"It was worth the wait," is how every other review of Adele’s 25 will begin, and who would I be to question convention? In all seriousness, though, there is next to nothing about this album that disappoints. Every track is perfect – musically, lyrically and emotionally. Four years ago I wouldn’t have thought it possible that her voice could reach deeper depths or higher heights, but somehow she’s pulled it out of the bag. The surgery that rescued her voice after the stresses promoting 21 has actually made that voice stronger, without touching the incredible expressive power that catapulted her to stardom in the first place.

It’s better than her last two releases in that it simply sounds more like her. That could be experience and age that’s matured her, both mentally and in terms of her songwriting skills. Not that there was anything wrong whatsoever with 19 or 21, but now she sounds more confident and agile, like she’s growing into her own ability. The more adult and reflective perspective of the lyrics absolutely inform this: it is nearly impossible to imagine her writing songs like ‘When We Were Young’ or ‘River Lea’, tied inexorably to her childhood and her upbringing, without being past the toxic breakup that scared ‘Someone Like You’, without motherhood forcing her to change her perspective.

One particular highlight is ‘Water Under the Bridge’. It’s got a strong beat, powerful vocals, and the catchiest chorus on the album (aside from ‘Hello’, which is an obvious winner). It’s typical Adele through and through – good use of her voice, chorus of wailing backing singers and not too much synth. I played it three times in a row and still felt like I could listen again. Another gamechanger is ‘Love in the Dark’. True to its name, it is darker, beginning with a brief but haunting string solo which continues in harmony throughout her heartrending lament. She nails it.

That track might suggest the only notable sidestep in the album – the most iconic tracks, as well as the ones which use her voice most effectively, are those written with established industry songwriters who know how to play to her strengths; maybe even let her take control herself. ‘Love in the Dark’ was written alongside frequent Sia collaborator Samuel Dixon; the most powerful ballads, ‘Hello’ included, came from R’n’B stalwart Greg Kursten; the most musically adventurous track, ‘I Miss You’, comes from XL Recordings’ in-house master Paul Epworth. When production titans like Max Martin and Shellback provide her with a straight-up pop track ‘Send My Love (To Your New Lover)’, she provides one of the catchiest hooks of her career, but not necessarily the most unique – she strays dangerously close to generic diva fireworks.

That said, the fact that an album of such genuine, explosive emotion is selling so frighteningly fast is a testament to her extraordinary talent for expressing basic, human emotions in such a relatable way. It sets the entirety of the pop music landscape around her into stark relief. She deserves every success she has earned.

Just one word of warning – don’t over-listen to 25. If you do, you run the risk of forgetting what a treat it is to be able to listen to such magic. This kind of majesty is something to be treasured over time.