25

I have listened to two albums by Adele, great voice, but not my cup of tea.

Prefer them younger

She has truly insane vocals, I just don't vibe with the songs much.

First few tracks were good, the rest bled into one

Boring torch-songs, perfectly executed.

Its ok, nothing that really jumps out at you as being great though. I thought it would be better than it was.

I haven't listened other Adele albums, so I have no comparison. Her voice is powerful and commands attention which is good. The songs are too overproduced, samey and kind of boring. I was surprised I didn't recognise any hit songs from this album. Overall not my cup of tea but listenable enough because of her voice.

Just go listen to reharmonized jazz fusion cover of "Hello" by Adam Neely. It's really great, while this album is a waste of time.

Don't like it

BRB gotta get a pedicure and drink a mimosa

no just no she’s very talented but nah not my music thought of giving one star but I can’t bring myself to

Thought it would be better. Boring to me - aside from Hello it’s the same song over and over again. 3.2

I can’t deny the woman can sing, but sheeesh it’s a little boring! I like sad and slow songs, but not a full album of them! Still, there’s some good lyrics and melodies on this record. ‘Sweetest Devotion’ is a tune.

ugh

Ett par toppenbangers försöker väga upp ett ganska trött album, men jag känner tyvärr inte att det räcker.

Några få bangers räddar albumet från bottennotering. I övrigt lökiga popballader som hänger på en skör tråd som är Adeles imponerande sångröst. När det är bra är det bra, men som helhet i albumform? Nä.

Mopey cow

Same as the last one - insane voice but so fucking boring, it's criminal

A step down from 21.

I’m surprised this is on here. I feel like this is her weakest album. All I Ask is best track for me.

Terribly boring and pretentious, with very few good moments.

I have to confess I really like Adele, but I can’t listen to a whole album in one sitting. 25 consists of many depressing songs and there at the end Sweetest Devotion pops up full of hope and happiness Her voice is amazing and I find its power unbelievable. But I have to cherry pick songs to really listen to her

Technically Adele has a gorgeous voice and well made music, I just can't get into her tunes at all.

This was listened to while making the drive to my sister's at 5am. I was fine with the slower songs. Everything else gave the impression of those local ads you see playing before the movie previews... Especially if you were to take away the vocals. It is endlessly annoying to me to hear several songs of a 25 year old talking about when she was young... You are 25. Come on now.

some nice and extremely popular songs

Klasični dvi i po zvjezdice album. Kao super ona to radi ali pisme su dosadne ko proliv. Na 21 su makar jebeni singlovi. MOM POP

No 21. 2.5

There's more variety here than the piano ballad "Hello" would initially lead you to expect. The next track does kind of an alt pop thing (though even that sounds pretty much like any other alt pop you'd hear on the radio), and there are a couple other left turns throughout. But there are still a lot of piano ballads with dramatic vocals. It wouldn't be such a drag if Adele didn't seem allergic to injecting any kind of personal touch to her lyrics. Everything is vague concepts and ideas, no specific details of break-ups or love, which is universal yes but also uninspired. The vocals? They're good, if a little overdone at times, but they don't make the music more compelling.

I really want to rate this higher to show appreciation for Adele's exceptional voice, but the formulaic adult contemporary vibe is not for me - though I'm pretty sure I'm the target audience for this kind of thing!

Great voice, but allsoundsame.

It’s... fine. She is obviously a great singer but I feel absolutely nothing listening to this.

only three good songs reaaally

She's obviously very talented. That does not necessarily translate to an album that isn't devastatingly boring.

Boring, anodyne shite. I'm turning 25 this month and I sympathise with the sentiments of feeling older though. If that makes you feel ancient, good. Fuck you, old cunts.

Save my love. Best track

Ze heeft een geweldige stem, maar daar is alles ook mee gezegd. De leukste delen vind ik de wat meer intiemere momenten waarbij het niet lijkt alsof ze iedereen in de zaal probeert te bereiken.

Niet zo'n fan (meer?) van hoe haar stem klinkt. Over de jaren heen is deze muziek zo grijs gedraaid tot in elke fucking primera die je binnenloopt dat ik er niet meer met plezier naar kan luisteren.

She uses her voice to great effect; the backing music is simple and minimal. Some of the songs are good, but most are sappy.. I wont be mad if someone wants to play it, but i wouldn’t play it myself again. As an album, it’s a 2

I am beginning to worry that you all must think I live in a cave but I have never heard an Adele song before. Seeing that "Hello" has 3.4B plays on YouTube Music, I think you are right. Know that at least Adele doesn't live in here with me. I tried to listen and got through the first 5 or 6 six songs without skipping but then I think I reached my limit and I skipped through the rest. I didn't care for this at all, it's just not interesting musically or lyrically and a little bit of her voice goes a really long way. One of the first two or three songs reminded me so much of something else and it took almost the whole thing to catch it but it's something from Taylor Swift's 1989 - or at least the Ryan Adams version I am familiar with. I was going to go through and figure it out but I really didn't want to listen to the Adele song again to try and identify which song it was. Besides, I don't really care that much. I put on Beck's Morning Phase right after this (to clear the Adele out of my ears) and noticed that the song with the highest plays from it has 8.6M plays - it's a strange and cruel world, I just don't listen to music like most other people do I guess.

I'm sorry it just reeks of Top 40 :( It is very sad girl but not in a way that makes sense. Like it is like "what is wrong with me" when you're just a 25-year-old woman.

Niks vergeleken met 21. Hello staat hier op, oké, maar zo goed is dat nummer nu ook niet. 2.2

Boy oh boy are these ever a lot of songs about feelings. I've killed all those so this does nothing for me. She only has one song I fuck with, and it's not on this album.

There is no way I'd voluntarily listen to her, having been surrounded by her music against my will for so long.

Like I said previously for 21: melancholic but safe pop music with a veneer of soulfulness which... I mean there's nothing wrong with it but I can't begin to care for it, much less when most of the hits from this album I either find dull ("Hello"), annoying ("Send My Love (To Your New Lover)") or sound like it will sell me a laptop ("Water Under the Bridge"). Adele's be a good singer and artist but that doesn't equate her making music I care for

I appreciate her talent, I just do not like this type of music.

she's a good singer but an unfortunate product of the culture that a good voice is the only thing that makes music good

This album did not hit as hard as the first Adele album I got. Everything was either trying to be too poppy or it just fealt flat.

She is an incredible vocalist. Not sure when I would listen to this though. I would enjoy her using her vocal skills for other genres or productions, otherwise it gets tiring and boring.

She's got a stunning voice, but I couldn't get through most of those songs. Too bad such a talent is wasted on generic sad girl pop.

completely expected and boring. soz

To be honest I found this album pretty boring. Aside from the last song, many of the songs sound the same and seem to hit the same note over and over. I get why this is ‘good’ but it is just not for me.

Hellooo... As if this came out 10 years ago? Adele is obviously an incredible singer. But this is a bit boring and samey. Not horrible to listen to. 19 was sooo much better.

Boring and dated. Enjoyed 2 songs. Not the hits so much. Overall did not age well to my ears.

I only liked one song on this, Send My Love (To Your New Lover). Adele hoots and hollers too much

Típico disco de cantora pop. Enfadonho, repetitivo e sem atrativo. Tudo feito com esmero profissional... e chato.

I enjoyed the first few tracks but after I Miss You it settled into a series of formulaic ballads. It's not bad per se, just a bit predictable.

⭐️River Lea

1st track on the album was strong, then it just became background noise.

Like the vocals were good but at the same time it was boring as fuck. 2 stars

Adele is undoubtedly a very talented singer, her voice is absolutely perfect for the style of music she creates. The album sits toward the better end of the pop spectrum for me personally, but it is also more on the pop-ballad side too which does not appeal to me and never has. I’m really struggling with accepting the albums inclusion on this list, as I’m not even sure it’s Adele’s strongest either. There was only ‘Hello’ from the track listing that I had heard previously (ad nauseum on almost every TV advert for the last decade). Everything apart from that was new to me, yet somehow I was already bored of it, except for maybe Sweetest Devotion which was alright. Can’t bring myself to score this more than a 2/5. Don’t need to listen again.

would i listen more than once? no. would i make it all the way through one? also a no... two stars for some singing talent and a few ear worms.

Mostly unlistenable

1 song in. It's kind of comical how much this is not for me.

As this was released well into my lifetime and played pretty much everywhere you would expect to hear music, this is the exact type of music that made me dislike pop. Not all pop is terrible, of course—and this album is also not exactly the Ed Sheeran–level of awful—but a lot of popular music is such a slog to get through. It's fine to hear one song on radio and realize that it's virtually indistinguishable from the dozen other pop songs of a similar style, but hearing 48 minutes of only the highest-grade slop in a row is certainly not an experience I would ever look forward to. Like, this is not terrible. She can sings, and the album is well produced since, like, 50 engineers worked on it and probably millions of dollars were spent. But it is so uninspiring. It's the same tone, same structure, same themes over and over again. Saying that this music makes me feel absolutely nothing is an understatement. It's so unimaginative and so boring.

boring

(37 known/81 new)

This isn’t a very exciting album. The songs are lackluster and forgettable. Such an incredible and powerful voice deserves something better than these crappy pop songs.

It sounds better than 21. But it suffers from being so…boring. It’s an album that explores the same concept over and over and just falls flat every time.

Couple decent tunes. Not my main jam.

I cannot relate, simple as that. It doesn't ring a bell, it doesn't resonate with me. I am plain bored. Great voice, but this is so much a commercial product of the time that it feels like an advertorial for shiny production although some of the songwriting is arguably pretty solid.

Many people gave this album bad reviews, and I really wished I could have been one of them. I mean, me? Adele? Yuck! But the truth is, I didn't hate it as much as I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, it's not super good, nor is it something I'll ever revisit, but it had parts that were pretty catchy. I've always had a weakness for pianos, and to be honest, the music aspect of this album was pretty good and on point. It's Adele herself where I get a little lost. I'm not a fan of her voice, and I can't say I enjoy her lyrics either, but she worked with some great producers who gave this album much more potential.

I cannae be arsed to listen to this but it’s forced upon me. It’s not my thing. Music for scruffs and slags. Her voice is strong. The music not so much.

4/10. Something about this album just felt so...dreary. The vocals are incredible, but the music is just not it for me.

As a 25 year old, listening to Adele sing about how shes not young anymore at 25 makes me want to throw up

Ok, the first album i didn't finish, u just knew that second half of songs will be the same. What's the problem? It's the style. Main focus is on the voice. Yeah, I get that her vocals are amazing, breathtaking. But for me, nah. No melody, no nothing to remember from song except for her singing. That's why she's singing the whole song non-stop. Not a single interval for like 5 seconds to rest. Ok, Imma listen to lyrics then, if they insist on it. Every single song is about being sad/break-up. Enough! 50 minutes of utter crying. Maybe I'm not in mood or condition for her? Maybe if I'm heartbroken she'll be the savior. But, tbh, I hardly believe it. Or just it's my taste of music? I mostly listen to the melody, instruments, riffs. I start listening to lyrics only when i like the melody itself. But here, nah. Sorry Adele, but 2 stars only for vocals, they're undoubtedly great, one of the best voices of last 20 years for sure. Song saved: 0

I could just copy and paste from my review of the last Adele album on here. I forget how old she was then but she was younger than this one but it’s still pretty much the same. I can acknowledge she is great at doing what she does. I just wish she didn’t have to do it.

not listened to a whole Adele album, but I think I probably would like the earlier ones. This one had too many high note screechy singing.

Cheer up love! Honestly, I feel a bit bad saying that after saying what I said about Syd Barratt, but honestly, do you think Adele - or anyone! - has ever had this many emotions in their entire life? It's outrageously cloying and boring. Unlike early Adele, there's not even any fun stompers to offset the constant misery. There are people who probably like Adele who make jokes about Radiohead being miserable. I'd say round them up and send them to purgatory, but they'd probably enjoy it. I suppose it's worth acknowledging that, through the gloom and the tears, she's a good singer.

Sorry, this was boring. Despite her talent, the music kept fading into the background with the odd "oh yeah, I'm still listening to that" moment and I was kind of relieved when it was over. Rating: 2

Oh dear. This is really not very good. How can people listen to this? In every song madam goes completely berserk on the microphone. It's a continuous bunch of vocal bombast. And the music, well, there hardly is any music. Nothing happens, nothing at all. The only song that has a bit more to it is 'River Lea'. The hitsingles 'Hello' and 'When we were young' are worst in terms of sounding like the air alarm during the Battle of Britain.

Not bad by any means but I prefer 21 in almost all aspects, would pick that up before this one again

Definitely inoffensive melodramatic pop!

Good voice I guess, a little too boring Will I listen to again: 0.5%

Meh. Sounds very same-ish.

Adele is a true vocal talent. Most of her peers on the charts were manufactured acts with songs written by hit makers that pass the tunes to the next young beauty when artists "age out." With Adele, she sets her own standards of what she'll put out, what she'll wear, and who she'll work with. With such a rounded and powerful vocal delivery, she gets to call the shots, and thank goodness she chooses to write and co-write songs that have substance and feeling. Yes, 25 is aimed at FM pop radio but it has less bubble gum and more meat and potatoes. There is nothing very innovative and the production is very clean and pretty simple, but this is better than the mindless pop crap that continued to infest the mainstream in the 2010s. "Million Years Ago" gives us a bit of a flamenco bossa nova vibe borrowing the somberness of the M*A*S*H* theme song and chord progression; the album would benefit from a bit more experimentation and change in style like this. As it is, it's a bit one-note, or as the kids say in the 2020s, 'it's pretty mid.'

Adele just doesn't do it for me. Her vocal technique is so bad, and my throat hurts just listening to it.

That was the fastest 48 minutes ever! What an easy listen!! Did I like every song? No. And definitely not my favorite genre. But it’s easy to see why this album is a chart-topper. Even though I’ve heard Hello a million times it still gives me the “feels” - something about the chord progression. I’m probably going to rip it off and use it in a punk tune. Send My Love sounds like she’s trying way too hard to meld with adjacent genres - sorry Adele, but Lorde did it way better and she’s waaaay cooler. I Miss You is by far my favorite cut on this album… again, she’s trying to crossover with a rock edge but this one feels more natural to me. And finally When We Were Young, don’t even get me started on this one - so contrived. Clearly when she wrote this song (or rather, when it was written for her) it was written for the sole purpose of inserting into a feature film, commercial, tv show, etc. The writer of this song clearly set out to create a song that someone else would buy. In my opinion it’s complete garbage; does not speak to me at all. Overall solid album just not really my cup of tea. That being said, the more I listen to I Miss You the more I like it and will probably add it to one of my playlists.

I dont eat at McDonalds and I don’t listen to Adele

Great voice. Enjoyable and instantly forgettable.

- I made it through 5 songs and just couldn't do anymore. Many have mentioned how good her voice is ... even that wasn't enough to get me through some of the worst pap written these days. Pair her up with someone who can turn a phrase, for gods sake. Until them she's a talent criminally wasted. -

Lassie can sing but her songs are p1sh

Nice. A little boring. Very beautiful voice.

Opener "Hello", verschrikkelijk Barbara Streisand-achtig gejengel. Na een minuut afgezet. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" kende ik niet, wel catchy, niet heel bijzonder. "I Miss You" heeft wel wat meer van die spanning die "Rolling in the Deep" bijvoorbeeld heeft. "When We Were Young" weer van die niet te harden Streisand-kitsch. Daarna nog een hele hoop drek. Geen één nummer waarbij ik het einde heb gehaald. Zo veel platgetreden paden, neppe emoties en overbodige vocale toeren. Adele had de aandacht van de hele wereld en kon allemaal nieuwe deuren openen voor de popmuziek, maar koos ervoor om een truttige middle-of-the-road-zangeres te worden met een Las Vegas-residentie. Hello? Mij niet bellen.

Liebeskummer

Didn’t really listen apparently fucken boring as but I think she’s a good singer dunno

Partially listened before Favourite tracks: Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Million Years Ago, Sweetest Devotion

2(.75)☆→pas de dégâts psychologiques, mais ça me rend juste trop déprimée pour que je lui donne 3☆. y’a pas de good vibes ☀︎on peut facilement savoir qu’elle est anglaise parce que cet album sonne comme une journée grise et pluvieuse. faut croire qu’elle s’est inspirée de son environnement pour les vibes de cet album ☀︎ j’aime (relativement): when we were young, water under the bridge ☀︎ j’aime pas: le reste </3 c’est boring

Couple of earworms, Hello good tune

Hello is a good tune, but it's not an album for a Friday night. Listened to most of it while out running too which seemed to slow time

So, I didn’t really enjoy this one. I’ll pass on mopey pop songs. I was going to say I was a fan of her album “21” but when I listened to that album, it’s really just the songs, Rolling In the Deep and Rumor Has It that like.

Great voice, just ok music

Almost entirely torturous, ‘when we were young’ however is heartbreakingly moving.

Adele has a wonderful voice, but if I had to pick just one Adele album, this wouldn't be it. If I had to pick two of Adele's 4 albums this still wouldn't be it.

It's hard to explain, but the mid 2010's production is really bothering me here. It was an awful era for pop music and the hits on here really feel like a letdown compared to 21. I found the songs that dialed the production back a lot better, such as Million Years Ago. The overall sad tone of the album combined with Adele's voice that can get a bit overwhelming to listen to for 50 minutes makes it a dreary sit through for me. There's a few nice deep cuts here though.

Catchy and nice voice. Pretty samey and basic.

Adele has an incredible voice and a charming personality when she speaks, but her music often feels a bit dull. 25 has some standout moments, though. I really enjoyed Hello—surprisingly, I hadn’t listened to it all the way through until this challenge. Send My Love was also nice, but most of the album felt pretty uninspired, similar and flat. Favorite song: Hello is a great track, though it feels about a minute or two longer than it needs to be. Least favorite: Remedy was painfully boring—it felt like it was never going to start or end! Album artwork: Cool cover, but Adele looks way older than 25 in it.

Adele doesn’t like to change anything up in the whole fucking album. Just sings the same shit over and over again. It’s good ig if ur a mum driving her daughter to dance but other than that why would I ever listen too this. Just sad pop music like there’s nothing good other than Adele’s vocals which get old after 3 songs. This album cover is scaring me btw if u have a boring album can we not name it 25 and have ur ugly ass face as the whole thing. Even tho it’s not good it wasn’t bad but very very mid and boring. I would rather listen too all the other worse rated albums just because they have something interesting. 4.2/10 2.1/5

I tried, but my ears are bleeding. Even though I acknowledge some of those are big pop anthems, it is impossible to listen to it as an album.

I like Adele, she seems like a genuine person, has a great voice and puts on a good show by all accounts. I admire her success and have no real issue with her music. Ive never really listened to an album of hers and i'm probably not going to start now. Its a painting done with one colour and thats no interest to me.

Disappointing album. Adele has an incredible voice but this album felt flat and overly sappy. 21 is much stronger

Probably like a 3 or a 4. But I was getting fucked while listening to this (in a bad way)

Below I attempt to self-reflect on what drives me away from modern pop. I list various interesting thought points for me, not in any specific order: 1. Production I think one of my issues with modern pop is that I find the very good production techniques fake sounding. As if there's less "soul". However, this is still a very very good pop album. She is a very talented singer, and I find pop in general has *very* good production. But alas, I am basing my ratings more off of my personal preference. 2. Priority of Vocals Also I find I really like the intrumental part of a song when deciding if I like it. That doesn't mean I don't like vocals - I do like songs having lyrics - I just put a lot of emphasis on the instrumental part. When I think of songs I really like, and why I like them, I generally think of the intrumental part. Especially since I like a lot of guitar-driven music, I think of the guitar/bass riffs. This album, however, really places the emphasis on the singer's vocals and lyrics. I feel like a lot of modern pop can be like this, which is probably a reason I get turned away from it. Of course, MANY pop songs do have their intrumental parts at the front with lots of emphasis! This is just a reflection on certain characteristics of certain modern pop I don't like. I'm also not saying these songs ignore their intrumental parts. And the intrumental parts are very well done for the songs - especially on this album - and are just what the song needs. It's just not what I personally like. 3. Music Exposure When Younger Another thing really worth considering is what music I was exposed to when young. People have found after all that in general (many people will be exceptions!), people consider the popular music when they were growing up to be their musical preference. Of course, this doesn't apply to many people!! It is no secret my current music preferences come from my parents. A lot of what they like is what I like now. 80's alternative rock, really. So, I did get exposed to this a lot. However, I *was* actually exposed to a lot of modern pop as a kid too, especially in now-nostalgic situations. For example, when I was at daycare, whenever we would go play outside (every day), the radio would always be put on to the current top hit songs. So, I got exposed to a lot of 2010's pop and such there. Thus, I do associate 2010's pop with a lot of nostalgia. However, I still never really enjoyed 2010's pop at the level I enjoy rock.

2+ Stars (6/15)

⭐⭐ Don't even get me started on how much I hate this album cover. The only song coming close to 3 stars for me is Send my love. But the albums pacing is soo slow and the songs soo similar. Let's keep Adele 25 in 2015

This one was not my favorite style. Decently interesting vocals but little instrumental/musical interest. Also just not my favorite vocal style, reaching for the notes a bit. Overall, didn't enjoy it overly so as it was a bit bland and formulaic, but understand its place on the list as it was such a landmark culturally at the time. Probably wouldn't listen again.

Da e vel greit, men ikkje nåke for meg

Not the demographic for thid

Her ability to sing is undeniable. Her acting, less so. This is so polished and when you combine that with her feigned emotion you get an oddly inhuman album that is dripping with cloying sentiment. Also, I can’t figure out if her target audience is teenagers or geriatrics.

You’ll never hear Taylor Swift sing like this… because she fucking can’t. But in all seriousness, Adele has an AMAZING voice. That being said, her songs just aren’t my particular cup of tea. There’s only so many sad piano songs about loss and heartbreak I can take, and an entire albums worth is a lot. But like I said, I can absolutely appreciate the brilliance of this album, I just personally need something less slow and depressing.

Great singer just not a fan

Boah ne, hab Adele noch nie gefühlt und werds wahrscheinlich auch nie mehr tun. Es mag verwunderlich sein, weil ich ja gern so emo depri Zeug höre, aber das ist sogar mir zu viel. Vielleicht weil es einfach ein Hauch zu glatt ist, die Instrumente, die perfekte Stimme... Wirkt für mich nicht glaubhaft. Ich brauch mehr zerrissenheit, mehr selbstzerstörerisches.

heavy baladisiert bini da worde intense klavier und ab und zue gitarre stimm kombis en mass wenn öppert en flügel as laagerfür würd mitneh, würds denn so töne? anyways isch das album chli durchgehends gliche mit wenig überraschige zwüscheddure hetts mal chli fahrt ufgnoh um den sofort wider ufd klötz zgah und mir namal eh fetti balade is ohr inegjammeret sorry adele das isch kei tolls geburigschenk gsi damals zweits album kriegt zwei sterne

How can someone be so talented yet so boring....

Nope. Wenn man aktiv weghört, ist es okay.

The other Adele was better

this is my last album. the project is now just wadder under the breeedge

Man, Adele can sing. I was vibing with this for the first 3-4 songs but then started to find it very boring and same-y.

I appreciate that she has a great voice, I just don't really care for her music.

I've never really paid much attention to hello in the past, it was something that would be playing somewhere and it was always background noise. Now, actually paying attention, I quite enjoyed it. I thought if the rest of the album delivered this level of emotion, it could end up being a surprise 4 for me. Then Send my Love played and I had forgotten that was her song. God that song is beyond awful. It's the worst kinds of noises smashed together. Then the rest of the album was boring and devoid of emotion. Waste of time

Uech, langweilig

Lady you're scarin' us

I feel like this album is very... corporation pop. It's super safe music, there a few songs on this album which given to someone for not the ideas of it being safe pop music, would the songs be like pretty fun. Would give Adele the chance for her to be able to showcase her works. This album would also be best heard live, it NEEDS those big speakers and width needed for it to shine. Fav Song: Send My Love

Amazing voice, but it just doesn’t catch on, like it feels a tad incomplete missing that 5%. I understand its appeal and its fame but it just misses the mark a little. Disappointing. Favourite song - when we were young

Great album if you’re not a Mexican broad or a horse

Big meh, other than her voice, nothing going on

It is a great voice but a forgettable album. Except maybe for "Hello," these songs are okay in the best case.

Incredible voice, although I did get a bit bored with this album.

Absolutely no need for 2 Adele albums on the list

I obviously know many of these songs, and the songs alone are great. Even if they were an over concentrated at the time of their release. This just isn’t my vibe. The album itself I grew tired of. The sad love ballads is fine, but I don’t need an entire album of it.

Blimey, that was hard work. Amazing voice and all, but I was glad when that was done. That sort of overblown, melodramatic nonsense leaves me cold.

Simple music nice music good music amazing voice best tunes: hello, river lea, i miss you, lay me down

11/1001 2015 seems to me more like a collection of songs rather than a coherent album. It lacks an identity that’s not just Adele’s voice, however impressive it is I may say. Apart from Hello and When We Were Young there really isn’t much else to this album. I came into this with pre established biases towards pop music, and though I should be open to have those biases challenged, this just wasn’t it. It really is a boring and bland pop album. 2/5

I don't know? There's no doubt Adele has an above average singing voice, as well she is a critically acclaimed, best-selling artist, receives an almost unbelievable amount of accolades and awards for her albums and she names her albums based on her age at the time and why do I feel she's a tad bit overrated? I'm not doubting she's a talented singer, I'm just questioning why she's held on such a high pedestal reserved for the all-time greats and how the heck she can sell so many frickin' records? I guess she's some kind of modern day, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion or Julie Andrews, and while her stature is in the Taylor Swift category, so what gives? Judging by this album, I was bored less than halfway through and can't imagine anyone under 50 appreciating this competently "safe" music and I know it's not just the lonely housewives and seniors that love it. The songs are bland, but well suited to her voice and I can't help but think the kids today who are living in the American Idol or America's (Britain's) Got "Talent era and where standards are based on show-off singing will continue to support her music even when her record label continues to milk her talent well past her prime. I'll take a pass and when she releases her album called "80", you'll know I'm right.

Adele, kind of the same sound, with small changes. Same voice, of course. Kind of the same themes. Actually the same and not even in "green" (a modified German phrase, "the same but in green") no, that's too boring for me. But she definitely has an outstanding voice.

Adele is an artist whose radio singles I’ve always like but for whatever reason, I never got around to listening to full albums, so I was excited to give this a listen. Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. In my opinion, the secret sauce for Adele’s excellent singles pre-‘25’, other than her incredible vocal strength, is a very palatable mixture of soul-tinged balladry and super-catchy pop. On this album, it feels that the two have curdled. Most of the songs are all ballad whereas a few are pretty straight-up pop. The ballads feel cloying and predictable whereas the pop songs, especially “Send My Love” and “Water Under the Bridge”, feel like they could just as well be Ed Sheeran songs. It feels like there is a push towards more “mature” songwriting on this album, and it doesn’t really play out successfully to me. There are some highlights. The lead single, “Hello”, is a great car ride sing-along belter. The drums on “I Miss You” have a cool Phil Collins kinda vibe. The piano part of “Remedy” gives me Fiona Apple vibes which is a high compliment in my book. “Million Years Ago” is a great, intriguing, pared-back standout track for me. I feel like I’m being too harsh, but also, I don’t see any room where I can be more generous. Adele is undoubtedly a fantastic singer—one of the best of the present day—but this album feels a bit dreary and blah to me. It feels like an awkward growing pains stage and I suspect that ‘30’ is a more complete phase in her evolution as an artist. Maybe I’d like that album more. 4.5/10

Adele has such a wonderful voice. She can sing like few others. But this album is repetitive as hell and just boring. With few exceptions all the songs have the same subject matter and sound alike. Probably grading harder than I should -but it’s because it could be so much better.

Not my jam. Boring.

I'm not the target audience here.

Perfectly fine, a couple of impressive songs but doesn't hit all that deep for me.

Jesus, how much pathos can you put into a single album. This is all just too much, and doesn't really interest me at all, although she is obviously a talented singer. But really... Getting through this was an absolute chore.

voice

She has a great voice but none of these songs are standouts. I would like to see her sit down with only the piano and none of the production. 2.5 Stars.

Ah, so Adele lost touch with reality between this and the last album. Justice for Charlene Soraia and Louis Sharpe!

Whilst Adele can certainly sing her voice is not really my jam. I enjoyed the plodding/brooding melodrama of Hello - but everything else was very vanilla X-Factor ballads. Lyrically its pretty dumb and thematically its all very samey about the one that got away. Perhaps by the time we get to 50 Adele will have a bit more range in what she writes about.

Boring and repetitive

Hello has a powerful vocal performance, doesn't rely on fake vibrato. Her voice is clean in the upper register. Send My Love reminds me of Cocteau Twins. Don't really care for the chorus. I Miss You is driving, dramatic, and sensual. The production defeats the rawness I think it's going for, it sounds too clean. When We Were Young is a more stripped back piano ballad. I like this one the best so far. Feels like she has more room to breathe. She doesn't need so much lavish production. Remedy is also more stripped back. I'm noticing that all the tracks are dramatic. There hasn't been a fun track yet. Water Under the Bridge has a brighter instrumental but I don't care for the chorus. Don't care for the fact that the choruses are so predictable across the album. Repetitive song structure. River Lea has a gospel/blues influence with an organ. Nice change of pace. But like the rest of the songs it is rather toothless. Love In The Dark has some nice strings. I think the album could have used more orchestral production. Million Years Ago is an acoustic ballad. She does some nice humming. I liked this one. All I Ask has annoying lyrics tbh. Comes across as clingy and pathetic. Sweetest Devotion has lighter tone to it. Wish the album had more hopeful lighter tracks. Overall I found the album heavy handed and saccharine. Adele is a talented singer but this is clearly an albums of ballads for the masses. Overly dramatic and hyper emotional. Felt like songs for a soundtrack. Doesn't reward contemplative listening, lays it on thick, feels manipulative. She doesn't draw me into her love life, instead it feels like she's erecting an edifice out of it in order to impress me. I think this kind of romantic balladry needs to feel inclusive in the sense that it draws me into her emotional headspace. Every song feels like things are falling apart and that gets tiresome after awhile. Doesn't capture the warm enveloping side of love. The album comes across as cold and distant. Production needed to be stripped back and could've used more real instruments. Was not a pleasant album experience. TOO MUCH

Listened to this every day in college because my sad white girl roommate blasted it through the walls.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 📸⬛⬜ Production: 😑🙂👌 Music: 🎤🎹📻🧼🫧 Rating: 👋👋/5

Dreary 😞

Those lyrics are BAD sorry women I liked „i miss you“

bin fan vo adele wenn sie ihri ruhig/tüf stimm uspackt; million years ago isch für mich drum definitiv s beste vo 25. sust nödso min stil

Not for me. I gave it a listen but I found it a bit meh

Impressive vocals as you would expect but the writing is consistently one note and hollow

21 was better

Proof that a beautiful singing voice is not enough. Uninspired and uninspiring but at least she's courteous enough to pause after the first "hello" so we can change to another album

This is just not my style of genre and this mostly does nothing for me. The first two singles are not my thing for different reasons. The overreaching ballad of “Hello” and her voice being to loud in mix(plus it was overplayed). The next track “Send My Love” is everything I hate about “Indie Pop” music. “Roots” feel without any soul. Reminds me Lorde There’s a few gems here and there “Water Under The Bridge” being the standout and after this point the album gets more tolerable. Second half definitely makes up a bit for first half. This will be high for others but overall I find this boring and production is to sparse and yet overbearing with her vocals 2.5/5 (it has merit but not my thing, if a song came on I’d be fine ,but a whole Album of this style is a bit much)

You can tell that they let her spend whatever money she wanted on this and she spent it all on production. This album especially the first few songs are production heavy. It's like she doesn't trust her voice that she uses the instrumental to convey a lot of the emotion. It reminds me of the type of singer DJ crossover music from the early 2010s. I find that the addition clutters the tracks and adds very little. I wasn't looking forward to this album and the first two tracks really didn't agree with me. I found it obnoxious to listen to.

Nothing surprising here. She has a great voice that fills this collection of torch songs nicely. Nothing risky or fun or particularly interesting to me on this record, so I very much doubt I'll ever listen to the whole thing again. Two and one-half stars. Adele gets the extra half for being engaged to a guy from Cleveland.

It all sounds the same, I just can't feel the music as authentic when it doesn't connect with a change in tone or mood.

In isolatie zijn het nummers die me over het algemeen best mee vielen. Het is meer pop in het straatje Lana Del Rey dan ik had gedacht, en is daardoor zelfs voor een niet-moeder van 3 jonge kids best behapbaar. Maar als je het als een album gaat luisteren valt zo'n generieke pop artiest als Adele volledig door de mand. De individuele songs zijn gemaakt voor korte ontmoetingen in film scènes, reclames of trailers. Een luisterervaring van een geheel album met deze gelikte en op en top voor het gemiddelde oor gefabriceerde meuk is gedoemd te falen. Haar faam is gebouwd op muziek dat perfect past in van die korte fragmenten, op de radio of in een film. Het mag dan ook niet te avontuurlijk zijn, want een misstap of controverse en je bent de macht over dat moment kwijt. Als je een heel album luistert kom je bijna om door het gebrek aan avontuur en spanning, en zit je tevergeefs te wachten op een moment dat Adele even geen Adelletje doet. Er ontwikkelt zich werkelijk waar niks op dit album. Het voelt als een soundtrack van een drama/romance film uit 2010, zonder de beelden die het wellicht - ik betwijfel het - nog iets spannender maken. 5/10 Highlights: Hello

En zo zit je dan ineens een heel Adele album te luisteren. Enkele hoogtepunten, maar ook wel paar momenten met een pure afknapper. De stem van Adele is onwijs, zeker als ze die een beetje uitdaagt vind die ook echt mooi. Dan snap ik de hype en de liefde voor haar werk. Maar niet of alle manieren van zingen. Soms zuigt het echt (Remedy is echt een dieptepunt). Dan kijk je even op en tel je af tot de laatste track. En dan volgt er toch weer een klein hoogtepuntje. Mede door de rete strakke productie. Niet zo fantastisch als de populariteit doet vermoeden, maar ik wil ook niet te hard zijn. 6/10 Highlights I Miss You (daar geeft ze qua stem echt volle bak)

I had 21 not so long ago. 25 is really on here too? I would never argue with anyone that loves Adele. I do think she has an incredible voice. And like, I do enjoy the song Hello, but it's more like I'll sing along when it's on, not something I seek out on my own. For 21, I thought all the non-singles were mostly boring. I think that's even more true on 25, and the singles aren't as strong. I wish there was more going on with the production, like more vocal layering and harmonies, more instrumentals, anything. The landscape of most of these songs is so sparse. I get the choice to highlight her voice over everything else, but there are no surprises musically or lyrically. She makes nice songs and sings her heart out, and I understand why she is loved. But I don't connect with any of it in any meaningful way.

Perfectly fine and she’s talented but not really my thing! I’m (2 years) too old for this album anyway!

I'm glad people seem to really enjoy this

i had no idea XL put this out... thats fucked up lol

Adele is an amazingly talented singer. Her voice is gorgeous. However, this album is not my bag. It’s… just… boring.

Feels a bit like another album included on the basis of what an artist has done before and their level of popularity. Adele can sing and I’m sure some of her previous songs were good for the type of music she sings however this felt a bit bland. A bit similar to previous works but just following a formula she’s found that sells without ever feeling new and interesting.

Water under the bridge is the best song..skippable, from an Adele fan.

Ugh… Not my vibe. I’m gonna skip the songs I already know. 1. Hello: skipped 2. Send My Love: skipped 3. I Miss You: bland 4. When We Were Young: good! This was a single, too, wasn’t it ? 5. Remedy: forgettable 6. Water Under The Bridge: skipped 7. River Lea: forgettable 8. Love In The Dark: I’m getting tired of these purely sad piano ballads and I haven’t even been listening to half the album 9. Million Years Ago: liked it 10. All I Ask: don’t care 11. Sweetest Devotion: good closer I guess I wouldn’t call this album a classic as much as 21

Überbewertet!

Bra sångerska, inte så jätte bra sånger

She's got a great voice but she ain't for me

Not as good as 21, but still a great talent and 'Hello' is still impressive. I suppose her audience demand these big production numbers but I'd prefer some more stripped back, intimate songs. Still, I don't expect she'll read this, so ...

incredible voice yet not showcased at all on this album, this album got boring fast

Some good songs but, not a good album. It's not 21.

Adult Contemporary is not for me, this is not for me but it's on the list so I listened to it. Her biggest hit Hello is annoying, she doesn't even say Hello correctly, why are you saying Hallo Adelle? You're 25 and already having a fit about being old, "Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old It makes me reckless" Ok Adele, chill. "Life was a party to be thrown But that was a million years ago A million years ago" This album seems to be lasting a million years and I'm not being as dramatic Adele, get over yourself, you have a good voice and you choose to whine about being old. I understand this is geared towards those who drink wine with ice and tut-tut at weeds sprouting on their neighbours lawn but I did listen to the entire thing so I get to go off. Hello? Goodbye Adele... 2 stars

2 out of 5. While I admit Adele has a great voice her music doesn't quite do it for me.

Nostalgic.

FUCKKKK ALLES GLÖSCHT AAAAAAAH also hello hani z hüfig ghört aber es isch trz sehr es schöns lied. bin jz bi river lea (wo no cool isch) und find die meiste lieder ener langwilig, s passiertmer z wenig und sie chan uhuere singe und so aber es berüehrt mi iwie nüt speziell. send my love findi straight up nervig und water under rhe bridge isch es lied für de abspann für e schlechti pro7-sendig (aso daa chan d adele nüt defür aber joa hilft nöd) bin leider echt chli am kämpfe love in the dark mega schöne ahfang oke ja allgemein cute hmm d strings sind mer fast chli melodramatisch au million years ago fallt id kategorie "jaa schono schön und super gsunge aber joa" ja es fangt mi fast ah nerve die ganz melodramatik WUH LETSCHTE SONG oke sweet devotion no cool als closer bin sehr tempted es 2 z geh, will mier die musig eifach 0 entspricht? glichzitig wett ich s offesichtliche talent und de ihfluss vode adele eig nöd mit füess trete hahaha

Pretty fucking average. Good for promoting sleep. Just never gets out of first gear.

Great vocals and melodies, but they are out over the most generic instrumental arrangements imaginable.

+: I Miss You, When We Were Young, Water Under the Bridge, River Lea, Million Years Ago +-: Hello, Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Remedy, Love in the Dark, All I Ask, Sweetest Devotion 5,2/10

Not my kind of music. Favorite song was the one with the fleet foxes cords.

I love ballads... but I feel like Adele is just a powerful voice without much personality behind it

All I have to say about this as a listening experience, is that it’s a really really good singer performing nothing music. Like Beyoncé a few weeks back, it was written and produced by an army of people, and it sounds that way. But also: how is it possible that someone who was 25 years old sang these songs and everyone accepted it and thought it was relatable? These are the songs of a 45 year old, at least!

Un monumento costruito intorno ad una voce enorme. Forse é proprio questo il problema: oltre alla voce non c'è nulla. E se qualcosa c'è, non mi ha emozionato.

I saw Adele live at the time. She said about 4 songs in "you better dance to this one because it's all slow from now on" or something like that. It was and so is this. Shouty lyrics and soulful sounds and my god it's tedious. I can't believe this will stand up to history. But hey. It sold "a lot".

25 is nowhere near as good as 21, but it's kind of impossible to be that good, so it was always gonna be a challenge as a follow-up. It comes across as an attempt to be more mature without actually having the depth to pull it off, and it's mostly boring, losing all of the edge and passion and fire that 21 had in favour of bland cllches and vagueness, it's pretend nostalgia wrapped up in overproduction. Hello and Love In The Dark are the only decent songs, a disappointing 2, doesn't do enough to lift it to a 3.

Poor Adele, she doesn't really get a fair chance with me. It's such a shame because I can very easily recognize what a gorgeous voice she has and her music is quite beautiful. But unfortunately it has a few things going against it. I first was introduced her her music when 21 came out and Borders decided to play the album in it's rotation. Because I worked there, what might have been an album I found ok with a few good songs, became something I dreaded hearing the first few notes of. I was completely sick of it. I know that album is coming at some point on the list, and I hoping sincerely I can listen with new ears because that one I think maybe has a chance to win me over. This one however... very unfortunately was an album my cousin's ex wife was absolutely obsessed with. I won't give too many personal details about their lives, but all I can say is I literally can't think of "Hello" without it being something that I can see going through her head years after the divorce. I was hoping there might be other songs on this album that I might like enough to distract me from that but thematically... oof. Very hard for me to separate this album from the pain she caused. Personally, I'd like to rate it a 1 for how it makes me feel to listen to it (I honestly almost skipped because of the personal history) BUT I think this album is better than that, actually. I'm going to compromise for a 2 and just say, it's very much not for me but absolutely worth a listen because you might fall in love with her voice and the piano.

Ouaip, pas tres piano voix effectivement, meme si elle chante vraiment tres bien

I knew this was going to be bad. Halfway through the first song I was already checking how long the album went for. By the second song I was wondering what I had done to deserve this. By halfway through I was starting to remember the only Adele fan I knew and I realised that it explained a lot….I.knew my own run of great albums, Harvest, Number of the Beast and Dookie, had to end but did it have to end this way???

Powerful voice sadly paired with mostly plain songs .

Fuck me. Please don't make me listen to this. I will give it a shot, but fuck me really? OK, I will admit Hello is a good song. It's catchy. She actually sounds good. She doesn't belt like she wants to be Amy Winehouse. But aside from the very first song, I found the rest boring and not my type of music at all. This album sold tons of copies and people go apeshit over Adele for some reason as if she is Pavarotti or something. But I don't see the hype. I'm gonna go for two stars just because I did get Hello stuck in my head over the weekend, but the rest of the album is narcissistic pandering to the masses.

Some of these songs are indeed catchy. I usually prefer the faster ones. Her voice isn’t shrill. Ugh, but the lyrics. I hate break-up songs that are like, it’s definitely over between us…but maybe not? I’m leaving you…but only if you are still secretly in love with me. This is a whole album of those.

Great voice, but still - I simply don't really like her music

It's hard to believe that 2015 is almost 10 years ago until you hear the generic pop songs from that time.

An amazing voice that I couldn't care less to go out of my way to listen to

She has a wonderful voice. This album is hella boring.

It's 'powerful vocals' pop ballads, but powerful vocals alone don't make for interesting music. And powerful vocals doesn't even mean that they're more impactful or emotional. If you compared Adele to someone like Aimee Mann, her music and singing style conveys so much more emotion and depth of feeling. There's a sheen to this that detracts way more than it adds in my opinion. It feels like a perfectly polished piece of commercial pop property, designed to appeal to the masses. I just found it all a bit boring.

She's got a great voice but this album is just boring to me.

Prima, maar saai

Adele has an extraordinary vocal instrument. Shame to waste it on this tripe. Everything is overdone - vocals, lyrics, production. I bet in a room with an acoustic group and good songs she’d slay. Bonus point for just how remarkable her voice is, but otherwise insufferable.

2.4/5 listened 2x. first few tracks are solid but just not my thing.

Decent but not her best.

5.5/10 First Adele album I’ve heard and it was very mid Yes, her voice and power is incredible, obviously a phenomenal talent, but the album is 100% reliant on that Songwriting is broad, simple, crowd-pleasing. That makes the songs relatable, universal, able to be shouted out at a concert, but doesn’t give them depth. Basic sad girl energy is the main thing projected here Production hides in the shadows, foregrounding the vocals, and is either minimal or bland 2010s pop style These combine to make the album start to blend into itself and become monotone and boring It’s the last track before there is some truly interesting production that fits her vocals Best: Send My Love

Maybe I was just in a bad mood but this annoyed me a lot more than her first album.

Blind album. Am I missing something? Her voice is beautiful but I just can't vibe or get behind her music. Especially this album. This 1 came and went with 0 memorable tracks for me

Sorry Adele, you’ve got a great voice and Hello is a belter but this album was a slog to get through. Bland, boring mush.

Good but not my speed

The Adele album before this, "21", had some good singles on it, which led to Adele being EVERYWHERE. I was all Adele-d out by the time this came out. I do remember hearing Hello for the first time and thinking it was pretty good. Then I heard it again, and again, about 75000 times. I was soon switching channels to avoid her again. I approached this today as objectively as possible; after all, I've been avoiding her for nearly 10 years, so maybe I'd see something justifying her omnipresence? She undeniably sings really well. I don't feel engaged musically by the songs though; they tend to start well but sound repetitive by the end. As for the emotional journey that she's on, I could relate at times, but the unexciting music meant I wasn't ever, really, drawn in. Two more things: 1) it turned out I knew nearly every song, so I'd clearly been unable to avoid her after all. 2) I will NEVER forgive Adele for inspiring hundreds of young women to copy her bizarre faux-Irish accent. It's a huge ick. Stop it, girls!!

I just don’t get it. It’s ok, not terrible, but why so massively popular?

2.5-Amazing vocals, shallow lyrics making the album sound the same

She has an incredible voice but these songs all feel a little samey. I am quite uninspired by these.

Adele has some pipes, but her diction absolutely boils my piss. In the opening track, the word "more" becomes "moe-er" and in the second track, "more" becomes "mer" and her mangling of words just becomes the focus of the track for me. Asides from this, it sounds really overproduced and sterile. On this record, more than any other, you get the impression that each aspect was recorded separately and sellotaped together at the end. I know that that is exactly what music production has been for the past 60 years, but there's just zero bleed-through from each mastering track and it sounds sterile. Not for me.

Great songs but not something I'd listen to. 2/5

Mediocre album. Adele undeniably has a great voice and the songs are pretty good. I just don't think I'm a huge Adele fan and found the album boring. I think I succumbed to the overexposure of the songs from 21. Nothing here I really dislike, but I couldn't get really into it. **

It's okay music, I probably will never be able to listen to "Hello" and not vomit remembering all the people who became obsessed with this song when it came out. But now the fame and popularity of the song have dwindled, and I think it's easier to judge the album. It's just bland music - love songs, Oh my god you're the man for me, oh my god I'm sorry you broke up with me when I was so awesome and obviously you couldn't catch up with how great I was, etc etc. There's a few good moments here and there, for example I really like the beginning of Million Years Ago, I like her low singing there, and the chorus in Sweetest Devotion. However none of the songs really hit me like something unique, something that I wanted to put in any of my playlists for future listening.

Not as good as 21. Pretty bland.

Incredible talent, album is just kinda repetitive. Also this just isn’t a style of music I’m used to listening to

Я... в замешательстве. Ну, самое важное, что я ожидал, что этот альбом будет гораздо хуже, чем то, что в итоге услышал. Это все равно британский Стас Михайлов, очень талантливо исполненный. Дама выдающаяся несомненно, невероятные данные, но до того "безопасно" и порой просто кринжово, до прямо дискомфорта. При этом не без приятных моментов. Это звучит вот как музыка для авторадио и таких кафе с посредственным кофе, успевших устареть, где работают не бедные студенты, но теточки в фартуках. Лучшая песня - Hello.

Incredible singer. Her talent is likely to be generational. However, the tracks themselves are the musical equivalent of a stock image. I'm not familiar enough to know where this album fits in with her portfolio, but it struck me just how safe and samey each song was. Unfortunately, Adele's incredible voice was not enough to break the monotomy.

By far the best thing about this album is the production. Big and bold, perfect for her audience and earns the second star. The less I say about the songs and her voice the better! Favourite song? Rolling in the Deep

Adele is undoubtedly a fantastic singer. Hello is an incredible opener, powerful and striking. Million Years Ago was an unexpected delight. Unfortunately a lot of the other tracks blended into each other. Soulful ballads get boring quick.

She's a talented vocalist and the soul influence is a nice differentiator when measured against your standard pop-fare. I just can't help but feel like she has absolutely nothing interesting to say. Not all pop music has to have exceptional lyricism, but I can't help but feel like I know *nothing* about Adele after listening to her music aside from that she considers herself a "tortured soul." A tortured poet, perhaps? But it's not just the lyricism. With the exception of a few memorable songs, a lot of her music has a tendency to blend together in my head. The pop influence really hurts her when you listen to one of her albums in full. It sounds so oddly formulaic for soul music. Almost like you pushed a soul tune through a playdough factory, smushing it through a pop-tune shaped mould. It robs the music of the soul it so desperately needs.

good singer but boring songs, I guess all her good ones are on 21

Don't see why this got such high critical acclaim, guessing just because it's Adele. This is prime "I'm 25 years old and my relationship issues are actually the most devastating in the world", just doesn't really hit, but then again I can't really picture her doing positive pop music. Again, good voice redeemed this for me, along with "Hello", "Send My Love", and "Million Years Ago" - this is why it's a 2/5 and not a 1/5 for me.

If I was a middle aged divorced woman who trying to get motivated, I think this album would connect with me. For the record, I am not a middle aged divorced woman. This album does nothing for me except make me desire for the end. Great voice though!

I bought this album when it came out. I didn’t really like it much so after a couple of listens I put it away. My kid found it and fell in love - and so this is the soundtrack to their childhood. I’m listening to it with them now and they’re singing along to every word. Sorry kid! I should have had better taste in CD purchases.

An okay album. I’m not too into this genre, like it feels like NPC music to me. It’s a nice mix of pop and maybe a touch of like soul or gospel, but it’s not for me. I’m a fan of “Million Years Ago” though. “All I Ask” reminds me of Les Misérables

It's not bad in any way, but it does nothing for me. She has a good voice, obviously, but the music just feels a bit bland.

Not a big Adele person...I suppose it is ok for what it is. 2/5

Not really sure what I was expecting but that was quite the miserable album. A couple of vaguely interesting songs aside, that just felt like downbeat monotonous warbling with very little pace/style changes and certainly nothing revolutionary in the backing dept. Rather left me wondering what the specific appeal of Adele is. I thought she was feted for her voice, but she just sounds like the general pop fashion of the last few years, the sort of slightly slightly nasaly and vulnerable semi-voice breaking thing. Maybe she started it all and is better at it, I’m clearly not a good judge….:

Adele is very talented, but her music is very one note. Every song is about heartbreak. If she broadened her subject matter a bit, I might come around on her a bit more. Maybe, probably not.

Master craftsmanship, but not particularly compelling. Most of this is sappy Boomer Mom balladry, which is fine and even great sometimes. “When We Were Young,” “Love in the Dark,” and “All I Ask” are all standouts within this style, but even at their best, these songs don’t particularly feel relistenable to me. There’s not many situations I’m in where I’d put this on, unless I’m going through a nasty divorce, run into my high school ex during our 25 year reunion, or my spouse died, which is all odd because those are not topics a 25 year old should being writing songs about. I’m not against Adult Contemporary, but I would love something ~else~ from Adele. There’s glimpses of that here when the producers Wall of Sound the ballad model and add a backbeat – “Send My Love” and “Water Under the Bridge” are the best examples – but even those moments are more Wine Mom Pop than actual pop music. They’re the standouts of 25, but they’re not standards of Adele’s catalog, or even of music in general in 2015. I just found this whole listening experience strange, because I do like half this album. Just as a whole, it doesn’t ever stand out as something special. I honestly think it comes down to a sequencing issue – all the bare ballads are lumped together on Side B, all the orchestral songs are lumped together in the middle, and the most contemporary sounding songs are lumped together on Side A. The songs meant to break up this tonal monotony are all the stinkers off 25. Plus, the album opener and album closer should have been reversed. It’s just sequenced incorrectly, and it feels like there’s no variety as a result. But also, 11 songs are not enough to give any album range, especially an Adele album, where she seems to stick to one very rigid and outdated sound. As it stands, though, 25 is a draining, drab, dull, bore ride. In the end, I’m left feeling like 25 is 100% inessential, no matter how well it was made or how well it sold. If Dimery truly thought this album was essential, he’d have added a Michael Bolton album, a Celine Dion album, a Cher album, and an early-era Mariah album – aka other Adult Contemporary albums. But none of those albums are on here, while Adele is, based only on sales alone, and it’s obvious that’s the case. Just because something is all over the bargain bin, that doesn’t make it essential listening; in fact, normally, it’s the opposite.

no es el mejor disco de adele (tampoco es de mi agrado; buena voz pero sus canciones son ....

Didn’t finish. Have heard the first song far too often in the past and it’s not my thing. The second (?) song had a different feel which was a pleasant surprise. Slightly overrated overall, though I did appreciate ChatGPT’s explanation to ‘why is Adele so famous’: she has an interesting album release schedule (aligning with stages of life), and has a low key demeanour.

Amazing voice but if you’ve heard one Adele album you’ve heard them all. The quintessential suburban normie music of the 2010s. Why are there more than 1 albums of hers on this list?

Look… Adele has a phenomenal voice and “Skyfall” is the best Bond theme but I just don’t like the rest of her music. Ok “Remedy” was a pretty good song. Also this album came out right when I was going through the worst breakup of my life so hearing the singles again was a real fun trip down memory lane. Didn’t affect my score, just a fun realization

1. hello - 1.5 2. zend my love - 0 3. i mizz you - 1.5 4. young - 1 5. remedy - 0 6. bridge - 0 7. river lea - 0 8. in the dark - 1 9. million yearz ago - 2 10. all i azk - 1.5 11. devotion - 1

Not my style but not bad.

talented but bland

Skipped 'Hello' right off the bat, as I heard it a lot when it first came out and never liked it. With this album, I had a similar reaction as I did to Adele's 21: I skipped many of the songs about halfway through, as I found them pretty boring. I did like 'I Miss You', though. Saved that song, but won't be revisiting this album.

She's an incredible talent but the songs have been so overplayed at this point and do nothing for me. Sorry, I know this makes me uncultured

Day93 - i’m not the target audience for adele. her voice is good and i made it through the album but i wouldn’t do it again.

Has an album that promised so much ever delivered so painfully little? After the monster 21, it was always going to be a hard act to follow and while I openly adored 19 & 2, I listened to this once in 2015, the day it came out, and here we are just over 8 years later and I finally gave it my second proper listen and I'm still as let down as I was back when. I hope we don't have to review 30 later on, because there's only so much I can bear, let's just pretend Adele blew her vocal chords completely out at that last note of her Albert Hall concert, never to sing again... Shall we?

This is my second Adele album on this list- I thought I might have an idea of what is was going to sound like before I put it on. Sadly, I was spot on. Adele is pretty predictable, it's always power ballad after power ballad. She's got a beautiful voice but it's not enough for me. Some of the songs had interesting instrumentation but these all seem to blur together as a pretty standard Adele song. I also think she took a step back with this album. She's narrowing in on a single type of song which she didn't do in 21 and I generally get the impression that she's willing to try less. A little disappointing because I know she has a better album in her.

Many people compare this favorably to 21, but I find it to be a disappointing followup where Adele becomes a bland caricature of herself. Less rock, gospel, and soul, in favor of dull and repetitive classic strings and stock electronic. Her voice has less soulful range that once reminded me of Winehouse, and instead is oversaturated with ballads that highlight her longing intensity. The melodies are more predictable and cheesy, but I've never been a fan of her one-dimensional lyrics and themes anyway. It's just a shame this has the same cliche mood among all tracks (sad but optimistic). "Hello" is one of the most popular songs of the 2010s, but I find it dull and predictable. I do admit it's pretty solid and full as a powerful opener. 3/5 "Send My Love" is fun, catchy, and creative, and is by far the best song on here. 5/5 "I Miss You" has a cool dark ambience that reminds me of the XX, but is a bit repetitive. 4/5 "When We Were Young" is pretty boring but picks up a bit in the second half. 3/5 "Remedy" is an utterly forgettable and boring deep cut ballad. 1/5 "Water Under the Bridge" has that stupid stock electronic background but has an ok memorable chorus, lush and pretty. 2/5 "River Lea" also has boring stock background but she gives one of her most exciting and energetic performances on here. It's soulful and reminiscent of her earlier work with modern advances. 2/5 "Love in the Dark" is another forgettable yet somehow very popular ballad. 1/5 "Million Years Ago" tries to be different with a Spanish-like acoustic lead and background but is just as lame and forgettable. 1/5 "All I Ask" is somehow another super popular ballad that offers nothing new or interesting, full of cliches in both the lyrics and music direction. 1/5 "Sweetest Devotion" is an ok yet appropriate closer which offers nice ambience and a powerful versatile performance, even if it's not too interesting and rather predictable. Reminds me of Enya's "Sail Away". 2/5 Average: 2.3. It gets bonus points for excellent production, a consistent use of ambience and classical strings, and some stylistic diversity which isn't too grating. But then again, I'm not finding any tracks I'd revisit besides the first 3. I previously gave 21 a perfect score, which I was being generous about because it's not my style of music. And so perhaps I'm being a bit unfairly biased here on a bad day, but I re-listened 21 and still legitimately believe most of the songs are quite good, especially for the era.

Did not really want to listen to this. Hello had a strong chorus but felt a bit uninspired apart from that. It was definitely heavily carried by her voice. Miss you was pretty catchy as well. The whole album was a bit of a bore but I did appreciate that million years ago felt slightly different with the focus just on the acoustic guitar and her voice. It felt refreshing and especially with all I ask afterwards which felt like a song written by a human not an ai. it definitely picked itself up a bit for the last three songs but not by much. Overall quite boring, uninspired and unambitious but was carried by her strong voice and a few good tracks.

Incredibly mid - some alright songs but i dont think ill listen again not really my sort of music

It doesn’t feel quite fair to give this a 2, as Adele clearly has a lot of talent, but aside from the first two tracks, I found this album boring and tedious. Maybe in just in a bad mood. I do have fond memories of belting out “Hello” (terribly) at karaoke in Tokyo around 2015/2016, so maybe it deserves some credit for that. 2.5.

I was left wanting more. She has a phenomenal voice, but after lots of the same or similar songs, her voice loses its luster. And, the standout hits were just overplayed, so I don't even really want to hear them, either. 2/5

I really liked 21 but 25 passed me by, I don't think I'd missed much, I found this very middle of the road with very little stand out songs apart from hello, perhaps it grows on you after a few listens but not the best for me

I'll admit, I groaned when this popped up. But I'll try to give it a fair listen. Now that the hype has died down somewhat I'm not too opposed to a bit of Adele! Ok, this album was pretty much what I expected unfortunately. I get why it appeals to so many people, but it's just not for me. Most of the songs follow a very set quiet verse/loud chorus, then emotional key change, formula that just makes me cringe. The instrumental intro in "Water Under the Bridge" sounds so like the generic copyright free music you hear in YouTube ads, it actually made me laugh out loud. I did enjoy "Hello", "Remedy" and "Million Years Ago", but as a whole this album is a no from me, dawg.

She says “hello”, and I say goodbye. Pop is just not my preferred genre. Even though I may not dig the music style, I can appreciate some pop singers for their vocal range and voice quality and Adele would be included in that group. I recognized a couple of the hits but most of it sounds very similar.

I listened to Adele all the way home from work on Friday….is a line I never thought would come out of my mouth. She’s one that it seems got beyond famous off the back of a relatively small number of songs. I can see the genius behind a song like Hello for sure, but most of it sounds pretty standard to me. No idea why people lose their minds and her concert tickets go for $1000 a pop. If I’m going to listen to someone singing over piano give me an artist like Tori Amos any day of the week…no that was real talent and songwriting ability!

Not the best Hello of all time.

Favourite Song: Send My Love As individual songs, they are great. As a full album, it's quite boring and repetitive.

Adele is an incredible singer but this isn't my cup of tea

A pretty sad album. Lost love, lost time. Feel a lot of regret from Adele here. She can sing that's for sure. I like the more upbeat songs (only 2) and won'tbe playing it again unless I go through another bad break up.

No where near as good as her previous albums. This album should not be on the list. It's included solely based on name recognition.

The tune to A Million years is so familiar….but I can’t place it! I don’t understand all the hype over this album when it was released…. Maybe because I was living in England at the time and the British seemed to love her but I could t get into it….

Great singer, but the songs on this album all sound alike, in melody and content.

First time I listened to this one. There was nothing so bad about it per se but it just didn't make me excited or interested. It was straight-forward. Yes her voice is powerful but I guess the melodies weren't there for me.

Britains biggest emo since Robert Smith.

In the world of break up albums this doesn’t rank very high. Feels artificially sad throughout its run time.

# Playlist track - Water Under The Bridge # Notes - I'm still bummed out about [[Adele, 21]] which I really didn't like. - This more of the same. If you like 21, you like 25. I didn't like 21.

22/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 There's no question that Adele is a very capable vocalist and her voice is also quite pleasant. However, the music itself always falls flat for me. It's not not very inspired or creative. It's generic music with a talented singer riffing on top of it. I don't pay attention to lyrics until I've heard a song several times. If I want words, I read poetry. For me, music is about instrumentation, but the only instrument that gets to shine on this album is Adele's voice. The album opens with the hit "Hello". It showcases her voice well, but aside from that, it's bereft of anything that makes music compelling. Unfortunately, it gets worse after that. It's not outright bad; it's just uninspired and generic. An artist whose voice is the only thing that redeems her work. An old professor of mine used to say that only uninteresting people get bored. He'd say "If you can't be alone with your own thoughts, how interesting can you possibly be?" Today, I'm pleased to report that I can sit alone in complete silence without being bored. However, I cannot sit through an Adele album without being bored. Adele's work is so uninteresting that it creates a gigantic vortex of bore that turns things that used to be interesting into boring things. She must be stopped. Anyway, she's too good a vocalist for this to get only one star, but just barely.

Not for me. I appreciate Adele's singing abilities, but the pop production kills a fair bit of the emotion for me. Felt a bit same-y, too clean, by the numbers. Sorry. I did enjoy Sweetest Devotion as a pick me up,

Tremendous voice, boring and generic music.

quite intense

Die Stimme nervt mich. Die Musik entschädigt nicht

Incessant warbling. I get that Adele’s voice is a marvel but it’s overused, melodies and phrases are repeated as nauseum in service of it, and the lyrics are far from poetry. Boring.

Adele's talent feels like such a wasted opportunity. Her vocal prowess is legion, but the music all sounds like it's put together on a laptop. Stick Adele in front of an orchestra and let her rip. This? It doesn't move me, it doesn't impress me and it sounds all a tad cynical.

It's not my cup of tea. Adele has a great voice, however, I wish it feels very comfortable, we have a formula let's stick ro it. I wish she would work with people who would stretch her talent.

Good voice but too overplayed for me.

Music for a funeral

too much shouting

Over produced and I’m not a divorced woman so…. 3 stars I guess.

She is a talented singer, but I just don't vibe.

A very high quality album within its genre. Still feels a bit manufactured and impersonal to me and really draining on the ears after 15-20 minutes.

Veel te pop-achtig, teveel dance.

Well, I know she’s a big deal and all. And she can certainly belt out a tune, but this album really left me flat. I don’t know if it is the production or what, but it just seems really soulless. She definitely has the vocal chops, but everything is just too big, overdone. I don’t think it does her justice.

It seems like I've heard this record already — a thousand times over by a legion of solo artists. I'm hard-pressed to tell you why this one is different, but taken on its own terms it is well produced and performed. Her performances present the appropriate emotional tenor for the lyrics and Adele can clearly sing well. It's not my taste, but it's tastefully done.

Not even the best Adele album- the album in which her formula had grown stale, her songs lost any ambition, and her technical talent just wasn't showcased like in 19 or 21.

adele has a great voice but good gravy are these songs dull. it's honestly impressive how boring this album manages to be in under an hour. i only really knew hello going into this and it looks like it's going to stay that way. none of the instrumentation was interesting and the lyrics could've been written by a middle schooler going through their first breakup. i can see why they dropped this from the 1001 list a few years back. favorites: hello, send my love

Water under the bwreedge...

Adele's first two albums are fine however this one is where here music starts to sound like it solely exists so there's something to play in shops or on the radio so that there's some pleasant noise going on that won't get irritating after hearing it 50 times. Hard to imagine anyone actually sitting down and listening to something like Water Under the Bridge on purpose.

White woman jumpscare 4/10

Not my thing, too poppy, great voice though. 2/5

2.4 - I feel like she has an incredible voice, but it all seems to perfect in a very synthetic way. AI will remake this in a couple of years