Review: Adele - '25'

Hello. It’s me. Adele. I’m back. Yes, the wait is over. In case you didn’t know already. Adele is back following a three-year hiatus,  and her new album “25” is finally here.

What promises to be this year’s biggest album, for the most part, sticks close to the formula of her best-known tracks from its predecessor, 21: big, piano-led ballads, decorated with strings and brass, dealing with heartbreak. However, this is not a breakup record; it is a record filled with the themes of weariness, loneliness and regret.

25 showcases just why she is the best in the business. Fans of “19” and “21” will not be disappointed. Tracks such as “Love in The Dark,” “All I Ask” and “I Miss You” are classic Adele, however there is something new for others to enjoy in “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” and “When We Were Young.” 

Following up an album that sold 30 million copies was always going to be a challenge. Does 25 live up to 21? The answer is yes and no. While many of the tracks are more than worthy of the predecessor, Adele has achieved more than enough commercial clout and critical success to perhaps have not played it so safe by sticking to the sounds and material that made her previous album so colossal. On the flipside, why deviate from a winning and much loved formula? Do people actually want to hear something different? She's giving the people what they want.

The fact is it doesn’t matter how this album is received. If sales of her first single “Hello” and initial album sale projections are anything to go by, Adele is going to storm the charts in usual Adele fashion. One thing is for sure, we are all going to be in an Adele-induced haze of tears & emotion after listening.

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