Adele 25

5 stars out of 5 -- "The nostalgic mood is the perfect fit for an artist who reaches back decades for her influences, even as her all-or-nothing urgency feels utterly modern."
"It's an album permeated by bittersweet nostalgia and obsessed with the fleeting sweetness of youth..."
"[S]he's made a record that feels both new and familiar....[A] collection of panoramic ballads and prettily executed detours." -- Grade: A-
Billboard - "Adele certainly has the pipes for the job. 25 is first and foremost a showcase for her titanic voice."
"Against gently plucked acoustic guitar on 'Million Years Ago' she channels the hushed sensuality of 1950s jazz pinup Julie London with gloriously intimate results."
Paste (magazine) - "Adele proves herself to be the true vocalist of the day....The symphonic swirl rising from the starkness of 'Hello' measures the passage of time and the evolution of her humanity."
Pitchfork (Website) - "Almost every song on 25 addresses heartache in one form or another. 'Send My Love' is anomalous in its confidence; more often, Adele sounds excruciatingly aware of her own blunders and bereavements, and the ways in which time has made them indelible."
Clash (Magazine) - "'River Lea' emerges enigmatically from drawn out organ notes, Danger Mouse's input evident from the submerged bluesy wash of sound. Possessing some of the darker, subterranean qualities that established Adele in the first place, it's a natural and compelling evolution of her sound..."