The track is followed by one of the highlights of the entire record, “Leave Your Lover”. While the song is conspicuously reminiscent of something Emeli Sandé would have concocted, there is an immediacy to the arrangement that elevates this above mere stylistic plagiarism. In The Lonely Hour hits its stride once the gospel choir-inflected “Stay With Me” appears. Without anything to cushion their stylistic differences, the album begins on a tentative note. It would have been a logical stop-gap between the first two songs on the record. Strangely enough, last year’s terrific track “Nirvana” was omitted from the collection.
With the jarring orchestral introduction of “Good Thing” biting at the song’s heels, Smith and his technical crew seem to be uncertain as to what mood they want to settle upon. The song aligns itself with the vibe of Smith’s previous work on Naughty Boy’s harp-laden “La La La” and Disclosure’s electro-house collaborations. 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. 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.