It's been six long years, but Adele has finally blessed us with her fourth album, 30.
So far, the reviews for the album have been positive, with many critics praising it as her best album yet. Amazingly, Adele says she considered actually not releasing 30, before realizing, "It's an album in my life that deserves to be heard."
When the album was delayed due to COVID-19, Adele tells The Face, "I lived with [it] for nearly a year longer than I normally would, and I was like, 'I might end up being over this record and then not wanting to put it out!,' which frightened me a lot...I would’ve been away for, like, a decade!"
Coming as it does after her divorce, Adele tells The Face that she needed 30 to "more than anything, just comfort myself." She adds, "It wasn’t really about what I wanted to say for people. It was more like: 'What do I need to hear for myself, lyrically?'”
"I was definitely reminded this time about how much of a real gift it is that I have this ability to write songs and sing," she notes. "Because it did bring me joy. It helped me get out of my sadness."
Some of that sadness can be seen in gut-wrenching tracks like "Hold On" and "My Little Love," the latter of which was written for Adele's son, Angelo, and features recordings of conversations with him as she tries to explain the divorce.
Adele does manage to have a little fun on the album too, with songs like the boppy "Cry Your Heart Out" and "Love Is a Game," which has a 50s vibe, as well as “All Night Parking Interlude,” which features a sample of Errol Garner's "I'm in the Mood for Love."