I will get straight to the point and write straight from the heart, without any euphemisms and decorations. I don't like Adele's new album. It took her four years to release an album that tries too hard to channel everything brilliant that was going on on 21. And we all know what was going on with 21. Yes, a lot of tears. The first single from the album, Hello, is thematically similar to Someone Like You, the biggest hit from the previous album. The problem I have with Hello is that is surgically precise pop. It sounds like a song written for Kelly Clarkson or any other pop artist with powerhouse vocal. It does not sound like idiosyncratic Adele.
Not everything is black. Adele sounds beautiful on the least typical song A Million Years Ago, inspired by French music. Just a guitar and few strings now and there, the song sends a message that standing in the same place is a death for an artist. This one is probably not going to be a hit but, contrary to the rest of the generically and perfectly produced album, it has than aura that forces you to press replay. Adele took a risk with almost dubstepish I Miss You and the risk didn't pay off. The song sounds like it should have been on Beyonce's album, while Send My Love could easily pass as Taylor Swift's track. Water Under The Bridge and River Lea are desperetely trying to recall the essence of 21 but they just sound lame. I know I sound like a hater right now but the truth is - I believe there were many great albums this year that are going to end up in the shadow of Adele's 25 just because they didn't get the commercial spotlight her album did. Honestly, I expected more experimenting from an artist Adele is. Pardon, an artist Adele was.
