Personally, Sam Smith has been one of my favorite artists for a while now, but his new album, The Thrill of It All, is truly a beautiful work of art. Every song and every note is absolutely stunning.
His words are moving and relatable to anyone who has ever loved or lost someone. His voice combined with the incredible songs that he writes are just a perfect combination for any moment in time. The mellow beats behind his masterpieces allow for wonderful relaxation, study, or driving music. The songs on this album carry me through both happy and sad days, which is something that any great artist has been able to accomplish. There are not many albums where I can sit down and say I truly enjoyed every song just as much as the last, but The Thrill of It All is one of my all time favorites.
In recent media news it has been revealed by Sam Smith himself that Too Good At Goodbyes was written about him dealing with a personal heartbreak from the past year. The song is solely about him and not the ex-boyfriend, which is not a typical approach in the music industry. I truly respect how he focused on himself and his recovery from his heartbreak throughout this album, and I love the fact that he has found a way to turn his pain into something so beautiful.
Despite the fact that most of the songs on this new album are sad, I truly enjoy it more and more each time I listen to it. This is Sam Smith’s first number one album, and he is celebrating accordingly on his social media. His Instagram, @samsmithworld , is heartwarming with his overwhelming joy and gratitude for the success of his album.
The song that I found to be the most impressive, however not one that I can personally relate to, was HIM. In this song, Sam Smith opens with the lyrics, “Holy father we need to talk/ I have a secret, that I can’t keep/ I’m not the boy that, you thought you wanted/ Please don’t get angry, have faith in me”. This song speaks to Smith’s personal life and his sexuality. This song is both moving and touching, as he digs deep to open up about his experience.
Many of the songs on the new album remind me of his earlier works prior to when he truly emerged in the top charts, and it is very refreshing to hear such moving pieces from him after a brief break from new music releases. Although his older songs had a bit of a happier influence to them, his new songs on the album are moving and relatable for so many listeners. I find Sam Smith to be very inspirational through the messages that his songs depict, he is quite moving and speaks truly from his heart.
According to Spotify, Sam Smith is currently ranked eighth in the world for listener rankings, coming in at 31.8 million monthly listeners. Lucky for his millions of fans, he will be touring this coming year and even luckier for me he will be making an appearance in Philadelphia in July 2018.
Smith’s first album allowed him to practically sweep the Grammy’s, and I personally would not be surprised if this album allows him to accomplish that feat once again.
From the hit single Too Good At Goodbyes, to the rising Pray, to my personal favorite, Burn, Sam Smith has truly knocked it out of the park with this album.