Someone I consider to be a British deity dropped a fantastical wonderland of red lipstick and black velvet, and that woman is none other than Adele herself. Her commercial hiatus started with 25 (sans Skyfall), her latest album is the masterpiece 30. This album did not get the hype it deserved. People were like “OMG Adele, you’re back this is great we love Adele,” and while that’s good, everyone just kind of forgot that she came back with an album and not just with a weight loss.
This album is gut-wrenching, honest, hopeful, and self-aware. She knows what she wants to change about herself, but she doesn’t know if she has the strength to do it; however, she’s going to try for her son and for herself. It may have been critically praised, but its public popularity is not at the exponential level it should be: I am here to single-handedly inspire around the dozen people that read this to maybe listen to this album, please!
- To Be Loved
“To Be Loved” is the pinnacle of this album and Adele’s growth as an artist. Her first album features her runs and belts like no other, but as she grew into her musical style, she began to find the perfect places to swap out tricks for her lower register and instead use her specialties as cherries on top of a technical rollercoaster.
Artistically, it’s more mature and makes perfect sense for an album called 30 where she no longer feels like having the tumult of people’s 20s. Now, she wants to longer feel tired when searching for love, she wants to feel unconditional love. What’s different than before is the presence of her son, as she now knows that true, infallible love is very much real and possible. “To Be Loved” features the best of Adele’s range and is lyrically magnificent. It’s dripping with vulnerability and lets people take a peek into the reclusive life she fights so hard to keep private where we see healing carnage rather than what the press would often paint as celebrity gossip. I personally think that this song is the best item in her discography but that’s not the article I’m writing today, so I won’t go much further past that statement.
- Love Is a Game
It’s very end of a rom-com featuring a couple in their late 20’s that have been in a “will-they, won’t-they” situation but they shed all of their insecurities because all they want to do in the moment is be with each other. The backing vocals are magical. Ma. Gi. Cal. Her leading vocals are powerful and mature: she knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s good at it. It feels like a playfully sulky conversation with a friend on a dumpy sofa where all you can do is spill your guts and let fate take you. It’s the perfect ending for an album about redefining what love means to you and finally living the truth that you’ve hidden from yourself, even if that truth isn’t so glamorous.
- All Night Parking
This interlude shows so much care for the flow and sequencing of her album. She’s exploring the fullness of this new phase in her life with a playful and modern homage to the doo-wop rhythm and blues of the American ‘50s, and she does so with a new usage of her lilting voice within the leading vocals and the supporting layers deep in the production that is reminiscent of the Chantels or Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. I think it establishes an impressive parameter for the range of her album and is insanely catchy.
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- Strangers By Nature
Where am I? Am I a Disney princess walking through a wonderland fantasia as birds tweet around my head and Adele’s vocals swell around me like a tsunami? Oh, wait, sorry. I was just listening to this song. It’s a mastery of production and a ballad to lost love: LISTEN TO IT ALREADY.
- My Little Love
This song is the heart of this album. Her son is in the center of her life at 30, and at this point, finding love isn’t just for her– it affects him. Her journey to find love is bigger than finding someone for herself, and she knows that; however, it terrifies her that heartbreak could hurt more than just her. It’s heart-wrenching, raw, dripping with love, and a true ode to the happiness of her son.
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- Woman Like Me
This is the turn-around from her other albums. She’s had several songs about facing herself, her insecurities, what she believes to be her own short-comings in a relationship; however, the table turns and she sees time wasted rather than focusing on her own mistakes. It’s a powerful shift in narrative backed by a terrifyingly monotone progression.
- I Drink Wine
I thought this would be a millennial lol-quirky-wine-mom-tee-hee song based on the title, but it’s a soulful ballad to wages earned and lessons learned. She’s passed superficiality, she’s passed the glitz and glamor: she knows her priorities. It’s a reminder to herself that she’s grown more than she realizes, and it’s a song that favors Adele’s lower range beautifully. Those deep notes bring maturity and soul to a song that reaches the depths of a person’s insecurities.
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- Oh My God
It’s something fun and silly for the kids. Even though it’s more upbeat and optimistic than some of the other songs, it’s still cohesive with the rest of the album. It’s a perfect post-release single and
- Easy On Me
It was the best way to open the new era of new beginnings and mourning endings. It’s not my favorite song on the album, but it’s gorgeous and allows for Adele to express her apologies with kindness to herself.
- Hold On
The lyrics and build of this song are unforgettable, and with relativity to the rest of the album, it fulfills the need for an epilogue of hope.
- Cry Your Heart Out
A girl needs her catchy tunes, and don’t worry, this song has your back. The rhythm and progression of this song are addictive, and with its positive message, it’s ready to replay over and over again.
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- Can I Get It
I have little to no feelings about this song, none positive and none negative. It is just a song for the radio and for drunk 22-year-olds to twerk to at clubs, and I’m totally okay with that. This song just isn’t meant for me. I know my place.
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This album’s artistry was too quickly lost to the tides of diet culture and playlists. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I really recommend listening to this album in order and consecutively whenever you get the chance. The sequence tells a wonderful story that shouldn’t be lost to shuffle just like how this album’s success was overshadowed by the fact that sometimes, bodies change. Give Adele the credit she deserves and really give her most recent masterpiece the careful listen it deserves.