Consumer Guide: March, 2023

From the UK, a trustworthy superstar. From Canada, shoegazing power-pop. From Brazzaville, rhythms that rock as much as they roll. And from an ex-fundamentalist, courage, idealism, and self-sacrifice.

Adele: 30 (Columbia ‘21) Curious, I Googled “Adele haters” and was naive enough to be surprised by how many there were—because she’s too sad, because she’s too proud, because her sincerity isn’t clever, because she hondled a weekends-only Vegas deal that let her spend time with her family, because she lost weight. Of course she has haters, her level of …