![]() ![]() ![]() The dominance of stripped-down backdrops - some with merely piano, acoustic guitar, and conservative strings - is somewhat surprising. Much more about mourning than movement here, Smith is bold for not attempting to capitalize on the Disclosure and Naughty Boy hits. Deep sorrow informs most of the material. Those three solo singles are here, along with seven new songs that tend to cast Smith as a heartbroken balladeer. They preceded the release of In the Lonely Hour, the singer and songwriter's debut album. "Money on My Mind," an upbeat statement of purpose more about the soul than the heart, and "Stay with Me," a torch song with a gospel-inspired chorus, were Smith's second and third solo singles. It was quickly eclipsed by a lead role on Naughty Boy's "La La La," a breakbeat-driven tearjerker that went to number one in the U.K. Early 2013 brought their debut solo single, "Lay Me Down" - an aching singer/songwriter-soul throwback that scraped the U.K. Smith grew up listening to R&B giants Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston, but their first impression was unique, not merely for the richness of their voice, but its resoundingly expressive yet naturally delivered manner - on a level most singers can't match with maximum effort. ![]() hit in 2012, introduced Sam Smith, a London-born vocalist with a deeply emotive voice. Buy the album Starting at £8.99ĭisclosure's loping dance-pop single "Latch," a number 11 U.K. 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.Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs. 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. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |