The Thrill Of It All

2015年のグラミー賞を最多受賞し、1,200万枚を売り上げたデビュー・アルバムから3年。声で世界をひとつにする"声力No.1シンガー"サム・スミス、待望のニュー・アルバム。
Standard盤と同内容のLP(ホワイト・ヴァイナル)

Referring to In the Lonely Hour as a massive success would not be hyperbolic. Each one of its four singles reached the Top Ten in Sam Smiths native U.K. As the album racked up multi-platinum certifications, Smith collected four Grammys. The momentum continued with Writings on the Wall, the first James Bond theme to top the U.K. chart and subsequently an Oscar winner. Smiths 2017 follow-up arrived a little over three years after the debut. It refines the M.O. of Stay with Me and Im Not the Only One, as its stacked from floor to ceiling with ballads, and informed by vintage Southern soul and gospel, all distinguished with Smiths fraught, lump-in-throat outpourings. It wouldnt be a shock to learn that the singer finished each performance by either crawling back to bed or collapsing in the vocal booth. For that, The Thrill of It All -- an album that begins with You must think that Im stupid and lifts in mood rarely and only slightly at that -- is an odd title. (The Thrill of It All itself doesnt appear on the albums standard edition, and is another griever, all remorseful pain, no pleasure.) Like Stay with Me and Im Not the Only One, these songs feature co-production from Jimmy Napes and Steve Fitzmaurice, who typically work in tandem, and in a few instances are assisted by the Dap-Kings Horns and several background vocalists who mitigate the misery. On Baby, You Make Me Crazy, the horn section helps lend a rare moment of uplift, where Smith delights in thinking of listening to their favorite music to drown out the sorrow. The connections to the South extend to highlight No Peace, a duet with Arkansas native and poised powerhouse Yebba Smith. More importantly, theres Him, a moment of admission and proud defiance: I walk the streets of Mississippi/I hold my lover by the hand/I feel you staring when he is with me. Additional songwriters and producers, including but not limited to Timbaland, Stargate, Emile Haynie, and Malay, contribute to one or two songs each, but this album maintains a consistency and intensity that places it slightly above the debut. ~ Andy Kellman

デビューしてすぐに時の人となってしまったのだから、セカンド・アルバムのプレッシャーはさぞかし大きかったことだろう。3年半という時間を要したのも無理はない。でも待った甲斐あり。"Money On My Mind"のようにダンサブルなアップが今回は1曲もなく、決して派手な作りではないが、それだけに深度が途轍もない。借り物の希望なんて一切歌わず、彼はまるで祈るように思いを曲にしているのだ。初めてスターゲイトと組んだ"Too Good At Goodbyes"、アカペラで始まる"Burning"、禁断の恋をして神に許しを請う"Him"など悲しみに満ちたバラードがまず胸に迫る。一方、その対比としてサム・クックへのオマージュ"One Last Song"、シンプリー・レッドを想起させる美メロ曲"Midnight Train"や"Baby, You Make Me Crazy"といったナンバーが温かみと力強さを印象付けもする。信頼に足るシンガーであることをしかと証明してみせた、タイムレスな力作だ。
bounce (C)内本順一