Friday 19 November will see Adele release her fourth studio album 30.
When asked what it is about on an Instagram live, she simply responded: “Divorce babe, divorce.”
The record is set to open up on her own heartbreak and explain the breakdown of her marriage to her young son, with track three – My Little Love – letting him know that ‘Mama’s still got a lot to learn’.
And with the release date now just days away, the reviews are flooding in. The general consensus is summed up perfectly by the LA Times: “There are any heirs to her throne, but Adele is still queen of the ugly-cry ballad.”
They go on to rave about standout song To Be Loved, deeming it the ‘most moving’ song on the record.
“It’s almost frightening, this song, in its intensity: A slow, stark, 6 1/2-minute voice-and-piano ballad about learning to let go of trauma, To Be Loved […] climaxes with what can only be described as a howl of pain, Adele’s famous God-given instrument is so volcanic that it’s hard to believe everybody in Los Angeles didn’t stop on the day she recorded it and wonder what they just heard,” they write.
NPR describe Adele as standing “alone in the pop universe”, but she stands alone with you when you become immerse in her music. 30 is yet further demonstration of this “ability to connect as a feelingful person, to be a friendly planet, has always been as important as the sublimity of her voice.
“That gift hasn’t faded; she can still animate a strictly emblematic chorus like, “Hold on, you are still strong, love will still come,” with the lifeblood of spontaneity,” writes NPR.
Such praise is echoed by Rolling Stone, who insist Adele’s vocals have become ‘even more expressive’ in their five-star review. “It’s [To Be Loved] an exhilarating moment – like the rest of the album, it’s the sound of a woman who suffered through a horrific crisis without losing her soul, her passion, or her sense of humour.”
“And all over 30, you can hear her sense of triumph that she made it all the way through. Hello, from the other side,” they gush.
But that’s just the word from critics – fans can expect to listen to the heartfelt album on November 19.
You can find more celebrity news on our website and iOS & Android application.