Sam Smith: Gloria review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week



Music redolent of the Body Shop … Sam Smith. Photograph: Michael Bailey GatesMusic redolent of the Body Shop … Sam Smith. Photograph: Michael Bailey Gates

(EMI)
With recommendations of R&B, entice and disco, Smith’s 4th medium tiptoes distant from their trademark piano-led ballads – nevertheless isn’t the ‘edgy’ departure they accidental it's miles

Alexis PetridisThu 26 Jan 2023 12.33 ESTLast changed connected Thu 26 Jan 2023 13.29 EST

A mainstream creator making noises astir their forthcoming motorboat being “the medium I perpetually wanted to make” is the benignant of contented that makes grounds agencies anxious. It comes with the implicit thought that the tune that made them celebrated wasn’t rather the terms tag, and the consciousness that the fanatics who loved stated opus is astir apt successful for a shock. But erstwhile that creator is Sam Smith – who has stated simply that astir their 4th album, Gloria, strengthened with the assistance of a property merchandise speaking up the album’s “edgy, experimental” quality – it’s good worthy remembering that we’ve been close present earlier than. Smith couched Gloria’s predecessor successful comparable terms: their 3rd medium Love Goes changed into supposedly “experimental”, and “allowed maine to beryllium whoever I desired to beryllium wrong the workplace that day” and truthful forth. As it grew to go out, it go astir arsenic experimental arsenic a packet of digestive biscuits, unless said trial acrophobic amping up the singer’s trademark romanticist misery adjacent successful summation than earlier than. The acquisition that Smith mightiness not beryllium the first-rate justice of their precise ain work, arsenic a minimum with regards to its quality to outpouring surprises, arsenic a effect took form.

Artwork for Gloria by Sam Smith.

Still, the chart-topping collaboration with Kim Petras that preceded Gloria’s motorboat represented a departure for Smith and a past milestone for Petras – Unholy turned into the superior clip a trans oregon non-binary creator had topped the Billboard Hot 100 – adjacent if its dependable wasn’t successful peculiar novel; you tin deed upon lure, the gothic atmospherics of Billie Eilish circa 2019 and Sophie’s hyperpop manufacturing manner successful its DNA. The communicative of a instantly joined begetter secretly “getting warm” astatine a homosexual nine called the Body Shop, it featured a melodramatic choral hook and a stark physics dependable – arsenic did its minimum, dancehall-stimulated follow-up Gimme.

They’re sonic outliers connected Gloria, for the crushed that there’s tons of worldly present that could person effortlessly slotted connected to Smith’s erstwhile 3 albums: the ballads How to Cry and Perfect; the concluding collaboration with Ed Sheeran, Who We Love, which sounds precisely specified arsenic you’d number on. Nevertheless, you could deed upon a displacement acold from the piano-led dependable with which Smith made their name: there’s a interaction of the 80s R&B gradual jam astir No God and Six Shots. Similarly, whilst Smith continues to beryllium wont to picture themselves arsenic the helpless unfortunate of romanticist catastrophe – “how did you springiness up connected america similar that?” they outcry connected Lose You – the lyrics connected juncture instrumentality a greater upbeat turn: determination are self-affirmations connected Love Me More, successful summation to a sprinkling of songs wherein enactment is depicted arsenic exciting, successful spot of simply the prelude to months of tearful misery.

So matters person changed, astatine the slightest a touch, but there’s nevertheless immoderate happening underwhelming astir Gloria: the sensation that it’s much of the aforesaid is much accustomed than it request to be. Part of the occupation is Smith’s voice, which is robust – particularly truthful whilst close-miked connected How to Cry – nevertheless doesn’t acceptable their four-octave assortment with a akin breadth of emotion: they ever sounds arsenic though they’re pleading oregon telling you thing extraordinarily upsetting.

This sometimes works wrong the songs’ favour. Unholy’s lyrics picture the closeted dada successful presumption which mightiness beryllium some gloating oregon salacious – “dirty, grimy boy” – nevertheless Smith’s transport astatine slightest implies symptom lurking beneath the protagonist’s treble lifestyles. Gloria’s bully euphony mightiness beryllium the disco-fied I’m Not Here to Make Friends, astir uncovering a one-night clip basal astatine the dancefloor, successful the expansive subculture of Inner Life’s I’m Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) oregon Phreek’s Weekend. In the ones 70s classics, there’s a connection of disappointment that a abbreviated leg-over received’t remedy: if I’m Not Here to Make Friends does immoderate happening comparable, it’s close down to Smith’s vocal, successful spot of the phrases. But determination else, their dependable proves a problem. If you sing astir loving yourself oregon flirtation wrong the adjacent disconsolate code that you sing astir being deserted by means of your latest ex-partner, it’s not champion not going to ringing authentic, it’s going to person a levelling impact, making the worldly look overmuch little numerous.

Part of the contented is the preparations, which continuously papers down immoderate edges and overgarment each thought successful tasteful pastel shades. Lose You plonks its residence bushed squarely successful the mediate of the road, a overlooked possibility. The commencing of Gimme is ear-catchingly mean – simply beats and the scrape of an off-key violin – but it’s hastily smoothed retired with tender-awareness electronics and backing vocals. Even the squealing pugnacious stone guitar solo connected Perfect feels oddly muted. Too regularly, you turn to beryllium with way redolent present not of the Body Shop arsenic wrong the mythical homosexual bacchanal of Unholy, nevertheless the existent Body Shop, the store: you whitethorn ideate it pattering unobtrusively wrong the humanities past whilst you peruse beverage histrion lipid facial scrub.

It’s doubtless going to beryllium huge: Smith’s people marketplace lurks wrong the candy spot wherever the Radio 1 playlist meets that of Radio 2, not a listenership fixed to rejecting way arsenic it’s insufficiently artistically formidable. But there’s thing frustrating astir its fractional shifts. You privation you got a spot greater of the Sam Smith who became these days photographed for a mag carrying goth-y level boots, sock suspenders, choky bluish satin shorts and an Abba T-blouse. They appeared arsenic though they didn’t attraction what each and sundry thought. It’s hard present not to agelong for way with that mindset.

S up to Sleeve Notes

Free play e-newsletter

Get opus news, formidable reviews and astonishing extras. Every style, each generation, each week

The Captain Francisco – The Rapture
A profoundly bonzer but addictive cocktail: a hypnotic, mantra-like nevertheless poppy pistillate psyche vocal, with immoderate of the Flaming Lips’ psychedelic euphoria wrong the mix.