After 4 years away from the spotlight, Adele has come back in full force with her newest album, “25.” The London native broke records earlier this month with her debut single “Hello,” and it seems like her third effort will follow suit. “25” sold 900,000 copies on iTunes on day one of its release, and for good reason. Adele’s newest album is made up of 11 tracks that range from electro-pop and alternative rock to a little bit of indie and a lot of blues. She shows us how diverse her genre can be, while still giving fans that soul sound that catapulted her into fame.
The album begins with “Hello,” which can be called an instant classic since its music video reached 400 million views in a little over three weeks. The ballad finishes where “21” left off: during a hard breakup that left Adele heartbroken. It then buries that part of her life, allowing the album to move on to songs about her family, her global fame and how happy she is with her current relationship.
“Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” the classic pop song of the album, is next. Though the instrumentals sounds like something Taylor Swift would use, Adele makes the sound work. Her alluring vocals are further complimented by the bubbly Max Martin produced track — Martin is also the producer behind Swift’s “Blank Space”. Adele takes control and makes the song her own, not letting the beat overpower her carefree — though strong — vocals.
“I Miss You” incorporates electro-rock and soul, and is one of the most diverse tracks on the album. Paul Epworth, who won 4 Grammys alongside Adele for his production on “21,” also helped her on this track. But the song isn’t similar to her old style, despite her working with the same producers. Rather, it sounds like a dark Lana Del Rey song with an R&B influence.
“When We Were Young” is nearly five minutes of slow paced soul, while “Remedy” is more melancholy and uses just a piano instrumental. Both use the catchy choruses Adele is known for. On “Remedy,” Adele seems to be singing to her son, and the emotion is evident as she melodiously tells him she will alway be present for him. Although this is similar to old Adele, it’s done so well that it works in her favor.
Her next few songs, however, do sound a little dated. “Water Under The Bridge,” “Love In The Dark” and “All I Ask” are all slow paced songs that fade into the background. These three are perhaps the most unremarkable on the album. What’s missing from “25” are more upbeat dance tracks like “Rumour Has It;” if songs like that replaced any or all of the three, the album may have come together better.
Although the lack of dance-soul is apparent, this still doesn’t seem too detrimental to the overall success of “25.” Her album comes with some of her greatest songs yet. Her track “River Lea” is a perfect combination of soul and electro-pop, and one of the catchiest songs on the album. Meanwhile, “Million Years Ago” boasts a Spanish-style guitar sound for one of the most sentimental songs Adele has ever released.
Although it’s hard for Adele to constantly outdo herself, it’s safe to say that “25” will continue her reign of dominating pop music. If she is smart in her single choices, 2016 will be hers for the taking. Her role as the SNL musical guest included a performance of “When We Were Young,” yet it’s not clear if this is her next single. Other good choices would be “Million Years Ago” and “Send My Love.”
Overall, this album is a great follow up to “21.” It provides just the right amount of emotion to make you cry, yet it is also an eclectic collection of songs that will make you see why Adele is the dominating force in music right now.
Top Picks
Million Years Ago
Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
River Lea