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Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews What's this?

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7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1139 Ratings

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  • Summary: The third full-length studio release for the British singer-songwriter features songs co-written with such artists as Brian Burton, Samuel Dixon, Paul Epworth, Tobias Jesso Jr., Greg Kurstin, Bruno Mars, Max Martin, Karl Johan Schuster, and Ryan Tedder.
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Top Track

Hello
Hello, it's me I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet To go over everything They say that time's supposed to heal ya But I ain't... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 35
  2. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Nov 25, 2015
    100
    Whether she's holding notes with the strength of a suspension bridge or enjoying a rare lighthearted "whoo-hoo!" on "Sweetest Devotion," her incredible phrasing – the way she can infuse any line with nuance and power – is more proof that she's among the greatest interpreters of romantic lyrics.
  2. Nov 19, 2015
    90
    Through 11 effortlessly sophisticated and deeply-layered torch songs, Adele's powerful vocals glide between thunderous roars and rib-cracking falsettos over large dramatic piano swells to fuzzy, warm lower-register rumblings. Ballads are bold and demanding.
  3. Nov 20, 2015
    80
    Even as she's suffering the romantic disadvantage, Adele infuses the songs of 25 with a love-drunk cockiness, tossing wine by a loose wrist as she reconsiders these departed men.
  4. Nov 18, 2015
    70
    25 manages to sound all of a piece, even as the songs veer from phenomenal to tepid. In places, everything comes together.
  5. Dec 1, 2015
    70
    Make no mistake, all 11 songs are of a piece -- they're shaded by melancholy, gaining most of their power through performance -- but that cohesive sound only accentuates how Adele has definitively claimed this arena of dignified heartbreak as her own.
  6. Nov 23, 2015
    60
    25 is very much Adele playing safe.
  7. Dec 1, 2015
    40
    Adele’s repetition is anchored further by some of the least dynamic work of her career. There’s nothing here to rival the playful malice of ‘Rumour Has It’ or the instant hit of ‘Rolling In The Deep’.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 26 out of 218
  1. Apr 8, 2021
    10
    Adele mais uma vez atingindo o ápice do talento e em seu terceiro álbum de estúdio ela nos prova isso, honrado em poder ouvir essa bíbliaAdele mais uma vez atingindo o ápice do talento e em seu terceiro álbum de estúdio ela nos prova isso, honrado em poder ouvir essa bíblia maravilhosa! estou com saudades, volta logo Adele, NÓS TE AMAMOS MUITO, MAMÃE !!!!!!!!!! MISS YOU. Expand
  2. Nov 20, 2015
    10
    This is a very different Adele than we've heard in the past. This album surprised everyone, including me. I didn't think she could follow upThis is a very different Adele than we've heard in the past. This album surprised everyone, including me. I didn't think she could follow up 21, but she has. Great record! Expand
  3. Nov 20, 2015
    10
    Some reviewers say it sounds too much like her previous material, but it really doesn't. She's offered up quite of a bit of variation in termsSome reviewers say it sounds too much like her previous material, but it really doesn't. She's offered up quite of a bit of variation in terms of sound and subject material. But as usual, some reviewers are trying to tag it as another break up album with the same subject material, when it's not at all.

    In my opinion, you can't really compare this to 21, because it comes from a much different place and is the perfect ending to her age themed albums. Hello, When We Were Young, Million Years Ago, and All I Ask are future classic potential. And it's very rare to say there are future classics on a modern pop album these days.

    Vocally, she sounds better than ever and she continues to prove why she's in another lane from everyone else. Anyone can make this type of music, but only she can sell it to you this way with her voice.
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  4. Nov 20, 2015
    9
    Pretty solid record...don't compare it with 21 cause it's something different. Best song hands down is All i ask, but I like send my love andPretty solid record...don't compare it with 21 cause it's something different. Best song hands down is All i ask, but I like send my love and when we were young. Water under the bridge caught me by surprise too. This is gonna be another classic by a timeless artist..adele Expand
  5. Nov 20, 2015
    8
    This album has an awkward sound. I found it similar to 21 with songs like Hello, When We Where Young and All I Ask. This seems to me that sheThis album has an awkward sound. I found it similar to 21 with songs like Hello, When We Where Young and All I Ask. This seems to me that she was a little inspired from 21. Songs like Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Million Years Ago and Sweetest devotion bring a different sound that make the album unique. I think it was clever to release the album so close to Christmas because it is has many soft and calm songs that fit perfectly with the season. I don't think this album is like 21 in sound. 21 was extraordinary, 25 is pretty good. I am not disappointed, I know that you cannot write albums like that one every day. I think 25 has a great sound and beautiful lyrics but it is not the best. Expand
  6. Nov 23, 2015
    7
    Adele isn’t an innovator—25 has notable musical progression that makes it not sound too much like 2011’s 21 and yet it’s not a distinctiveAdele isn’t an innovator—25 has notable musical progression that makes it not sound too much like 2011’s 21 and yet it’s not a distinctive departure from that very time she conquered the world. But she shouldn’t be: her vocals are controlled yet wildly free, expressing a maturity beyond her years and emoting compelling tales of romance we’ve heard time and time again, only from one of modern music’s most divine vocal talents. Even when her balladry becomes cheesier than an order from your local diner, it’s beautifully sang. It’s wearying when you hear it throughout—she described 25 as a “make-up” record, however, it’s equally as concerned with the past as its predecessor is, if lead single “Hello” didn’t make it any clearer—but the formula works: 25 is set to sell the more copies in its opening week in history and we’ll likely hear them for the rest of our lives.

    The Max Martin-produced “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”, an obvious highlight that shows Adele is capable of singing catchy hooks too, is already destined to become her so-and-so-th number-one hit in numerous countries and AC radio stations should be ordering every single song right this second. As Adele has said, her initial vision of a follow-up to 21 was a “boring” album about “being a mom”, so let’s be that thankful. The music is grandiose, commonly exploring gospel and soul influences, and despite the many producers signed on, it manages to sound consistent and Adele remains a dominant force throughout. Adele and Damon Albarn’s material may never see the light of day—he called her “insecure” and “middle of the road”, quite unfairly—and her next record may go down the same road. But as disappointing as it may be to analyze for critics and cynics, 25 is a representation of a woman who has conquered the world and that’s not a boring story.
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  7. Nov 23, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Adele’s repetition is anchored further by some of the least dynamic work of her career. There’s nothing here to rival the playful malice of ‘Rumour Has It’ or the instant hit of ‘Rolling In The Deep’." ... Expand

See all 218 User Reviews