Crazy, obsessed fans of Adele, leave now, you might hate the next few paragraphs. My relationship with the artist is quite complicated.
When the British powerhouse first came onto the over-sexualized music scene in 2008, she swept up two GRAMMY awards with the heartbreaking "Chasing Pavements" and an equally as groundbreaking parent album, the blues/soul-inspired 19. Pop-loving fans wanted something different, lyrical content with more depth, and Adele was the unique voice that could give it to them. I immediately fell in love.
Then, just three years later, her flame got much brighter and a little less special... in my eyes. On the cusp of a vocal-focused trend, the artist sold over 10 million copies of sophomore album 21, won six additional GRAMMYs in 2012, and earned three number one hits ("Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire To The Rain"), all deserved, but the album didn't completely win me over, as it apparently did everyone else. The dramatics were a bit too much, but heartbroken lovers did not seem to care.
Now, after another agonizing three-year wait, the somber ballad queen returns with the first single off the highly anticipated, sure-to-be epic hit, 25 (she's currently 27 years old). "Hello" was first teased with a 30-second snippet during an episode of The X Factor UK this past Sunday. Millions of devoted fans went nuts, but I truly couldn't understand why. Besides already heard, piano-driven production, and hearing "heal ya" paired with "healing" within the same opening verse, the snippet did nothing to peak my interest.
Again, that really didn't matter, because Adele's likable personality and movie-worthy rise to fame had people screaming "YAAAAASSS QUEEN" and "absolutely amazing" shortly after the snippet spread across the Web like wildfire. Fair enough.
"Hello" is another dramatic, chilling and over-the-top traditional ballad that finds Adele trying to make peace for mistakes she might have made during a previous relationship, using her trademark vocal delivery that will definitely be heard all over the radio airwaves in the coming weeks. Following a simple introduction, the artist gives a sense of mixed, raw emotions as she struggles to move forward. While she was happy to express her subtle anger on her last album, it seems she's ready to admit her wrongs with a wiser overall perspective.
The verses on the recently released single may not be as tight or revealing as previous offerings, but none of that is important when the soaring, heartbreaking chorus comes around for the first time. "Hello from the outside, at least I can say that I've tried to tell you, I'm sorry, for breaking your heart, but it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore," she gorgeously belts while asking for forgiveness from her previous lover. It all leads up to a show-stopping, climatic final minute that becomes the best part of the new single.
After the initial listen, it's clear that while there is growth in terms of message, the new "Hello" could have fit in perfectly with the tracklist of 21. That's my main problem. Adele stays within her comfort zone and delivers a type of song we all knew she would. Like Sam Smith, there's nothing exciting or unexpected anymore. Besides my own desire for something new and unique again, the single is a grand, hard-hitting, convincing performance that ultimately falls in the middle of Adele's previously released catalog. I'd say "Set Fire To The Rain" is her best officially released single.
But hold everything, not only did Adele release her "Hello" comeback, she treated us all with the accompanying, Xavier Dolan-directed visual. Filmed in theatrical black-and-white, the music video shows the artist in an empty, dusty house trying to pass the time as she recalls the better times with her man by her side, intertwined with the moments signaling their ultimate demise. It's the perfect companion, highlighting the growing beauty of Adele and the heart-wrenching realization of losing it all.
If you try to ignore the fact, just for a quick second, that "Hello" is an Adele single, preceded by three years of album rumors and anticipation, it would otherwise be considered a "good" effort, but since it is indeed an Adele single, from one of our generation's greatest vocalists, then the final word would be bumped up to "brilliant". Let's just hope people focus more on the actual recording, rather than on image or accomplishment.
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