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25 è il terzo album in studio della cantante britannica Adele, pubblicato il 20 novembre 2015 dalla XL Recordings.[26]
L'album segna il ritorno della cantante dopo quattro anni in cui si era allontanata dalle scene musicali[27] e durante il suo periodo sabbatico ha sofferto del blocco dello scrittore, rimandando di conseguenza le sessioni di registrazione del disco.[28]
Il primo singolo estratto dall'album, Hello, è uscito poco meno di un mese prima di 25 ed ha riscosso un grande successo a livello mondiale,[29] arrivando primo in numerose classifiche. L'album risulta, con oltre 500.000 preordini solo negli Stati Uniti d'America, il più preordinato della storia. In pochi minuti dalla sua uscita l'album raggiunge la prima posizione di 110 paesi del mondo.[30] Ad esso seguirono When We Were Young, uscito a gennaio 2016,[31] Send My Love (to Your New Lover), pubblicato quattro mesi più tardi,[32] e Water Under the Bridge, pubblicato il 4 novembre.[33]
Produzione
L'album è stato pubblicato quattro anni dopo l'uscita del suo precedente lavoro in studio 21. Dopo l'uscita e l'enorme successo di 21 nel 2011,[34][35] nella prima metà del 2012 Adele ha ammesso più volte di aver considerato l'idea di abbandonare per un po' l'industria musicale,[36] soprattutto in seguito alla nascita del suo primo figlio, Angelo James Konecki, dato alla luce nel 2012 e avuto dalla relazione con il suo compagno Simon Konecki.[37] Prima delle sessioni di registrazioni dell'album, la cantante ha dichiarato in un'intervista concessa a Rolling Stone che la sua intenzione non era quella «di creare un nuovo disco simile a 21, ma di voler creare un album che suonasse come una rivoluzione musicale» per lei.[38][39]
Prima ancora della sua uscita, 25 è stato indicato da molte riviste musicali importanti, tra cui Billboard, Fuse e SMH,[40] come il disco più atteso del 2015, parlando del fatto che «se 25 fosse stato pubblicato nel 2015, avrebbe potuto dominare l'anno»: prima dell'annuncio ufficiale della sua pubblicazione, fan e giornalisti hanno ipotizzato l'idea che il nuovo album si sarebbe potuto chiamare 25, pensando che Adele avrebbe continuato a dare il titolo dei suoi album il numero dei suoi anni, come nel caso di 19 e 21.[41] Alla vigilia del suo 26º compleanno, Adele ha postato un messaggio ai fan su Twitter in cui ha annunciato il titolo del disco e della sua pubblicazione.[42]
User Album Review
It only seems five minutes ago that Adele Adkins was just another teenage singer/songwriter, following in the footsteps of Lily Allen and Kate Nash, singing songs about London and boys, having a mouth like a sailor and singing backing vocals for Jack Penate (remember him?).
It was, in fact, 8 years ago that we first heard those plaintive piano chords of Hometown Glory, and in that time Adele has become arguably the biggest British pop star we currently have: holding so much sway in fact that she can quite easily demand her album not be available on any streaming platforms, thus forcing people who want to hear it to actually - shock, horror - buy it. Even Taylor Swift eventually succumbed to the might of Apple Music.
So, Adele's third album is easily the most anticipated record of the year, and is already on track to sell over 2.5 million copies in its first week alone - an astonishing achievement for an artist who barely plays live, never tours and has been pretty much silent for the past four years. Adele has, after all, never been one to play by the normal music industry rules (she pretty much broke America via a YouTube video of her singing at the BRIT Awards), but there's a nagging feeling that 25 can't possibly live up to all the hype.
And, in a sense, it doesn't. It certainly won't disappoint the legions of fans desperate for new material, but 25 is very much Adele playing safe. By now, you know what you're going to get from an Adele album: lots of sad songs about former lovers, custom-made to make people cry on their pillow. Yet, there's so much more to her than that, especially given that extraordinary voice: remember the sass of Rumour Has It, or the barely concealed anger bubbling under the surface of Rolling In The Deep? That side of Adele is nowhere to be found on her third record.
Having said that, it's impossible not to fall under its many charms. Hello is the quintessential Adele comeback track - a mix of the sad minor piano chords from Someone Like You on the verse, before soaring magnificently into the Skyfall-like chorus. Yes, the lyrics seem like a retread of previous material: when you hear lines like 'I was wondering if after all these years, you'd like to meet' you do want to reach through the speakers, grab her and shout 'NO, ADELE, EXES ARE EXES FOR A REASON'. That becomes somewhat of a recurring feeling throughout this album. Yet the melody, especially on the verses, is so heart-stoppingly beautiful that you're soon singing along.
When We Were Young, co-written with Tobias Jesso Jr, pulls on similar heartstrings - a hushed ballad which may not take too many risks, but is worth the price of admission for the moment when Adele's voice cracks with emotion as she sings the line 'my God this reminds me of when we were young'. If you can ignore the rather disconcerting feeling of a woman still a good few years away from 30 reminiscing about her apparently long-gone youth, it's the sort of performance that will give you chills. This will be the song you'll find difficult to escape from during Christmas and beyond, whether you want to or not.
25 becomes at its most interesting though when Adele steps out of her comfort zone. Send My Love (To Your New Lover) is one of those occasions, a collaboration with uber-pop svengali Max Martin, a sassy, flamenco-tinged banger that's one of the few moments of 25 that could be called danceable. Another highlight is River Lea (there's a big water motif running through 25), which sounds absolutely enormous, a giant gospel-influenced stomp of a song which looks back to the comforting nostalgia of childhood with the bittersweet knowledge that you can never truly go home again.
Yet there's a few too many times on 25 when Adele seems to be treading water. Tracks like Love In The Dark or Remedy may be beautifully performed but it's very much what we've heard before. A Million Years Ago showcases another flawless vocal performance, but you'd be hard-pressed to remember much about it even after several listens, while All I Ask sounds oddly dated, despite the presence as co-writer of the ubiquitous Bruno Mars.
None of which will matter a jot to the millions of people who'll buy and constantly play 25, of course - people expect Adele albums to do a certain job now, and 25 ticks all the relevant boxes. However, next time round it'll be good to hear her break out of that comfort zone: while she's earned the right to stick to that tried and trusted formula, a little bit of experimentation could go a long way.
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