21

March 10: 21 - Adele
(2011)

hello… its me… wrong album i know. adele is one of those artists in the mainstream that garners the occasional “hell yeah i forget the radio can play bangers sometimes” from me. she takes on the aesthetics of soul, old school R&B, and gospel quite well, it feels like a contemporary take on a classic sound, helped by her quite virtuosic voice if i’m being honest. apparently she separated from a partner before composing it and you can realllly hear that in the lyrics. it’s an album that goes straight for the heart. but like any good pop album from the 2010s it’s carried by the singles—all of which i heard extensively as they came out when i was a kid! which is always fun. opener “rolling in the deep” is one of the finest hits of the early 2010s. i will *always* fall for the gospel-influenced trap. CURSE this woman for making such a nastily emotional song that just builds and builds. “rumour has it” confused me as a kid bc i thought rumour was a person’s name. background vocals are very fun and it’s a good song to stomp along to. “turning tables” is a beautiful piano number (when those strings come in… boy). “set fire to the rain” is, aptly, burning with passion. powerful stuff. she’s got me hating this mf too. and the closer “someone like you” is even worse… but in such a heart-wrenchingly good way. like now i hate this guy and i’m balling my eyes out. there unfortunately is not much to write home about in terms of deep cuts, at least imo (except maybe “i’ll be waiting” that song is fire), even though the songs are all still well made. but please get into it for the good stuff we know is good anyways. it’s weird nostalgia for me, and may it be so for you as well…

Favs: rolling in the deep, rumour has it, turning tables, set fire to the rain, i’ll be waiting, someone like you