Rolling Stone said: "Her debut, which topped the British charts earlier this year, lacks the bad-girl brio of those grads [Amy Winehouse and Kate Nash], but it shows off a vocal instrument that smokes the competition."

Rolling Stone said: "Whether she's holding notes with the strength of a suspension bridge or enjoying a rare lighthearted 'whoo-hoo!' on 'Sweetest Devotion,' her incredible phrasing - the way she can infuse any line with nuance and power - is more proof that she's among the greatest interpreters of romantic lyrics."

Complex wrote: "Even as she's suffering the romantic disadvantage, Adele infuses the songs of 25 with a love-drunk cockiness, tossing wine by a loose wrist as she reconsiders these departed men."

The New York Times noted: "25 manages to sound all of a piece, even as the songs veer from phenomenal to tepid. In places, everything comes together."