I do hope you forgive me for neglecting the hyperlocal for one article, dearest reader, as I would be remiss in my coverage of the BC music scene without discussing the album everyone on the planet is listening to today: 30.

Adele has finally dropped the long awaited follow-up to 25, released six years ago.

And the hype hasn’t just come from the fact that Adele has been a musical powerhouse for over a decade.  It’s also come from the fact that Adele has gone through it the last couple of years, having divorced her longtime partner and spouse of three years.

But when I saw her Instagram post alongside her album release?  Even I was excited to give 30 a listen.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWdo9oipHPC/

Usually, Adele doesn’t hit the spot for me.  ‘Easy On Me’ hasn’t hit the spot for me (trust me.  I work in hot adult contemporary radio.  I’ve heard that song about forty-five thousand times).  So, I began listening to this album as I opened the document to write this article, with hope that I would find a departure from the Adele I’d made up my mind about.

And so I have.

This new era of Adele is exciting in its musical arrangement and its production.  And unexpectedly, gut-wrenchingly intimate.  ‘My Little Love’ features a recording of Adele explaining her divorce and feelings to her young child, plus other footage captured in vivo of Adele explaining her anxiety, confusion, and grief in tears.

In ‘Oh My God’ (my personal favourite) she lays down an electro-blues beat down while lyrically beginning to give herself permission to move on and be single for the first time since careening headfirst into superstardom.

I couldn’t finish this article off without diving into ‘To Be Loved’.

‘To Be Loved’ is a near seven-minute odyssey featuring just Adele and a piano.  This stripped-down number allows the power-alto to imbue each word with her emotion and mastery of her voice in equal measure.  This track is goosebump central.

30 is a very special album, and even if you’re not into Adele, I guarantee you will find something you like about it.  It’s very Adele in a way that old fans will enjoy, but it’s also fresh in a way that will net Adele some new fans.  I’m speaking, of course, from immediate experience.