The article below was written by Barbara Contini and edited by Karen Oliveira
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On November 19, Adele made the fans crazy and returned with an album with 12 tracks, in which 11 had never been released, along with the hit “Easy on Me”. The project was named “30”, following the same idea as the previous albums with the ages that most marked the singer, who is now 35 years old.
And if you’re thinking that you’ll find in “30” new songs to dance cleaning the house, you’re wrong. All songs follow the same style as “Easy on Me”, which captures Adele’s deep and sincere outburst about the end of her marriage. So you must be ready to cry!
The singer did something so personal that in an interview for Apple Music, she confessed that she was a little afraid of launching the project and even thought about keeping the songs for herself.
“I really think some of the songs on this album can really help people. Really change people’s lives. And I think a song like ‘Hold On’ can actually save some lives”, she said.
The release of “30”
And Adele knew how to build the suspense! Mysterious signs with the number 30 were gradually appearing in some buildings around the world. And don’t think we’re talking about banners or anything like that, they were building-length blackboards.
Brazil was not left out of this: The place chosen was General Osório Square, in Rio de Janeiro.
And it was just enough for fans to start with their endless theories. Weeks later, when the album had already been confirmed, Adele still went live on Instagram where she confessed that the theme would be the divorce with her ex-husband Simon Knecki, which happened in March of this year.
Later, she even said that she thought of some songs as a way to explain the divorce to her son Angelo, who is just nine years old. For her, it is a kind of advice for when the son will be older, a way for him to understand that there will be some changes in life with the arrival of 30. By then, we could already see how the project was something super special, in fact, a gift for the fans.
“When I was 30, my whole life fell apart and I didn’t have any warning of it,” she said.
Against the trends of the music industry
The album was not made to become a Tiktok dance! This doesn’t mean that it is better or worse, but it shows that the artist had complete freedom to create something different from what is being most consumed at the moment.
If we analyze the music market in the last year, we see almost a return to the Disco era, lots of colors, dancing songs, choreography, and mainly a very old Pop feel. A good example of this is Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” or even Doja Cat’s songs.
However, Adele was categorical in saying that she did not want “30” to follow that same path. Still, in an interview with Apple Music, she explained that she needed to write something for people of her generation:
“I don’t think 12-year-olds should listen to and like the album. It is very profound, it was created for those who are already close to 30, as a therapy.”
We can look at this just by analyzing the duration of the songs: Most of the tracks on the new album are between 5 and 6 minutes, which is a lot for the music industry that always looks for a standard of more than 3 minutes, which the younger crowd generally prefers to consume.
However, it’s amazing to see how the label supported the singer’s idea, as they are often against this kind of album that goes out of the way and they know that with an album like this it’s hard to break the charts.
Did the critics like the album?
With an album that brings incredible vocals and impeccable instrumental parts, it would be difficult for critics to point out any negative points. According to the website Metacritic, which compiles all the reviews of the main international sites, “30” has already reached the mark of 90, with 7 reviews published so far, becoming one of the biggest albums of 2021 in less than a month.
Adele even beat her record, as the highest evaluated album of her career so far, “25”, received a final grade of 75 on the website in question.
The expectation now is that the British singer sets a new record in sales of vinyl in the United States in its debut week.
Final notes
I believe there is no better way to describe “30” than the one the singer herself used, an album that talks about self-destruction, self-reflection, and self-redemption. For me it was like that roller coaster of feelings after a breakup, the sadness, hurt, acceptance, and waiting for better moments.
“To Be Loved” is so deep that the singer herself said she doesn’t intend to perform on this track. “Cry Your Heart Out” brought, in my opinion, a touch almost to the blues, a little more lively than the others.
But without a doubt, “My Little Love” catches my heart differently. It’s like I’m close to Adele and I’m listening to her conversation with her son. It’s passionate from the first word to the least, especially the audio of her and her son talking.
In general, “30” is quite different from what I usually hear but I recommend it with my eyes closed. It’s an experience, every instrumental part of the album takes you to another universe, which is allowed to put any and all feelings out without fear of being judged.