25
XL
Release date: November 20, 2015
By Shawal Ras
Follow @shawalras
The biggest release of the year has arrived and I decided to give it a dozen plays before I review it for y'all and not be influenced by the strong hype in my timeline right now. Anyway, here it is...
25, Adele's third record, sees the singer pick herself up from the big heartbreak that was written all over her previous album, 21. This time, Adele, who found motherhood a couple years back, has learned to accept her history (or her-story to be apt) and rediscovered her former self ("Hello, it's me...").
Still awake listening to @Adele 25. "Adele songs make you miss your ex even though you don't have one."
— Ger (@geraldcuyugs) November 21, 2015
To be honest and I'm being quite frank here, I don't exactly love the album as much as I did with 21. The former resonates with me. It deals with stuffs that I was experiencing back then and sonically, 21's Motown and soul approach to pop gave the record it's authentic and evergreen feel.
But 25 is much lighter than her previous works. Thematically, it's great. And a pretty cohesive project, too. But when it comes to full audio experience, 25 falls flat than its predecessors. There's that distinct pop sound that was playing throughout the record and I kinda think this whole LP is over-produced (Max Martin?).
Now, don't be mad at me. I love love love Adele. I just think she can make a better collection of songs that this one. Still, no matter how much we wanna hear another version of 21, it's not hard to see the fact that she's trying new sound, new styles, and yes, a timeless singer gotta evolve, right?
Whatever it is, what is a review without a proper list of what's good in this record? My picks are 'Hello', 'Send My Love (To Your New Lover)', 'When We Were Young', 'Water Under the Bridge', 'I Miss You', 'River Lea', and 'All I Ask'.
And oh, I have this one track that caught my attention the moment it starts playing. 'Million Years Ago' can probably be Adele's next 'Someone Like You'. It's a total sobfest for me. It's a ballad, mid-tempo track about reminiscing what you had before and the choices that you've made to be where you are today: "I know I'm not the only one, who regrets the things they've done..."
*BRB, got snots*
25 might not have the grace of 21 from start to finish, but it is a great album nonetheless. She ends the album with 'Sweetest Devotion', an ode to those around her and it is the perfect way to end an album that start with a call to her former self.
UPDATE: Adele's 25 is the biggest release ever! The album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week, surpassing NSYNC's undefeated No Strings Attached which was sold 2.42 million copies back in 2000. We're talking about U.S., not worldwide sale. Impressive!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.