Adele at her very best is like an ocean wave. Her vocals — those that made her sophomore studio album, 21, one of the great works of this millennium and made anticipation for this follow-up, 25, ever-growing and nearly worldwide — consume you. At the height of her ability, they come on with swift agility, swell with burgeoning power and then crash with force enough to break you in two.
This is the Adele experience we all want, the one we were all looking for with 25. Make us feel something. And in this sense, the album delivers.
It all begins with a line that has come to define her triumphant return.
“Hello. It’s me.”
There’s a sense of familiarity there but also a sense of vulnerability, and it brilliantly sets the tone for everything that follows. This probably comes as no surprise considering its gargantuan success as a single, but “Hello” is one of the crown jewels of this work. Similar to “Someone Like You,” no amount of overplay on the radio can diminish its best qualities.
“When We Were Young” was the only other song outside of “Hello” to see the light of day before Friday. While “Hello” might have a stronghold on the spotlight, this one could be the dark-horse candidate for the best on the entire album. Co-written with Tobias Jesso Jr., it tells the classic running-into-an-ex story with unconventional lyrics, and the late addition of some background vocals takes it over the top.
It’s also a clear indicator of how this release differs from 21, an album that centered on a breakup. While 25 also sees some appearances by a broken heart, it’s more about time, a theme not surprising from an artist who’s a mom now, not a lovestruck girl.
“We were sad of getting old/ It made us restless,” she bellows toward the end of the track, voice crackling with emotion. “I’m so mad I’m getting old/ It makes me reckless.”
The heartbreak that made 21 so good for listeners to latch onto is certainly present in “All I Ask.” It’s the type of song about a single moment, sung with enough power and beauty to pull you back to a similar second in your own past. In this case, it’s the dying embers of a relationship, the verge of a breakup and the uncertainty that comes with it.
“It matters how this ends/ ’Cause what if I never love again,” she sings, voice as delicate as ever.
While those three songs mostly thrive on the same skills that got Adele to where she is, this is also an album about change. There are several attempts to go a bit unconventional in style, moving away from sad piano ballads, and the results are mixed.
“Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is the largest leap on the album, a shot at something new for Adele. And it begins with a promising yo-yo of a guitar lick that complements her voice well. But the hook, which many have compared to Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” is enough of a hollow, saccharine piece of pop to make this song the album’s only true misstep.
“Water Under the Bridge,” on the other hand, is a risk worth taking. It has an ‘80s Phil Collins feel to it, bouncing along with more vitality than almost everything else on the album.
Of the album’s 11 songs, “Remedy” and “I Miss You” are other standouts. The rest feel a bit like really nice-sounding filler. So, is this the perfect album we all wanted? Not exactly. But that’s just a matter of standards — and those attached to Adele are sky-high. With 25, Adele returns to the place of 21, towering over popular music out of sheer distinctive quality. And maybe that’s the way we need it to be right now. Since that was last the case, talent has surely come to the surface of the mainstream and fun has certainly been had, but lately, the top of the charts has been sounding the same too often. So this return to something that’s full of feeling, that stands first and foremost on voice and not electricity, is a good thing.
Because Adele at her very best is not background noise, not other tab, other task music. It’s listening music, appreciating music, eyes closed, headphones-necessary music. Without your permission, it’s thinking music — mind racing to something or someone you want, have or had music. It can be frightening, this kind of music. It’s make you want to say something, do something, scream something music.
And then it crashes. And then it’s over. And we can breathe easy now because we’re back on this shore.
