While he provided an emollient edge to Disclosure’s oscillating"Latch” and Naughty Boy’s playful “La La La”, the results are certainly less inspiring in his own environment. Smith’ sugary falsetto comes across a tad one dimensional and inexpressive on his solo debut In The Lonely Hour. All its missing is a superfluous key change. That is, until final track Lay Me Down begins intimately before arriving at Boys II Men territory with a kitchen sink arrangement it’s Smith channelling the moment on X Factor where the white gowned gospel choir appear out of nowhere and the screen fills up with pixelated confetti. Most of the album steers clear of cliché rather deftly, and the uncluttered production avoids any unwelcome syrupy-ness. “Leave Your Lover/Leave him for me” he knows what he wants and he’s prepared to play dirty to get it. Here, Smith goes some way to shed the translucent sheen of self-depreciating introspection that lies heavy on most of In The Lonely Hour. It’s juxtaposition with “Leave Your Lover”, a well crafted and refreshingly direct track co written by Cherry Ghost’s Simon Aldred, is effective though. The irksome “Money on My Mind” leaves a little to be desired, both as album opener and lead single, and seems slightly disingenuous too “I don’t have money on my mind/I do it for the love”. All the meaningful introspection of his debut seems a tad unconvincing as a result. It’s doesn’t possess the visceral quality required to prickles the neck hairs, and it’s never arresting enough to transport the listener. It might be the sheer prettiness of his voice that limits its appeal. It’s certainly at the glossier end of the spectrum though at times Smith’s material sounds like Maverick Sabre put through a mangle, with all the interesting stuff straightened out. (I’m pretty sure latest single “Stay with Me” is as close to Sandé you can get without actually breaching copyright). That are relatable to other people.Debut LP In The Lonely Hour sees Smith ride the tail end of the British Retro-Soul wave, and shares similarities with the likes of Emili Sandé and Adele. When you listen to my album, the songs I love and my label love, it s all the personal things. Why does he believe stardom beckons? 'When it came to writing and delivering I'd worked out that it was all about truth. Mainstream.' Sam Smith might yet be at the vanguard of a wave of British talent schooled through the verbal brilliance of Jill Scott, India Arie and Angie Stone in the States a decade ago. He ties to Jessie Ware, Naughty Boy and that whole scene of London underground talent that is taking their new soul to the After one single show in New York he has become something of a cause celebre for global soulman, Maxwell. His musical purity is starting to ring the right bells. Hopefully I ll be happier soon and I'll write about that. Oh but it s too sad but that s what it s about. In the Lonely Hour deftly blends classic soul, gospel choruses, and sumptuously recorded acoustic instruments with 21st-century production flourishes, like the hip-hop beat of 'Life Support' and the subtle vocal processing of 'Money on My Mind.' An extended meditation on unrequited love, the album shows off Smith’s stunning emotive power, from wounded wailing on the mournful Stay with Me to barely disguised bitterness on the dazzling Like I Can. I've been talking about album titles and people are saying Centering on the subject on an unrequited love, it is duty bound to make the listener a little teary as it uplifts.
#IN THE LONELY HOUR ALBUM TRACKS FULL#
After his sublime debut EP entitled Nirvana, his first full release will be the albums big pop moment, 'Do It For The Love', a song that sounds like an instant, out of the box smash. I wanted to take a risk.' In the course of putting it together, Sam has worked with so many blue chip collaborative names: Fraser T Smith, Two Inch Punch, Eg White. 'I said to myself, I don't want to have a genre. In The Lonely Hour Description Between smashing it on guest vocal performances, Sam was crafting his own unique songs.