Love Goes Review
I’ve been listening to Sam Smith since they released In The Lonely Hour in 2014. I remember going into the music store in the mall as a thirteen-year-old and buying one of my very first albums. In The Lonely Hour spent most of its time in my mother’s car, accompanying our road trips and rides to school.
The Thrill of it All, which Smith released in 2017, highlighted a new sound for them. The album felt heartfelt and spiritual. It felt like Smith was experimenting more with new sounds and appreciating new music. The gospel choir that backgrounds several of the tracks made me excited to see what else Sam Smith would bring to the table. I listen to the album now and it makes me want to dance in my room and lie on the floor in tears.
2020 has brought many incredible releases and I am glad Sam Smith has contributed to the mass of new music as well. To start off, I am by no means a musical expert, but I wanted to share some love for a musician that I appreciate and someone whose music marks the development of my own taste in music.
Sam Smith released “Love Goes” on October 30, the same day as their virtual performance at the Abbey Road Studio where he performed songs both new and old, and held a Q&A with audience members.
This is their first album since coming out as non-binary. In an interview with the BBC, they explain that Love Goes is the first album where Smith feels like he can truly be themself. The honesty of the album is also established within the first track, Young. The lyrics are a vulnerable admission of Smith’s discomfort with his position in the public eye and a confession of who they want to be.
Listening to Love Goes feels like an ode to dance clubs and romance and I’m going to note a handful of songs that stood out to me.
For the first song that I listened to, besides the singles that were released ahead of time, Young is reminiscent of Smith’s signature sad ballads but it’s stripped of all the potential instrumentation, and showcases Smith’s voice along and his vulnerability. It is a powerful first track that sets the stage for the rest of his album.
The dance clubs songs are generally not my favourite but Diamonds is such a fun single. It’s dripping in sass and is the perfect song when you just need to dance around your kitchen.
Many of the songs on the album feel like Smith is trying to welcome a diversity of genres and instrumentation into this album especially, but it would have been interesting to play more into the new instrumentation. In My Oasis especially, it felt like Smith could have embraced more of Burna Boy’s style. Regardless, My Oasis has some fun rhythms and guitar picking scattered throughout the track which adds to its interest.
The production of Dance (‘Til You Love Someone Else), by Guy Lawrence and Two Inch Punch, feels like the exact right amount of hype to contrast the romantic desolation of the lyrics. While the other dance club tracks on this album feel a little basic, this one combines the right amount of hopelessness with hopefulness. It makes me long for the nights on the town holding hands and jumping around the dance floors with good friends.
Forgive Myself blends pop with musical theatre. It could be sung powerfully by Ben Platt or Leslie Odom Jr. for an extra dash of Broadway, but Smith sings it powerfully and emotionally. The piano accompaniment is simple and allows listeners to focus more on the music and the lyrics.
Smith released several tracks as singles before Oct 30. 2020. Dancing with a Stranger (featuring Normani) is yet another fun club beat. It is currently Smith’s top song and marked a shift in style for them when it was released. It’s a balanced combination of dance track with melancholy vocals (particularly near the end), and alongside the new album, it seems like Smith is taking a new path with their music.