According to Estelle:
“I don’t think of her and think of Aretha. So to me, that’s not Soul. She does great Folk music. To me, that doesn’t resonate that with Soul so don’t sell that to me as Soul and tell me I have to co-sign it or endorse it.”While I understand where she's coming from, I don't think she needed to word it like that. Adele's music is very much indie-pop, or falls along the lines of Adult alternative/contemporary, with R&B and soul influences. Though I hope Estelle isn't trying to imply that SHE makes soul music because I would consider Adele's music (and vocals) WAY more soulful than Estelle's.