ALBUM THE THRILL OF IT ALL

The Thrill of it All by Sam Smith ALBUM REVIEW

BY SETH V. PULLONA

After a long hiatus, Sam Smith once again did not fail to amaze us of what was next after his well-acclaimed debut album In The Lonely Hour. The English singer-songwriter has announced via Twitter the title of his record, The Thrill of It All, and released the full-album on November 3rd, the day after the announcement.

The 25-year-old singer is far forward beyond his years, as shown in his debut album as well as in the next one. His spectacular voice still possesses the charm in telling the listeners his story through music. However, despite his growth in the scene, he is still that man who sings about the fragility of love. In his songs, it almost seems like he is, until now, in search of his true love, and we could only just wait until he’s had it right this time. His debut and sophomore album speak the same language: the acquaintance with loneliness and the search for intimate, reckless romance. He finds no embarrassment of preaching to the world his desires, which obviously brought him to the top as one of the famous musicians of this millennium.

Before the Thrill of It All was released, its lead single, “Too Good At Goodbyes”, served as a teaser of what is in store in his long awaited LP. “You must think that I’m stupid / You must think that I’m a fool / You must think that I’m new to this / But I have seen this all before,” the first lines of the single explicitly speak what the song is all about— Smith having been rejected by the one he loved multiple times. With him hitting the same wall over and over again, the award-winning singer seems to have mastered the art of saying goodbye. It seems like all his heartbreaks had prepared him for the ending of another upcoming relationship. Rejection had taught him that whatever happens, he is ready to face it without having to numb his heart in loving once more. The release of the lead single was accompanied by a memorable music video. In the video, he started it off with him belting vocalizations accompanied by a piano ballad. The next parts of the video visuals portray different types of love and loss: the heartbreak in a relationship, the grief in losing a loved one, and reaching for an almost impossible dream. The theme of the music video fits to how he struggled from his previous relationship, how he had coped up and learned from them, and how he incorporated all those tragedies into his art.

The phrase “hopeless romantic” sounds like an understatement to what The Thrill of It All is telling us about. Smith’s songwriting is very bold and honest with what he had experienced the past years. He has laid all his emotions in lyrics we all can universally understand. The debut album has established him and his musical style, but with the release of his

second record, Sam Smith proved that the praise with the streak is well-deserved. The delicate lyrics were beautifully interpreted by his mournful voice, stripped piano accompaniment, and a choir arrangement. Surprisingly, the gospel-like gist of the compositions built a strong impact to what he intends to interpret in each. Every song speaks of different perspectives, different sentiments, and different responses to what he had experienced throughout his journey of making music.

The Thrill of It All can stand on its own. Although having the similarity of Sam’s first album, the record will mold a new era of the same perspective— love, loss, and heartbreak is universal. And he will continue to speak into our hearts, telling us that his experience is ours, and ours is his. S