Sam Smith’s new album, Gloria, is a powerful and heartfelt collection of songs that showcase his incredible vocal range and songwriting skills.
Each track is an emotional journey full of love, hope, and introspection. It’s an album that stands out from the rest and is sure to capture the hearts of listeners.
The letter Sam Smith dedicated to them Sailors is really moved.
“It feels like I’ve been working my whole life for this album release, a chance to showcase to you my artistry and all that inspires me to do what I do. The force, however that inspires me more than anything in this world, is you. Humans are the greatest source of inspiration for all artists, I believe. I watch you, my friends, my family and myself; I write stories that I hope will help you and be your friend in your loneliest hours but also your happiest hours, too. Sailors, you have stuck with me through every challenge that comes with growing up, all the life I’ve lived these past 10 years. I am eternally thankful to you. I work everyday for you, striving to make you proud and move you.
Gloria is dedicated to you.
I love you all. But it’s deeper than that.
Always,
Sam x
It appears that there has been some criticism of Sam Smith’s new album, Gloria, from members of the LGBTQ community.
It appears that some feel that the album does not capture the full breadth and depth of the LGBTQ experience, and instead perpetuates stereotypes that are counter to the actual experiences of those in the community.
“It can be quite a challenging place with some of the songs and the spaces we get to. So I wanted to start the album in a kind way, a welcoming way, a warm way, and say that we’re going to have some fun.”
Sam Smith
Apple Music graces Gloria!
Sam Smith’s fourth album, Gloria, opens with the kind of music we’ve come to expect from the British singer-songwriter: “Love Me More” is a gospel-inflected ballad celebrating the power of self-acceptance. But after that, Smith goes off script. “I wanted it to be a patchwork of pop, it’s something that I was really passionate about,” they tell Apple Music. “I want to be flipping from genre to genre to genre to genre.” Gloria, then, brings us sensual R&B, dazzling dance floor moments (“Lose You” is perhaps Smith’s best sad banger yet), twisting hyperpop, a dancehall-indebted earworm, and even choral music, with embraces of sex, the power of community, and queer joy and history along the way. “My aim with this record was to make sure there is not one song on this album that I don’t like,” adds Smith. “I’ve put so much into this record in terms of the production and the time. I became obsessed. I lived inside the music. I’ve never worked that hard before.”
There’s a confidence present that most artists reach a few albums deep, but it’s more than just the gains of experience you can hear here. Made between Suffolk, LA, and Jamaica, Gloria is an album of rebellion, liberation, and letting go of the past, as one of modern pop’s biggest voices unveils their most assured music—and self—yet. “I don’t want to sound cheesy, but Gloria for me is like when a butterfly leaves a cocoon,” says Smith. “That’s what I wanted this record to feel like all the way through. I wanted there to be strength within every single song. I feel like my true artist self has arrived in a way.” Read on as Smith delves deep into every track on Gloria, and opens up about the experience of playing the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2022, heard in this special Apple Music Edition.
Apple Music Edition tracks
“It was honestly one of the performances of my life. First of all, the venue was incredible, but I really wanted to change the way I did things live with that performance. I wanted to have bodies on the stage. I wanted to introduce dance. I basically start the show like I start my career, and the first song is ‘Stay With Me.’ Even in terms of the clothes, I start in all black, and then the show slowly transitions into Gloria and ‘Unholy.’ I take you from heaven to hell, because hell is just fabulous! I never thought that I’d be able to get the whole of the Royal Albert Hall slut-dropping and dancing. It was crazy. Cat Burns was there on the night, which was so special. Kim came out. It was really about sharing the limelight and sharing this time with other musicians.”
Performing on SNL and having as a muse Sharon Stone!
We would recommend Sam Smith's album The Thrill of It All. It features an eclectic mix of genres, from classic soul to pop and electronica, and is sure to appeal to a wide variety of music lovers. Additionally, the album offers an emotional and reflective journey that will take you on a journey through love, loss, and hope.