The long awaited Adele album “25” (her age when she wrote the album) was released on November 20 in the United States via Columbia Records and has already sold a record-shattering 3.38 million copies within its first week.

The name of the album follows the trend of the previous two albums, “19” and “21”. The album “21” remained at the top of Billboard charts as No. 1 for a consecutive twenty-four weeks in 2011, and “25” seems to be quickly following in its footsteps.

The album was originally announced in a post on social media, which contained Adele reflecting on both her past and future as well as the concept of aging. Adele referred to the new album as “a make-up record.” Adele, 27, stated, “I’m making up with myself. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did.” Although the album name follows the pattern of previous releases, the songs clearly do not.

Throughout the album, the songs range from sensational to tepid in tone. The opening song, “Hello,” was released as a single, available to purchase and stream, on October 23, 2015. The music video was also released the same day. “Hello,” a dramatic ballad, is introduced by the piano; even as the singer’s voice grows and becomes more powerful, the song remains poignant and moves the listener.

Other songs, such as “A Million Years Ago” and “Water Under the Bridge,” evoke similarly nostalgic emotions, aided by Adele’s famously deep voice. “Sweetest Devotion” incorporates a “pop” style of music throughout the chorus but returns to a calmer tune by the end. Thus, even as all the songs display their individual styles, they seem to fit together perfectly into this one album.

While Adele’s songs have always been perceived as phenomenal and her talent as undeniable, there are certain aspects of the new album that have not lived up to Adele’s past standards. Andrea Lan ’18 described her thoughts on the album, saying, “Despite her clearly gifted voice, Adele’s new album 25 was a disappointment. While listening to her new album, I was disheartened by the lack of connection and emotion to the lyrics. But over 3 million have bought Adele’s new album, so I guess I’ll just have to say hello from the other side.”

Additionally, for those Adele-lovers, the singer struck another blow within 24 hours of the album’s release when she revealed that streaming would be unavailable. In recent years, streaming has taken over much of the music industry; many listeners are able to access albums through music services such as Spotify, Pandora and YouTube that offer free listening. However, certain artists, such as Taylor Swift, have decided to withhold their newest albums, stating that streaming takes away some of their profits. According to some, streaming not only lets listeners access albums for free, but it also devalues the music of the artist and decreases purchases.

Despite the naysayers, the album has proven to be one of the top choices in music as it continues to occupy the number one spot on the Billboard charts. After listening to the entire album on repeat, it seems that Adele has truly outdone herself again. Even though this album has a different style than the past two, it continues to display Adele’s talent.