sam smith in the lonely hour tour opening act

‘Stay With Me’ blasts off with an ambitious gospel chorus, showing off both Smith’s huge pipes and his open-hearted lyricism. On ‘Good Thing’ his voice is soft and malleable as he laments having to cut people who don’t treat him right out of his life, building around the catchy aphorism “too much of a good thing / won’t be good for long”. There’s no question that this album is one filled with love, nor that Smith has buckets of vocal talent. Unfortunately, the bold opening line turns out to be a misfire at the front of an album like In The Lonely Hour, citing the “pressure” of having a deal simply feels like an apology for what’s to follow. Having won both the BBC Sound of 2014 poll and then the Critics’ Choice award at the 2014 Brits earlier this year, the expectations and reputations riding on Smith’s debut were immense. To come through on such a brave premise, In The Lonely Hour should have been a blinder of a pop album from an artist with a vision so strong he dispelled all doubts that he was doing anything “for the money”. It was somehow both subversive and totally sincere, but the potential for accusations of hypocrisy loomed larger than the screens showing Smith’s face. The first time I heard him sing these words, he had been brought out onstage with Taylor Swift for the London leg of her Red tour to belt his anti-money, anti-fame values centre stage at the gigantic O2 arena. By directly addressing the hype that he’s been surrounded by ever since appearing on Disclosure’s 2012 chart hit ‘Latch’ and the high stakes of his major label deal, he shoots for honesty and point-scoring self-awareness by staring straight into the many critical eyes that are focused on his next step.

The opening words of Sam Smith’s debut album are “When I signed my deal, I felt pressure”, which is a brave move.

Sam smith in the lonely hour tour opening act