Culture November 19, 2021

Go easy on us: Adele's '30' has arrived

WATCH: What critics and fans are saying about Adele's new album, ‘30’

The reviews for Adele's album, "30" have been positive, with many critics praising it as her best album yet, but Adele said she considered 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 told 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!"

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Realeasing the album after her divorce, Adele told The Face that she needed "30" to "more than anything, just comfort myself."

She added, "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?'"

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"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 said. "Because it did bring me joy. It helped me get out of my sadness."

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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.

Another track centered around heartbreak on the album is "To Be Loved," which the singer debuted on Wednesday.

"To be loved and love at the highest count/Means to lose all the things I can't live without/Let it be known that I will choose to lose/It's a sacrifice, but I can't live a lie/Let it be known, let it be known that I tried," she sings in the track.

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."