 25 isn’t the new 21; it’s the new 30. ADELE - 25 (2015) Though Adele tries to appear older, she is still a young woman. At 27, she released her third studio album, 25, on November 20, 2015, amid great public anticipation following the instant success of its predecessor, 21. Adele introduces herself in "Hello," a piano ballad, as if engaged in an intimate conversation with someone important (or perhaps with herself), immersed in the nostalgia and despair of life's struggles, primarily related to lost, frustrated, or unresolved relationships. Despite her powerful vocals, she attempts to break free from the bitterness that holds her in a time ahead of her physical self, experiencing a sort of "30s crisis" prematurely, with an urgent need to turn the page once and for all. In "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" and "I Miss You," she blends pop beats with seduction, clearly inspired by past relationships, leading into "When We Were Young," once again featuring piano and reflections on herself. It’s as if she needs to understand and accept what has passed to finally move forward. She tries, but first detours through "Remedy," a clear nod to family and friends, arriving imposingly at "Water Under the Bridge," telling her beloved: "If you’re gonna let me down, let me down gently; don’t pretend that you don’t want me; our love ain’t water under the bridge…", until her emotional fragility breaks through: "Say it ain’t water under the bridge…," reinforced in the surprising gospel anthem "River Lea," the album's high point. Here, she acknowledges the need to move on but chooses sorrowful isolation, blaming everyone and everything in this arduous process of detachment that she cannot (or does not want to) let go of just yet. Her pains bring a cry for liberation to the songs; there’s a delicate and vivid plea for help, like a woman in her 30s trying to process and navigate a new phase of life, finally moving forward with newfound maturity. Adele seems to live in this characteristic vicissitude of women her age — either for maturing too quickly or not understanding the mind’s effect on the body when submerged in its most visceral state. In "Love in the Dark," reality sets in: "I can’t love you in the dark; it feels like we’re oceans apart…," she resists until she understands: "I don’t think you can save me…," she delivers; the acoustic "Million Years Ago" and the intense, hyper-dramatic piano ballad "All I Ask," however, continue to hammer on the same theme of emotional suffering until she finally reaches maturity with her rendition of "Sweetest Devotion," a tribute to her son. 25 doesn’t have the explosive passion of 21, but it offers a deep learning experience about the artist, showcasing a firm and majestic voice as she explores an early internal battle that no one else could fight for her but herself. And she fought (and sang) as if her life depended on it. ★★★½ (out of 5 stars) |
