Name: 25
Brand: Adele

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

XLLP740

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-04-14

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0634904074012

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

XLCD740

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0634904074029

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Adele

Genre GB

Label GB

Adele is a British singer born on May 5, 1988 in London, England, United Kingdom. With her powerful and soulful voice, she has captivated audiences worldwide. Known for her heartfelt lyrics and emotional performances, Adele has become one of the most successful artists of our time.

Her debut album "19" was released in 2008 and received critical acclaim. It showcased her incredible vocal range and established her as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Adele's follow-up album "21" was even more successful, earning numerous awards including Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

Adele's music resonates with listeners from all walks of life. Her songs often explore themes of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. Whether she is belting out a power ballad or delivering a tender acoustic performance, Adele's raw talent shines through in every note.

An independent record label, XL Recordings was launched in 1989 by Richard Russell and his team. Originally an off-shoot of City Beat Records, XL quickly became known for releasing rave and dance music. Over the years, XL has grown to become one of the leading labels in the industry, managing a roster of talented artists including *Leah Riches*, *a6001996*, and *a60243*. In 1996, XL officially incorporated and became the copyright-holder of its releases. To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2004, XL launched their XLXV series of re-issues. Today, they continue to thrive as a pioneering force in the music world.

Check out our latest restocks of vinyl records, CDs, books and merchandise at Rough Trade. Dive into rare finds, classic albums and add something special to your collection.

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Autobiography is baked into Adele's art. She called her first album 19, naming it after her age at the time of writing, and like a musical, millennial Michael Apted, each successive album represented another chapter in her life's story. Fueled by heartbreak, her roiling 2011 record 21 ushered in her adulthood and superstardom, two acts that were instrumental in the creation of 25, the 2015 album purportedly documenting her mid-twenties. 

Between 21 and 25, Adele fell in love and started a family, an event that would surely be grist for a memoirist's mill if Adele was as confessional a singer/songwriter as she appears, but she is not. Like 21 before it, the love that flows through 25 is either curdled or lost, love that can no longer replenish or nourish. It is certainly not the kind of love that would arise from a satisfying, stable relationship, but it is indeed the kind of love that is recognizable from 21: love that hurts, not heals. While her themes may remain the same, Adele isn't the same singer as she was in 2011, nor is 25 a carbon copy of 21. Success has given her the confidence to abandon any lingering Amy Winehouse influence, taking along with it any sense of swing or sass. 

It isn't so much that Adele doesn't take risks -- she's hip enough to enlist Haim/Charli XCX's producer to helm "When We Were Young," a song co-written with hotly tipped sensitive soul Tobias Jesso, Jr., and she brings in Danger Mouse to help orchestrate the neo-gospel of "River Lea." But she's so devoted to ballads, ballads determined to convey grace and strength in the face of loss that she winds up residing in a middle of the road, which makes her seem much older than the quarter century of the title. Adele doesn't help matters by dwelling on the passage of time, repeatedly returning to the idea that she ain't a kid anymore. It's a sentiment that suits a singer many years past 25 yet also suggests a bit of savvy on her part: these are songs that are meant to be heard -- and sung -- for years after the album's initial release, gathering resonance with the passage of time. Fittingly, 25 also plays better over the long haul, its march of slow songs steadily revealing subtle emotional or musical distinctions. 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.

Music GB

Discover 25 by Adele on XL label. Available in CD and LP formats. A powerful album documenting Adele's mid-twenties with themes of love and heartbreak.