Comeback kid wins record six Grammys

The splintered music world truly coalesces only one night each year, the night of the Grammy Awards, and this year was united in the triumph of recovered British soul singer Adele’s trophy haul and the tragedy of Whitney Houston’s death.

Adele swept the major honours of Song, Record and Album of the Year on Sunday for her lost-love epic, 21 and its driving single, Rolling in the Deep. She picked up her final two awards after making her first public performance in months after being sidelined for throat surgery. Her total of six Grammys matches Beyonce for most ever by a female act in a single year.

After seeming almost sheepish in picking up some of the trophies (“This is ridiculous,” she said after winning Record of the Year), Adele’s tears flowed upon winning best album.