Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” exceeds expectations

On his debut album, “In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith travailed the depths of unrequited love and its consequences. On Friday, Nov. 6, Smith released his newest album, “The Thrill of it All,” where he finds love and discovers its ups and downs.

Throughout his career, Smith has shown himself to be a story-teller, especially one of tragic romance. He continues this with excellence on his newest album.

Smith croons his way into this album with the first track and single, “Too Good at Goodbyes.”

Smith believes in the acceptance of a failing relationship by exclaiming to his lover, “And every you time walk out, the less I love you.” And in a pained yet relieved tone, Smith gives the ending blow: “Baby, we don’t stand a chance, it’s sad but it’s true.”

Not only does Smith track the trails of a relationship’s demise, but also of finding himself and accepting his sexuality.

Sam Smith is one of the most well known modern artists to come out as gay in the past few years, and with this album he explores his sexuality and faith in the song, “HIM.”

Smith opens up by proclaiming, “Say I shouldn’t be here but I can’t give up his touch / It is him I love / It is him.”

One of the critiques of Smith has been his use of gender neutral terms in his music, but here, Smith puts his love for another man out in the open as a way to come to a full acceptance of his sexuality and to quell the critics’ voices.

One of the most unique parts of Smith’s music is his combination of classic R&B and modern pop. He utilizes this to wonderful perfection on the track “Baby, You Make Me Crazy.”

A catchy, old-school soul melody makes this one of the most attractive and upbeat tracks on this album.

Smith tells of the bitter-sweetness that is love on the second to last song, “Palace.”

“Sometimes, I wish we never built this palace,” Smith sings. But right after, Smith refutes his own claim by exclaiming, “But real love is never a waste of time.”

This track sees Smith strip back his sound to a minimalist yet grand exploration of emotion that drips with sour saccharine.

In only 35 minutes, Smith proves his abilities at expressing his melancholic introspection through high-class pop music that is easily accessible for anyone of any palette.

Smith continues to exceed expectations with “In the Lonely Hour,” and hopefully, he will continue this with his future releases.