I’ve been thinking about this review for days. I’ve seen the tears, read the interviews, and I’ve probably listened to Adele’s “25” 10 times through if not more since it was released.
And I can confidently say Adele is still a goddess.
The album is record-breaking. It broke the single-week United States album sales record with 3.38 million copies sold in the first week as it stole the record from *NSYNC’s “No Strings Attached,” according to Nielsen Music.
However, “25” has a different ring to it than “21” or “19” had. Sure, the powerful ballads with Adele’s signature deep vocals are still present.
It’s a pleasing mix of piano melodies like “Hello” and other upbeat songs loaded with percussion like “Water Under the Bridge.”
But the message is different. The album “21” was all about losing love, breaking up and trying to move forward.
It was — and will probably remain — the ultimate break-up album, the playlist of songs you listen to while you cry and stuff your face with ice cream.
“25” shows an artist that has grown in more ways than one. Most of the songs have a theme of getting older and moving on from the past. “Million Years Ago” is a huge tear-jerker, at least for a certain soon-to-be college graduate. “Water Under the Bridge” refers to a current relationship as Adele says goodbye to the lover that inspired “21.” The audience gets to watch Adele grow in her love life, and we get to grow with her.
Other songs on the album took some getting used to. “River Lea,” for example, was not at the top of my list when I first heard it. Unfortunately, it kept coming up on shuffle and by Thanksgiving I had heard it a dozen times. And it has really grown on me. The message was something I could really relate to.
That is the magic of this album and Adele as an artist. Every person that listens to her music will have their own favorite song and a personal message from it.
I can’t wait to see what song they pick to overplay on the radio and ruin next. I mean, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with in the future.
