SAMANTHA LUND
Editor in Chief
lundsr@plu.edu
I was driving back home from Thanksgiving dinner alone last Thursday using Spotify in my car and singing very loudly. Very, very loudly. My Spotify hit “Hello” by Adele, and once wasn’t enough. After repeating it four times, I realized I still hadn’t heard her new CD “25.”
I knew what I had to do. I grabbed my phone while driving – I know I should have stopped but I didn’t – and went into iTunes and downloaded the entire album.
“25” is the pop singer’s third studio album. It has 11 tracks and was released Nov. 20, 2015.
As a sidenote, this was the first album I’ve been willing to put real human dollars toward since getting my student Spotify subscription three years ago. The fact that Adele chose not to put her music on streaming sites was a betrayal of our relationship. I’d been resenting her for a while, but it all ended when the album came on.
The first track, “Hello” started, and even though I’d just listened to it, I sang along once more. It’s just that good.
The next track, “Send My Love,” begins with a heavy beat that ties you into the experience. Adele hasn’t gotten old, her music isn’t a repeat from the album “21.” It’s new and shiny. It’s ear crack.
Even without knowing the words you’ll find yourself humming along. The beats are catchy, and Adele shifts from strong music to soothing melodies seamlessly. Between tracks three (“I Miss You”) and four (“When We Were Young”) she takes you from a dance floor to a love song.
“We’re burning down the highway skyline/ On the back of a hurricane that started turning/When you were young,” Adele sings in “When We Were Young.”
It’s no wonder Adele’s album shattered Billboard records and sold over four million copies in a week. “25” looked at the Frozen Soundtrack and Taylor Swift’s “1989” and laughed in their faces as it passed them by. Sales of “25” accounted for 41 percent of all music sales the week it came out.
Adele made the decision not to allow her music on streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music. Music sales are down about 25 percent across the board because of streaming sites, and several artists, including Taylor Swift, have banded together to not stream their music. It was a risky choice, especially with listeners like me out there that take those decisions personally and choose not to listen to their albums at all if it means I have to shell out $10. But, if we can learn anything from Adele’s recent success, it’s that these streaming services may not have as much of an affect as we think.
Now I’m on track 10, “All I Ask,” and I’ve caught onto a few words that I’m belting out. I can’t help but thinking, Damn this song is amazing. It speaks to me. Maybe Adele gets me completely. And then, of course, I start to cry. No shame. No shame.
Adele swiftly shifts from “All I Ask” to her final track “Sweetest Devotion,” which leaves you on a happy note. In the ‘70s-esque music festival song, Adele’s 3-year-old son actually makes a cameo, which is only appropriate because he was the inspiration behind the piece.
Then the album is over. But I’ve still got another hour left to drive. Repeat.
