She’s back, with further heartbreak and all about her divorce, and while here we try to avoid the mega-selling LPs – this already set to be the biggest of 2021 – there’s no denying the honesty and talent of Tottenham’s finest, Adele Adkins. Still behaving like the down-to-earth girl next door that she is on a a heartwarming, comedic appearance decorated with fabulous singing and a moving reunion with a schoolteacher on a revival of ITV’s An Audience With …, and supporting the idea of an album song order than Spotify shuffle, there’s much to relish on this album, even though it’s familiar territory to her third, 25. But with a stellar group of production and co-writing talent, including Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and Shellback, the consistency remains. While the tearful melancholy never lets up, opener Strangers By Nature going straight to the point (“I'll be taking flowers to the cemetery of my heart/ For all of my lovers in the present and in the dark”), followed by Cry Your Heart Out, Love Is a Game, To Be Loved, aside from the soaring, strong voice and the nods to soul, blues and gospel, there are strong doses of self-understanding, on I Drink Wine and Hold On, two of her best, which build and pour out in powerful, moving, brutal honesty. While some huge-selling mainstream artists are clearly cynical exploiters of every marketing opportunity (Ed Sheeran/ Coldplay), it’s hard to accuse Adele, of any lack of authenticity, such is the sheer scale of her talent and her approachable earthiness. Out on Columbia.
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