At just the right time, Sam Smith appeared on the scene. The underground had been buzzing with hip R&B artists for years, when he released in 2014 . Smith sold about 12 million copies of his debut. A world star was born. Perhaps that's why successor The Thrill Of It All has become such a self-assured work of art. Smith takes a step towards a less hip and commercial sound. For example, most of
… the album is pretty quiet. The arrangements are bare and the tempos are low. There is also a veil of mourning over the songs: Smith is heartbroken. The singer knows just like his fellow countryman translate all kinds of relationship problems into good pop music. Musically there are also parallels, because the Englishman dives heavily into soul and gospel on this album. Of course, this offers all kinds of leads to allow his strong voice to excel. All songs contain a well-placed swipe or gossamer vocal line. The best songs include the honest love song Him and the delicate Burning. Although there is actually no weak brother between the 10 songs. (JE)more