“30”: Adele’s newest masterpiece

5 out of 5 stars

Just when I thought that I finally recovered from my most recent breakup, Adele’s newest album, “30,” tore me apart and suddenly left me back to where I was the day it all ended. 

The highly anticipated album, “30,” was released on Nov. 19. Fans were eager to connect once again with Adele’s touching lyrics and powerful voice, it’s safe to say that Adele did not disappoint. 

The first lyric on the album, “I’ll be taking flowers to the cemetery of my heart,” destroyed me. I had to take a pause almost right away to collect myself and refocus. Every emotion started to flood in all at once during this long-awaited return.

This lyric is from the first song of the album, “Strangers By Nature,” and what a strong start it is. This song has an eerie nature to it, and it feels like we are at the funeral of Adele’s former marriage.  

No complexity is needed to make this into a powerful song; the gentle organ, the violins, and the chilling vocals all help set the scene. This song instantly captivated me and I felt like I was in a trance. When hearing the lyric, “when no one knows what it’s like to be us,” the tears began falling. They did not stop until the album was finished. 

Following this powerful introduction is “Easy On Me,” the lead single for the album. It shocked me when this song was at the beginning of the album, I thought this song would be toward the end. However, after listening to the album in full, the placement of this song couldn’t have been any better. The piano in the back is soothing to listen to, and the drums help add depth to this song. An amazing single for the album.

“My Little Love” took me out. This song includes some of the same eeriness in “Strangers By Nature.” The voice memos between Adele and her son within the song help tell the story of a hopeless mother trying to explain her divorce to her child.

Specifically, the ending voice memo of Adele by herself has to be my favorite laced into the entire song. Adele crying, saying how for the first time she feels lonely, is something that I could relate to and made my heart break for her. Ending the song with the orchestra of instruments was so smart. That voice memo left me in disarray, and just having the instruments to let me process silently was helpful.  

“Cry Your Heart Out” is a nice, upbeat song that helped me get out of the sadness I experienced with the last three songs. The combination of the guitar, piano, and snare drum is simple. The song is well-executed, providing a nice breather.

While this song may have been more upbeat, it still has deep lyrics which hit close to home. My favorite lyric has to be from the pre-chorus, where Adele sings, “when will I begin to feel like me again? I’m hanging by a thread.” 

I wasn’t prepared to dance to the album, but the song “Oh My God” really made me want to get up. This was such a modern sound for Adele, and I loved it. The whistling in the song made it so unique, and I loved the drums. It feels nostalgic in a way, as if we were reconnecting with the Adele who caught the world’s attention when she was only “19.”

If “Rolling in the Deep” had a sister it would be the song “Can I Get It.” The guitar is addicting, and Adele’s raw vocals are such a departure from the clean vocals in the prior songs.

The build-up in the bridge, leading to such a minimalist chorus first made me upset; it felt like Adele was edging us. As the same pattern continued throughout, I enjoyed it more. The whistling in the chorus and the background vocals all are very well placed and it makes for a truly special song. 

After the high of these three songs, “I Drink Wine” brings things back down. This song has some amazing lyrics; starting off with “how can one become so bounded by choices that somebody else makes?” As the verse continues, the simple piano in the background doesn’t distract from the message Adele sings. 

The rough vocals are present once again, and another voice memo ends this beautiful song. When Adele said “the only regret I have I wish that it was just at a different time,” I audibly gasped. Hearing Adele say it made me feel like I was not alone with my struggles.

“All Night Parking” is an interlude between songs featuring Erroll Garner. This track screams modern jazz, and I loved every second of it. The sultry piano into the lo-fi beats is spectacular. I loved this inclusion into the album; it’s a nice break to relax to.

This song had my favorite lyric of the entire album: “But every time that you text, I want to get on the next flight home.” So relatable, I loved it. 

This album displays Adele is not one to hide her true feelings, and we get all her thoughts in “Woman Like Me.” This song includes another guitar-heavy sound. The lo-fi beats of the previous song are carried over to this song, which is a nice touch to help connect the two.

Adele truly is dragging her ex in this song. The entire chorus had me in shock, but specifically the beginning. “Complacency is the worst trait to have, are you crazy? You ain’t never had, ain’t never had a woman like me.” This song showed her personal growth over the years, and displayed Adele’s new confidence. 

Oh, did Adele take us to church with the song “Hold On.” This song is classic Adele, a piano ballad and her amazing voice. The lyrics are very simple, but I don’t care. 

The big build of the instruments, her voice, the chorus in the background all toward the climax of the song made me so excited. This is why Adele’s music is a style we don’t get to hear too much of; rarely do we ever get music with this much power, and this was a powerful song. 

My favorite song off of the album hands down was “To Be Loved.” This was another gorgeous piano ballad. Words can not even describe the emotions I felt while listening to this song; it’s hard for me to not cry every time I listen. Adele encapsulates the unique feeling of wanting to be loved by someone else so perfectly. 

The raw emotion in her voice sold the song for me. Simply, the way she sings the chorus took my breath away. “Let it be known that I tried” is a lyric which hit very close to home. This song is her next “All I Ask,” and it may be my favorite song that she has ever released. 

Closing out the album is “Love Is A Game,” which truly wraps everything up in a beautiful way. It feels so classic with the orchestra in the background and her deep, sultry vocals. This was a nice, hopeful song that makes you wonder if love is a game truly worth playing. The big ending of the song made me so happy; we just don’t hear music like this from artists anymore and I want more.

With stunning lyrics and amazing vocals, this has to be one of my favorite albums of the entire year. Adele truly has amazing talent, and I highly encourage that everyone listens to this amazing story of music.