Adele has always seemed like an unlikely pop star to me. As in, she’s not perky and I’ve never seen her participate in any choreographed dance sequences. Her dark and demure image is, however, a bit opposed to the formulaic, upbeat, jazzy singles of hers. She’s always been presented as deep, but her music hasn’t reflected that profoundity.

The first single off the twenty-one year old’s new album to be released on Feb. 22 (appropriately titled “21”) takes a step in a dark direction. In “Rolling in the Deep” and its accompanying video, Adele is pissed. She’s on a ranch, in black-and-white, and shouting (“We could have had it all!”) at someone who has wronged her. The song is stormy and, taking a step away from her former torch song standards, prominently features a folky kick drum.

It being 2010 and all, I’m not particularly excited for the album (who listens to albums anyway?). But records from jazzy ladies like Adele always find their way on my computer somehow, sometimes without my consent. If “Rollling in the Deep” is any indicator, the upcoming dark turn from Adele might be worth the listen.