#REVIEW: ADELE – “25”

Adele continues to grow-up before our eyes and after a dreaded four-year wait, she very much is back on latest effort, 25. Gone is a bit of that angst we heard on 21, but make no mistake, she is even stronger for it all. The Disc showcases the British powerhouse at her most reflective and self-realized. Being the time-conscious old soul she is even at her young age, we hear her sing about regret and her fear of life passing her by and all she can do is “watch and cry” as sung on the nostalgic A Million Years and gospel-rock gold When We Were Young.

Despite possessing a timelessness to it, if we could pinpoint a period of influence, we feel some of these tracks like the transporting Water Under the Bridge, River Lea showcasing her fantastic ability as a writer and the album’s powerful debut single Hello, seem to take us to the mid/late 80s. Pop Music very much seems to be so fixated on the era of late. The collection certainly doesn’t buck to musical trends though.

Despite some woes vocally which led Adele to a hiatus, she sounds phenomenal using that alto to great emotional effect. She channels her power effortlessly, while her songs are in a range many would be struggling with – low-lows and high-highs. We are swept away to her world, her worries and don’t really want to leave by the end of the 11 tracks.

Three of the disc’s most accessible tracks, a Bruno Mars-penned, tear-inducing, piano-only power ballad in All I Ask,  highly-emotive Love in the Dark and the radio-friendly Send My Love (co-written and produced by Pop God Max Martin) which picks-up where hit Rumour Has It left-off, all secure a place for this Pop Goddess on our airwaves – a balance and a bit of flash to the substance and depth heard on 25. A rewarding listen which captivates the mind, emotion and spirit.

XL Recordings release Adele’s 25 on Friday, November 20, 2015.