourne, and a fistful of American Idols. Listen to any of them, and then listen to Adele's version:

The vocals here are slightly different than the album version; she sang them live, on camera.