I’ve been waiting for Adele to release this album since 2012, not too long after I had made “21”  my go to driving and personal karaoke companion for an entire year.

I played the hell out of “Turning Tables”, “Rumor Has It” and the heartbreaking “Someone Like You”, including watching the live version on YouTube over and over again so as to understand the nuances of her voice.  Actually, from the moment I heard “Chasing Pavements” back in 2008 I bought “19” and fell head over heels for her unique and heartfelt vocal styling over tracks such as “Make You Feel My Love”, “Melt My Heart to Stone” and last but not least, the beautiful piano intro of “Hometown Glory”.  Now both of my “19” and “21” CDs are skipping unmercifully over my favourite tracks.  Go figure.

So now that I’ve joined the 21st Century with a digitally downloaded album, I’ve had the songs on repeat.  From the moment I heard “Hello” shortly after its release and felt that familiar shiver of approval I yelped, “My girl is back!” and immediately posted the video on my Facebook page.  In case you didn’t know, Hello has become a phenomenon, breaking all kinds of records and the countless memes will keep you laughing.

I was counting down the days until the release date (a day before my birthday) and now that it’s been released, I’m swimming in great music. Her voice is so emotive and distinctive and the lyrics so familiar that once again, it feels as though she took a survey on love and heartbreak and said “Yeh!!!! I got it!  Time to put a new album together.” *Adele’s accent*.

Apart from “Hello”, which, as one of my Facebook friends said, would make you miss someone you never had, these are my favourite tracks on the album.

1. “When We Were Young” – It’s so well written.  You look like a movie/You sound like a song/My God this reminds me/Of when we were young.  This song is timeless.  Almost everyone can attest to having experienced a similar situation, at any age.  On top of that, you believe her when she sings about seeing a past love after a long time.
2. “Remedy” – I’m a sucker for piano intros.  While this one is short, it still adds depth to the song.  This one is for relationships in which one person is experiencing difficulties and the other is there to help.  The piano is a perfect accompaniment.
3. “River Lea” –  Its bold gospel sound is different and welcomed and shows her  versatility.  It’s also great for a sing along as Adele explores a lower register and sounds fantastic doing so.
4. “All I Ask” – Again, a gorgeous piano weaves through the song.  Here, she’s tugging at our heartstrings by reminding us of a moment in our past when we tried desperately to hold on to a failing relationship.
5. “Sweetest Devotion” – Simply a beautiful song for her son.

Hope to attend a concert some day.  Until then, I guess I can continue to play her music until it starts to skip.  Oh wait, that shouldn’t happen now, haha.