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Adele’s vocals inspire a soulful car ride

The sounds of the muted guitar strings echo that extra turn of the key it takes for your car to start.

You’ve settled on soulful British singer-songwriter Adele’s newest album, “21,” to serve as the night’s anthem.

Her powerhouse vocals and the proud drums on the first song, “Rolling in the Deep,” remind you of Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine fame. Your head sways and your body rocks slightly as you leave your place and enter the highway. You tap your left foot to the similar-sounding “Rumour Has It.”

By the time you begin to see the cityscape, the strings from “Turning Tables” pulls on your heart’s own. The mixture of the song’s simplistic beginning with piano and vocals, then its insertion of strings after the first chorus, encourages you.

At your first destination, “Don’t You Remember” comes on, but you turn your car off. Even though it eventually builds up, a song that slow is too high up on the album, anyway.

Back in your car, you set fire to the rain. Well, more like you play the fifth track. Although at this point in the album, you’re tired of the repetitive lyrics – “you never knew, never knew” – you still find it enjoyable. You wander around tall buildings because you drove one street too far.

“He Won’t Go” plays. You press the double arrows and skip it. However, you make a mental note to add it to your playlist of songs about in-the-name-of-love risk-taking.

In its place, you listen to “Take it All.” It reminds you of the jazz bar from which you’ve been driving away. You realize this peaceful album lacks overt energy but knows how to spark nighttime memories.

Now you’re on the short strip of highway that will take you to your second destination. You hear the sassy horns from “I’ll Be Waiting.” You scream the addicting chorus lyrics with the windows down. It’s late, but you don’t care who hears. The bridge’s lyrics speak to you — “Time against us/ Miles between us/ Heavens cried/ I know I left you speechless.”

Second destination reached. As you enter, you hear “One and Only” in your head. You think of the pre-chorus as you see that certain someone across the way – “You’ll never know/ If you never try/ To forgive your past/ And simply be mine.” The vocal overlays toward the song’s end empower you to take the walk back to your car some time later – “I know it ain’t easy/ Giving up your heart.” And while you have an awkward outside-of-your-car talk with that someone from earlier, you can hear Adele blast the chorus for the final time.

Now for the drive home – alone. It’s sprinkling rain, and “Lovesong” plays as a reminder of the evening. You look at the rain-dotted city skyline from your rear-view mirror. Taking an extra turn, you hear the song out before turning down your street. The song matches perfectly the night’s earlier events.

In your driveway, you turn off the engine but keep the album playing. The final song, “Someone Like You,” commences. Your eyes drop with the piano. At the start of the chorus, they raise. The lyrics “Never mind/ I’ll find/ Someone like you” resonate with you. Staring at your front door, you focus on the album’s lyrically most-relatable song.

Now out of the car, you press the lock button on your key. The car lets out that triumphant beat – dischordant to the exhausted piano’s final notes – as you push the doorknob forward.

Although her hometown fans heard “21” in late January, Adele’s latest album drops Feb. 22 in the United States.

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