Adele ’30’ Album Review

Kayla Ivan, Arts & Culture Manager

“This is my story, and I feel like it’s me taking back my narrative,” stated Adele in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe while discussing her new album, “30.”

The album is a long-awaited release by the artist that is several years in the making. One major theme that stuck out in this work was her honesty in the lyrics of every track included.

Upon listening, the record is a vulnerable collection of songs that showcase the vocal and songwriting abilities of her as an artist alongside her great ability to quite literally create tracks that are oozing with emotion in every way.

Whether singing about the good, the bad and the ugly, Adele was capable of creating a fresh album that was a reminder of classic Adele emotions on full display, such as in the already popular “Easy on Me,” while also breaking out into new sounds, such as in “Strangers By Nature,” which opens the album. It was inspired by Judy Garland’s harmonious, melodic vocal style that Adele adores so much.

Adele was very honest in her interview with Lowe, stating how much writing and creating the album aided in her healing and growth.

“It really helped me… I really think that some of the songs on this album could really help people, really change people’s lives,” Adele said.

The album is forward and genuine, particularly in moments such as “My Little Love,” where Adele included spoken words of her own voice in a vulnerable breakdown raw enough to bring listeners to tears.

Confidence was also on full display in key moments of the album, such as in “Can I Get It” and “Woman Like Me,” with Adele describing why someone might not be able to handle her or understand her fully as a significant other: “Don’t think you quite understand who you have on your hands. How can you not see just how good for you I am.”

“Cry Your Heart Out” and “Oh My God” were super groovy and had a mellow vibe that seemed unique for Adele, lending themselves as perfect contradictions to the very somber songs heard throughout the rest of the record.

Similarly mellow was the track titled, “All Night Parking (with Erroll Garner) Interlude,” which included a steady beat and background vocals amidst jazzy piano keys.

Five of the tracks are over six minutes long, with stories through song being shared throughout them, including “I Drink Wine,” and the final three songs on the album, “Hold On,” “To Be Loved” and “Love Is A Game.” With so many longer tracks, a lot of content could be rolled into this album, making it a standout for the artist in her music career.

A heartbreakingly honest song, “To Be Loved” is full of lyrics that many will be sure to sing loudly on car rides or alone in their bedrooms. “I’ll never learn if I never leap. I’ll always yearn if I never speak. To be loved and love at the highest count means to lose all the things I can’t live without. Let it be known that I will choose to lose, it’s a sacrifice…”

All twelve of the tracks have charted the Billboard Hot 100 upon release. Overall, “30” is a real and musically adventurous album that is a result of six years of life put into a dozen infectious songs.