He also seems to have spent the last three years on his studies - that is, taking copious mental notes on what made soul records like Sam Cooke’s classics. Smith, in his interim, has found ways as a lyricist to find fresh nuance in old breakup themes, on top of just being able to make every note feel like a larynx-shaped teardrop. But while Adele followed up her award-winning “21” with the rather more rote “25,” Smith has reversed the equation, succeeding 2014’s “In the Lonely Hour” with the considerably more impressive “Thrill of It All.” Adele’s pain didn’t feel quite as lived in by the time she came back, post-motherhood. And they also dominated the Grammys in their respective breakout years. He’s pop’s most heavenly limbo artist.Įxtended comparisons to fellow Brit and longtime pal Adele are inevitable: Both assess, correctly, that being the most vocally indomitable singers of their generation will earn them a pass on having to add any bangers amid their wonderful bummers. Emotionally, meanwhile, Smith is striving for how-low-can-you-go honors. If you’re not paying attention to “The Thrill of It All” as it plays, you might assume he’s already well up into his falsetto … until, of course, he startles you by actually going there. “That high lonesome sound” is an old bluegrass term, but it ought to be co-opted for Sam Smith.
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