Praise be to Ronson! It wasn’t hard to spot the influence of Mark Ronson in Adele’s latest single, was it?

There’s all of Adele’s atmospheric moodiness in this track, but this time it’s married to an ambitious quasi-military snare drum, soaring strings and punctuated by clean sharp guitar lines.

The arrangement brings out the best in Adele’s voice as well. She’s on top form here, letting us see the full power of her voice.

Of course, Cold Shoulder is another song full of abject misery, with absolutely no sign of redemption in either the music or the lyrics. Having said that, it’s wonderful what a strong beat and an understated hook can do for a song.

I much prefer this to Chasing Pavements and it shares much in common with Adele’s underrated first single, Hometown Glory. I can’t help thinking that Adele’s strengths lie in her darker moments and her ability to tug on your heartstrings with tales of being almost at rock bottom.