Adele’s latest album, 30, released on Nov. 19 sparked lots of excitement from fans all over the world. The teaser for this album was her single, “Easy on Me”, and, although there were high expectations for this song, Adele did not disappoint. 

The last time she released music six years ago, Adele was majorly successful, however, critics agree that this album goes above and beyond what she had accomplished in the past. 

“Her new album 30 is more melancholy and honest than any of her previous work, but this is why it’s so great,” Cardinal Points Online stated. 

Many of her fans believe that this album gives insight into her raw emotions which is what makes it so beautiful to them. The unfiltered feel of it puts 30 on a separate level from her other albums and fans are even going as far as to say that this is her best one yet.

“Lyrically, 30 is candid,” Annabel Nugent on The Independent, said. “Adele has always been forthright- every bad feeling you’ve felt, she has confessed feeling too-but there is a new immediacy here.” 

“I loved the album,” Jessie Palma, a junior at Arcadia High School stated. “Not only did it reflect on her moving on with her past relationship but it also reflected her role as a mother. Especially in ‘My Little Love,’ she brings up how her mental health affects her as a mother to her child. The lyrics ‘I’m holding on’ and then the faint ‘barely’ can mean so many things. For example it can be seen as telling yourself that you’re ok when you know that deep down you’re not. It’s beautiful.”

Adele expressed that there was a lot of time and effort that went into the creation of this album. 

She started the album about three years ago and stated that she was “throwing [herself] into a maze of absolute mess and inner turmoil.” 

Adele told Vogue UK that her album, despite being “post-breakup,” isn’t about a breakup or divorce with someone else, but it’s about her divorcing herself. 

“The record is about ‘self-destruction’ but also ‘self-reflection and then sort of self-redemption,” Elle stated. 

Adele had poured her heart and soul into this album, she wanted it to reflect her true feelings. Her previous albums had been mainly about the pain other people had inflicted onto her, however, this time she details the inner pain she inflicts on herself and even sometimes, onto others. Each song tells a story of what she feels, giving the listener a deeper understanding of what she has gone through. Critics and fans love this aspect of the album. 

Pitchfork stated that Adele was “bold enough to share it all so vulnerably, with the entire world listening.” 

People admire the bravery she had to put herself, her life, and her feelings out for the whole world to hear and critique. However, it’s what makes 30 so unique from not only her previous albums but also the albums of other artists. 

Photograph courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS