“30”: Adele’s Most Powerful and Brilliant Album
After six years away from music, Adele makes a spectacular comeback with "30", her fourth studio album in which she goes beyond heartbreak .
In his most recent work of art we find a vocal force that is capable of being reflected in a series of songs that deviate from his usual style. Photo: YT-Adele
LatinAmerican Post | Yolanda González Madrid
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Leer en español: “30”: el álbum más poderoso y brillante de Adele
In 2008, the first album by a talented young woman named Adele came into our lives. At that time, and at only 19 years of age, the British woman made soul one of the most listened to genres of the last decade thanks to her magnificent energy when singing. Now, after a season in silence, "30" arrives to show us that the power and brilliance of this singer is more relevant than ever.
During her six years away from music, Adele experienced a series of ups and downs that gave more power to her fourth studio album. In 2017, the news was released that the singer married Simon Konecki, a businessman with whom she had had her first child in 2012. However, in 2019, the couple decided to separate and in March of this year, they ended their relationship by signing the divorce papers. Undoubtedly, this last situation prompted a series of emotional ballads that give meaning to "30".
At this point, talking about Adele is talking about one of the greatest exponents of current music. In her most recent work of art, we find a vocal force that is capable of being reflected in a series of songs that deviate from her usual style. There, love, its different agonies, as well as the reflection on what a divorce means and the beginning of something new, invite us to travel a path as chaotic as it is emotional. Her devastating and reverent return introduces us to the causes and consequences of love with the addition of electronic instruments and synthesizers to her tracks, making "30" her most creative album yet.
"30": a conversation between Adele and Adele
Throughout the entire album, we see Adele in a helpless adolescent version of herself as if she were breaking the petals of a daisy wondering "do I love myself? Don't I love myself?" In that back and forth of feelings. We are also witnesses of the way in which she overcame that sad stage in her personal life, but from the outset, "30" takes us to a different place. The first song is "Strangers by Nature", which begins with a classic film orchestra that transports us to a period film with muffled sounds. In fact, "Love Is a Game" has those same theatrical and dramatic touches that close the twelfth song with a flourish.
The promotional single of this album and that serves to change the climate is "Easy on Me", the second in the list. Here she leaves behind what seemed to be a happy path to embark on a tornado of self-revelation with lyrics full of sincerity. This type of ballad is repeated with "Hold On", a song where we hear Adele reproach herself with gospel-type organs in the background and with an ecclesiastical chorus that bursts out in a surprising way.
But everything is melancholy. Tracks 4, 5, and 6 present us with a more versatile Adele with aural surprises. "Cry Your Heart Out" is a kind of reggae that aims to give a sense of peace even though its lyrics say the opposite. "Oh My God" is full of sonic tricks that project it as a dance hymn in the very pure style of his classic "Rolling in the Deep". While "Can I Get It" becomes one of the most different songs in her repertoire for its western tones full of acoustic guitars.
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The tranquility is present in the middle of the album. Starring the piano, Adele's velvety voice sparkles with optimism on "I Drink Wine," a track that reaffirms her own self-esteem after trying to recover from the pain. Immediately afterwards, R&B returns to be present with "All Night Parking", which includes the participation of Erroll Garner to make a splendid piece to the intoxication of a new relationship. Likewise, "Woman like Me" is nothing more than a reflection of the singer's own confidence.
Finally, two singles that have a very strong personal charge are "My Little Love" and "To Be Loved". The first is a message of hope and helps her son Angelo to understand his parents' divorce. Mixing a 70s groove with some R&B string arrangements, Adele treats us to a heartwarming piece that includes her little one's crying voice notes between verses. For its part, the second is dedicated to her alcoholic father and in it, we can feel the power of her voice reaching the limit of tears. In short, "30" is the instant result of the person Adele is right now: a powerful and brilliant woman.
