It's was about 10pm on Thursday night, here on the West Coast of the US. I had been waiting anxiously as my friends from all over the world have been blessed with the long awaited release of Adele's new album, "25."
All day I kept my eye on the clock as I counted down the hours until it would be released in my timezone. Then, like magic, it appeared in my itunes (yes, I pre-ordered) and I immediately started to listen.
I started playing the album immediately! It starts of with the title track "Hello", which basically made the entire world Adele's bitch. I mean, we ate that sad shit up with a spoon. Like an eager kid on Christmas day, I was ready for the new stuff so I skipped to the next song, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
I was a bit taken aside by the up tempo beat. I mean, I could almost dance to this. I didnt know what the hell to do with myself. Keep in mind, I am still bracing for a hell storm of sad emotions. Im prepared with tissues, a pint of ice-cream and whatever other kind of supplies an emotional mess should have.
That aside, I am still on a slow ride of what I think is supposssed to be the most epic roller coaster of all time. The beats go up, they get mellow and then weirdly they get all fast again. I feel like I took a Xanax and I am driving the freeway at rush hour.
Thankfully, "When We Were Young" comes on. The song she performed on 60 Minutes Australia. It's so beautiful simply because it tells a story and you down right believe that Adele and YOU both shared that same experience. It's powerful and emotional.
The remainder of the album continues on its "rinse and repeat" strategy of Adele-isms and pop-injected tunes that insist "this is her happy album" and that "this is Adele expanding her offering of emotions to the world." Before I know it the album ends with a country-esque tune that has me wondering what the hell just happened.
There is actually a moment when the silence of the ending of the album has me afraid that the end is... real.
Was that it?
As I sit here puzzled and confused. Then I realize this is just the circle of life for some of my favorites. It's something that many of the greats have fallen victim too, the Alanis Effect.
Remember when Alanis Morisette was all angry and we loved her? Jagged Little Pill was the MOST amazing album ever because she was PISSED OFF and we loved it. But then, she got happy and we hated it.
Remember when Janet tried to stage a comeback. Remember JLO when she became Jennifer?
The greatness that is that one moment in many artists lives, is the moment of raw connectedness to the emotions and lyrics of the music they are singing. Its not the offering of songs thereafter are not great, it's just that we love that "other" moment.
Adele's "21" will always be great becasue we connected with it's heartbreak, the same way we connected with Alanis's anger. We will always love these artists, yet parts of us feel that we could always stay angry, heartbroken and sad.
But, like life, we must all move on, grow and get happy.
Adele's "25" may fall short of our expectations in ways where we miss the sadness, but it's by far short of talent and power. I will always be a fan of Adele's music and I am sure I will listen to this album a few times over. But like Adele, who has now married and become a mother, we too must all forward with life.
David Cruz, III
David is the Founder and Creative Director of Finding Cupid. He has been writing about Dating & Relationships for the last five years and is a contributor to Huffington Post, Frontiers Media, Your Tango and many other publications. David can often be found in the greeting card aisle seaching for the ultimate love card, or a bakery making bad decisions for himself.
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