25 is the third studio album recorded by British singer and songwriter Adele. It was released on 20 November 2015, through XL Recordings. The lead single, "Hello", was a critical and commercial success, topping the charts in 28 countries including the United Kingdom and the United States, where "Hello" became the first single ever to sell one million downloads in a release week.
"Adele - 25: Special Holiday Edition" - in addition to the basic 14 songs of the album included a 6 live tracks recorded during a performance tour of the singer. The tour takes place in support of the new album "Adele - 25", which for several months has a leading place in the charts around the world.
Adele's 2009 debut album, 19, was a Grammy-winning smash hit that revealed the British singer/songwriter's knack for bittersweet soul and folk-infused love songs that brought to mind an infectious mix of Dusty Springfield and Terry Callier. The album earned her a ton of fans, and interest was high for the inevitable follow-up. In many ways, her sophomore album, the similarly age-appropriate-titled 21, is a continuation of the sounds and themes Adele was working with on 19. She is still the bluesy pop diva with a singer/songwriter's soul and seemingly bottomless capacity for heartbreak.
Live at the Royal Albert Hall features British vocal sensation Adele performing at the storied venue during her promotional tour for her 2011 studio effort, 21. Backed by her rock ensemble as well as a string section, Adele runs through most of 21 while adding in earlier hits off her 2008 debut, 19, including "Chasing Pavements," "Hometown Glory," and "My Same." Primarily, however, Adele focuses here on material off 21, including such cuts as "Rumour Has It," "Turning Tables," "Someone Like You," the über-ballad "Take It All," and the funky hit "Rolling in the Deep." In perfect vocal form here prior to her 2011 throat surgery, Adele is the epitome of a burnished soul diva with a singer/songwriter's heart. Beautifully recorded and performed, Live at the Royal Albert Hall conveys all the drama of Adele's music and is the perfect companion piece to 21.
Adele's 2011 blockbuster, 21, was all about turning pain into power. Four years and 30 million albums sold later, remorse is still her muse. But where 21 was the sound of a woman soldiering through bad romance, 25 finds her queenly and resolute, lamenting the past on songs with titles like "Water Under the Bridge" and "When We Were Young." Even "Hello" is a goodbye. The nostalgic mood is the perfect fit for an artist who reaches back decades for her influences, even as her all-or-nothing urgency feels utterly modern.