Rolling in the tweet? Adele sends folk duo The Civil Wars to the top of the charts with Twitter endorsement

Adele (right) and The Civil Wars (left): The British singer has endorsed the American folk act on her Twitter and their new album is set to hit No 1 in the UK charts (Getty Images)

She’s been named one of the world’s 100 most influential people and now Adele is flexing her power. An album by gothic folk duo The Civil Wars is heading for number one after the star urged her 16 million Twitter followers to buy it.

The Civil Wars, the self-titled second album by cult Grammy-winning US singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White, currently stands at No 2 in the midweek album charts.

The record has received a sales boost after Adele publicly endorsed the album. “Please go and get the new Civil Wars album. They're my absolute favourite and the new record is beautiful! X,” she tweeted her followers on Wednesday.

The critically-acclaimed alternative folk band are currently some 4,000 copies shy of another duo, operatic Britain’s Got Talent finalists Richard and Adam, whose debut The Impossible Dream currently holds the top spot.

Adele has previously described The Civil Wars as “the best live band I have ever seen” and took the “magical and stunning” duo on tour as her support act.

In the US, where Adele has enjoyed huge success, The Civil Wars album, released on Monday, is on course to top the Billboard Top 200.

The "Skyfall" singer, who entered Time’s “100 most influential” list last year, uses her social media influence sparingly, making a tweeted endorsement from the world’s top-selling music star all the more valuable.

In May, she delivered a boost to Chris Malinchak, a rising American DJ and record producer. “Wow I love 'So good to me' by Chris Malinchak! So beautiful! X,” Adele tweeted.

The dance track debuted at no 2 on the UK singles chart, selling 73,000 downloads.

Adele also gave an insight into her own heroes when she tweeted a link to a video of punk poetess, Patti Smith.

With 4 million followers, Lily Rose Cooper, née Allen, is another social media user whose enthusiasm can help build a valuable buzz around an artist. She recently tweeted a “liking” for "The Hype", the new single by UK Garage producer Wookie, featuring Eliza Doolittle.

Lily Allen is another influential Tweeter (Getty Images)

Cooper also gave her thumbs up to "We Can’t Stop", the new single by Miley Cyrus, the Hannah Montana Disney actress. “I literally couldn’t love that Miley Cyrus song any more,” tweeted Cooper and the song looks set to give Cyrus her first UK number one on Sunday.

Whilst The Civil Wars have benefited from Adele’s backing, even her persuasive powers appear unable to thaw relations between the two members.

Despite the emotional intensity of their spartan, acoustic duets, Williams and White have not spoken to each other since recording the follow-up to their 2011 debut, Barton Hollow.

Last year the Grammy Best Folk Album winners cancelled all touring plans citing “internal discord and irreconcilable differences.”

Williams, 30, lives in Nashville with her husband, who manages the duo, and their one-year-old son. White, 40, lives in Alabama with his wife and four children. “There are plenty of bands over the course of history that have not been on speaking terms,” argues Williams.

Williams and White met in 2008 during a song writing session at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee. It is unclear whether The Civil Wars, now on a “hiatus”, will ever perform live again, despite their surging popularity. “The reality is I don’t know where we stand,” Williams says. “You have to be in communication to figure that out.”

Although the sincerity of Adele’s endorsement has not been questioned, there is a commercial link between the two artists. Adele’s albums are released in the US by the Sony-owned Columbia label, which is also home to The Civil Wars.

Adele, 25, who gave birth to a son with partner Simon Konecki last year, has begun recording her third album, the follow-up to the 26 million-selling 21, which will be released next year.