Critics have praised Adele’s first new track in six years as a “heartfelt comeback”.
The 33-year-old released her latest single, Easy On Me, in the early hours of Friday morning.
The first track from her new album entitled 30, due for release on November 19, garnered three, four and five-star reviews from many UK publications.
Easy On Me - Out Nowhttps://t.co/2iwZqeT01P pic.twitter.com/UhmznLDvgZ
— Adele (@Adele) October 14, 2021
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Will Hodgkinson, chief rock and pop critic for The Times, gave the first single from her upcoming sixth album four stars out of a possible five.
He referenced the pop star’s recent interview with Vogue in which she said the song and album was her attempt at explaining her divorce from charity boss Simon Konecki to her eight-year-old son Angelo.
Hodgkinson added: “This is, word for word and note for note, exactly the kind of tear-jerking piano ballad she made her name with, and it is what her fans expect of her. It’s a good song that won’t change the world.”
The Guardian’s head rock and pop critic, Alexis Petridis, offered the track three stars and described it as “quintessential Adele: piano, romantic recrimination, and soaring vocal work”.
He added: “Unlike Someone Like You, it’s not the kind of Adele song built to stop the listener in their tracks, but, unlike the lesser moments of 25, nor is it the kind of Adele song that just goes in one ear and out the other.
“It’s reliably relatable business as usual, which – one suspects – is exactly what the millions of people who buy Adele’s albums want, especially at this particular juncture in history.”
30 - November 19 pic.twitter.com/vp6ornlda2
— Adele (@Adele) October 13, 2021
Neil McCormick, chief music critic at the Daily Telegraph, awarded it five stars, describing it as a “heartfelt comeback” and a “thing of beauty and wonder”.
He added: “I hope it utterly demolishes the world and reminds everyone listening that songs don’t need overloaded state-of-the-art production, ear-bashing hooks, trendy twists or gimmicky guest stars.
“They need heart and soul, flowing melodies and sincerely felt lyrics, and the kind of voice that can carry emotion and demand attention.”
Chris Willman, a music writer for Variety, felt the track was “ballsy in at least a couple of different ways”, one being that “it’s Adele and just a piano from beginning to end… and the faintest hint of rhythm if you squint into the ether”, he said.
Willman added that “secondly, it’s Adele taking responsibility — or at least sharing it” about the “downfall of a relationship”.
Jochan Embley from the Evening Standard also reviewed it with a top mark of five stars and reflected on how the world, the music industry and the singer are all different since she last released music six years ago.
Adding: “This is quintessential Adele — and thank goodness, because we’re probably all in need of a very good cry.”
