Adele released her fourth studio album on Nov. 19, welcoming listeners to the long awaited sound of “30”. Named for her age at the time it was written, as are the rest of her albums, this new release is satisfying to fans who love her familiar songs, as well as those wanting a taste of something new. “30” is a journey through real life, real love and real loss.
The album is centered around the experience of her recent divorce and the feelings of heartbreak and loneliness that overcame her through the process of grieving her marriage. Even so, “30” is full of sweet moments of clarity and strength that balance these melancholic themes. Adele reveals the rawest, most vulnerable parts of heartbreak with tender production choices throughout the album. This tenderness could not be realer than it is on track three, “My Little Love”, where voice recordings of a bittersweet conversation with her young son are intertwined with Adele’s vocals. The effect is simple but poignant and deepens the honesty that comes with the album’s focus.
Additionally, within the album’s production exists an evolution in Adele’s style. Each song moves through and around different genres like jazz, pop, R&B and soul creating a blend of her tried and true sound with some new stylistic choices. This genre blend, however, can be overpowered by one subjective flaw within the album. Every song, except for one, is over three minutes long. Although this is not a flaw on its own, there are a few six-minute songs alongside the rest that make it one. With the album’s full length being two minutes shy of an hour, it is noticeably too long. The length of the album makes it suitable for long drives or wallowing in its misery but does not work well for casual listening or anyone with a short attention span.
Adele, known for her profound lyricism, surely did not disappoint with the writing of “30”. Each song is ladened with heartfelt confession and blunt outcries of emotion. She croons in the calm track six, “Love is a Game”, “My heart speaks in puzzles and codes I’ve been trying my whole life to solve, God only knows how I’ve cried, I can’t take another defeat”. At times her lyrics sound like the words she needed to hear when she was writing them, given their encouraging quality. With a quavering voice as if she is singing through tears, the hopeful, “Let time be patient, you are still strong, let pain be gracious, love will soon come” shines through track 10, “Hold On”. In the heart of this album, Adele’s painfully beautiful lyrics carry the weight of the feelings they encapsulate.
In her newest release, Adele returns with arguably her most pain-stricken body of work yet. Through its production and lyrics, “30” roots itself as a force to be reckoned with in comparison to Adele’s highly acclaimed previous albums. Anyone who has not yet listened to this new album needs to hear it.