After “Easy on Me,”People might have believed they had. AdeleAll figured out.
With lilting vocals, wistful piano and a fervent plea for grace and understanding, the British artist’s first new music in nearly six years had all the trademarks we’ve come to expect from a heart-shattering Adele ballad. (Not that anyone’s complaining). “Easy”He has been at the top for four consecutive weeks. Billboard Hot 100chart since its publication last month.
However, it is a lead single. “Easy”It was a bit of a red herring.What’s next? “30,”Her stunning and unexpected fourth studio album is out Friday. It’s clear that Adele can wield incisive lyrics with ease, as proven by her chart-topping hits. “Rolling in the Deep”And “Set Fire to the Rain”(From her record-setting behemoth “21,”Released a decade ago this January And after her very public divorce from Simon Konecki played out in the tabloids, she understandably could have gone to the studio with a score to settle.
AdeleOprah is stunned by new songs that scream “It’s not your job to validate” body images
Instead, Adele, 33, turns the focus almost squarely on herself, as she attempts to find her identity outside of romantic and personal relationships. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer expressed hope that her 9-year-old son, Angelo, will one day be able to hear “30”for his mother’s sake. “layered and complicated”It’s a woman she is. This is the most difficult thing to see. “My Little Love,”A confessional so intimate it almost seems like we shouldn’t be listening.
“I don’t recognize myself in the coldness of the daylight,”She sings over a mix of strings and Mellotron. “I’m so far gone and you’re the only who can save me.”As Angelo sweetly tells him to, voice memos of Adele and Angelo intercut the sorrowful lullaby. “Mummy’s been having a lot of feelings lately.”She breaks down in tears at one point as she describes an unbearable feeling of loneliness she has never experienced before.
“My Little Love”the wornily triumphant is equaled in its emotional nakedness “Hold On,”It features one of the album’s most bruising lines. “Sometimes loneliness is the only rest we get / and the emptiness actually lets us forget.” But nothing can prepare you for “To Be Loved,”Unbridled self-reflection and honesty.
Fast seven minutes “Loved” is Adele’s longest and, perhaps, saddest song ever. She sings over a piano and ponders the reasons she is unhappy with her relationship. “It’s about time that I face myself / all I do is bleed into someone else,” she reckons, apologizing to her lover and, more importantly, herself.
“Let it be known that I cried for you / even started lying to you / What a thing to do / all because I wanted to be loved.”
If “Loved”It’s the track that causes a thousand breakups. There are thankfully many. “30”Offerings that will bring your heart back together. No surprise, the hand-clapping, whistling are all part of this experience. “Can I Get It”Max Martin and Shellback produced the video. Taylor Swift was the producer. “Shake It Off”), and the splendidly sultry track feels destined to become a Top 40 smash. The hypnotic version is the same. “Oh My God”Jaunty and jovial “Cry Your Heart Out,” which find Adele at her most playful and boundary-pushing as she ventures into R&B and ’50s doo wop.
“I Drink Wine”Elton John channels Judy Garland’s inebriated therapy on the film’s cinematic opening. “Strangers by Nature,”This makes you feel like you are in the Land of Oz.
After more than a decade on the scene, Adele songs have been as synonymous with heartbreaks as ice cream or rom-coms. She wisely shows us that she is not a fool. “30,” it’s never too late to switch things up and fall in love with yourself for a change.
