Opener “Money on My Mind” is a fantastic single in its own right, but here it seems forcefully tacked onto the rest of the collection. Sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective one. Uncluttered with any excessive production work, “Latch” and a handful of the album’s tracks, have an emotional impact that resonates in a way not unlike the work of a young Roberta Flack. Songs such as “Good Thing” would have thrived if they had been stripped of their flamboyant string arrangements. Here the song has been included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition, and his voice is accompanied by nothing but piano and cello. Smith recently won the BBC Sound of 2014 poll, was the recipient of the BRIT 2014 Critics’ Choice Award, and has also amassed three number one UK singles since he first appeared on Disclosure’s breakthrough single “Latch”. These tales of unrequited love are at their finest when they are stripped to the barest of instrumentation.Ĭritical and commercial acclaim seem to follow in his wake. This collection of blue-eyed, R&B-fused soul-pop becomes all the more poignant given Smith’s recent revelations about his sexuality, but ultimately, the record could have benefitted from a bit more variation in tempo and mood. Vocal pyrotechnics could rend apart any of these ten songs, but Smith possesses a startling maturity for his 22 years, and on In the Lonely Hour, he wisely keeps the histrionics at bay. For once the hype is entirely justified, and if his debut album is any indication, the success he has experienced in the UK will easily be replicated stateside. There’s also something refreshingly honest and vulnerable about both his image and his artistry. With an image that conjures up the spirit of a young Boy George, sans cosmetics, his physical presence on stage is as charmingly likable, as his vocal delivery is impressive. He may not possess a remarkably distinguished name, but there is nothing ordinary about that voice. The Grammys followed suit, and six nominations led to four awards, including Song Of The Year, once again for “Stay With Me.” Brits glory inevitably followed in February 2015, a few weeks after the album shifted its millionth copy in the UK.In a musical climate devoured by EDM and inundated with Auto-tuned vocalists of the “pour from a can and serve” variety, London-based singer-songwriter Sam Smith is a welcome reminder that natural talent can still flourish in mainstream music. Nominated at the 2014 MOBO Awards for Best Album, Smith won that category and added three others that evening. In a welcome sign of the times, Smith’s sexuality didn’t define the project, and the songs’ rallying themes of love and loss crossed genres and generations.
The vulnerability that Smith chose to showcase resonated with a public who seized on their confirmation that the record had been in part shaped by a broken heart. A tender ballad, “Stay With Me” became their best-performing international song and was, significantly, the first to be picked up by influential adult contemporary radio stations in the States. While second single, “Money On My Mind,” had been built around a distinctive dance hook, Sam’s fragile machismo was played up to the hilt for the album’s true breakthrough hit.
The secret to Smith’s success was not dissimilar to Adele’s: strong songs powered by an incredible voice drenched in the personality of the performer. In The Lonely Hour was the second best-selling British album in 2014 and ended up the third best-selling album in the US after its third single, “Stay With Me,” topped the UK charts and made it all the way to No.2 stateside.
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