One of the biggest albums of the year if finally here. Adele released her fourth studio album, 30, this Friday, November 19th.
The last few months in music have been dominated by the buildup to the album’s release. 30 broke the Apple Music record for the most pre-added album ever on the streaming platform, surpassing Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever. The singer released a stunning music video for lead single ‘Easy on Me’.
She sat down with Oprah and performed songs in a CBS concert special, and she even managed to anger Piers Morgan.
Now the album is out in the world and the reviews have started to filter in: judging by the early acclaim, she could have another classic on her hands.
Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield called it the best Adele album yet. “She’s never sounded more ferocious than she does on 30—more alive to her own feelings, more virtuosic at shaping them into songs in the key of her own damn life,” he gushed in a 5-star review.
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The Sydney Morning Herald noted 30 as being her “rawest” album. “For anyone going through similar experiences and feelings, particularly during a time of such great worldwide upheaval, 30 will be comforting, even inspiring listening,” they wrote.
The Guardian named it as their album of the week in a 3-star review, praising Adele for pushing herself out of her comfort zone sonically. “Producing an album that’s different from its predecessors, without being different enough to scare anyone off, is a not-unimpressive feat, particularly under the circumstances,” they said.
The BBC review hailed Adele for still being at the top of her game. “Everything is complex, messy and uncertain. There are no simple conclusions and no easy answers,” the review stated. “Adele has been through hell and emerged with her soul intact – and some of the strongest songs of her career.”
Variety called 30 her “rawest, riskiest and best record”, while The Evening Standard called it “a devastating comeback.”
The New York Times were similarly effusive on the merits of 30: “Adele’s songs present her as her own target and her own unfinished self-improvement project. The album’s core style is secular gospel, with Adele’s voice gathering itself over hymnlike piano chords, seeking faith not in a higher power but in herself.”
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Check out ‘Easy on Me’ by Adele:
