“I’ve Told You Now”: Smith is a master of contrasting volume and affect. “I can’t believe you let me down,” he says, disappointment dragging toward the bottom of his range before his voice raises to anger, accusing, “You say I’m crazy, because you don’t think I know what you’ve done.” The violins surging behind the breakdown are so high-pitched they practically sting. “I’m Not the Only One”: The first turning point of the record, this is where Smith goes home, dries off, and picks himself back up. This is one of the few moments on the record where it’s apparent Smith has never been in a relationship otherwise he would realize such dramatic concessions (standing in the rain, willing to give up everything) don’t work if he’s just not that into you.
#SAM SMITH IN THE LONELY HOUR CD MOVIE#
“Leave Your Lover”: Asking for one night to keep going, begging the one he’s in love with to leave his lover - anyone who’s made those same mistakes knows the outcome usually doesn’t work out like a movie ending. With judiciously placed tambourines, the song builds to a resounding gospel chorus that would give goosebumps to even the most hardened Don Juan. “Stay With Me”: Smith wowed an audience likely seeing him for the first time with this stunning cut on “Saturday Night Live.” In it, he turns a desperate plea for a one-night stand to stay into an eloquent statement on being a sensitive man who knows what he wants, but has no illusions that he’ll get it. Here lie the first hints of trouble in Smith’s relationship, from a dream that he was mugged outside his beloved’s house to the worse realization that he dared think his love was reciprocated. “Good Thing”: Beginning with swelling strings that spill into a muted guitar line like teardrops breaking (yes, it’s that dramatic), the second track is the real beginning of the end that “In the Lonely Hour” is all about.
The first official single is a bit of a bait-and-switch: those kinds of synthesizers don’t set the tone for the record but reappear until the very end, and at first listen it’s easy to focus on the blaring chorus and miss the “I don’t have” that sneaks up beforehand.
“Money On My Mind”: “Money On My Mind” kicks off the album on a sprightly note, with a crisp, skittering backbeat and chopped-up backing exhalations. “After writing the album,” he told Billboard, “I felt I’d given everything out, and I’m willing to keep doing that with my music for the rest of my life.” Here’s to seeing how he keeps pouring his heart out. Every story of unrequited love that’s been put to song is powerful in its own right, but Smith’s admission that the object of his affection was a man - besides being a brave thing to do - put to rest any speculation of his sexuality and set an emotionally open tenor for the rest of his career. Lana Del Rey, Sam Smith, Linkin Park All Have Super Sales Week AheadĪnd Smith bares more than his vocal cords on this record.
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