Adele - When We Were Young

Is there anything that Adele can’t do? Since reaffirming her chart-topping pedigree with wittily imperious comeback ‘Hello’, she’s at it again. What’s she done this time? Only gone and outdone John Lewis in the Christmas tearjerker stake - and all without a single telescope.

Just days away from the hotly-anticipated release of her third album ‘25,’ she’s generating yet more momentum in the shape of ‘When We Were Young’, a sombre, bittersweet ballad that takes a stroll down the same tear-stained, Kleenex-strewn path as its all-conquering predecessor. Touching on loves lost, passions expired and people frozen in time over crisp piano keys - supplied by the overly-capable fingers of Tobias Jesso Jr - ‘25’’s second cut sees her swap her trademark fury for a compelling nostalgia, hinting at a lighter side to someone renowned for dealing in darkness.

It’s still a bit of a surprise that Adele, as the owner of a much-celebrated set of pipes, still appears to be keeping her gale-force vocals in check. This departure seems to mark a brave new direction for her of the almighty lungs, though, one that doesn’t so much force you to batten down the hatches as sit and absorb its warming, sepia-toned reminiscence.

An artist on the cusp of reinvention putting paid to the past, it takes some gall to do away with the work of icons such as Damon Albarn and Phil Collins. Rumour has it, that’s what Adele did for ‘25’. If this morose belter proves anything, it’s that we’re in the presence of a truly spine-tingling songwriter. Friday, and ‘25’, can’t come soon enough.