Sam Smith, Gloria | Album Review 💿

Decorated pop superstar Sam Smith delivers a brief but enjoyable, totally well-rounded fourth studio album with Gloria.

On their fourth studio album, 💿 Gloria, 🏆 Academy- and Grammy-award winning, nonbinary and genderqueer musician 🎙 Sam Smith keeps things brief. Gloria, which spans 13 tracks, clocks in at just over 33 minutes.  Despite the brevity, Smith brings the heat, delivering an enjoyable, well-rounded pop album that dips into dance, R&B, and reggae.  With their previous album, 💿 Love Goes being respectable and quietly being certified platinum, Gloria feels like a stronger LP, all told. 

“Love Me More” 

“Maybe I am learning how to love me more.” This line really hits personally. 🎙 Sam Smith speaks volumes on the awesome promo single, 🤩 🎵 “Love Me More”. Love Me More” commences abruptly with Smith singing the chorus, accompanied by a warm pad. The production – 🎛 Jimmy Napes and StarGate – plays to the talented singer’s strengths.  Eventually, a soulful groove adds more punch. “As always Smith delivers incredible vocals filled with nuances, highlighted ripe falsetto.  Later, as “Love Me More” progresses, Smith is supported by fantastic, harmonized vocals.  The theme of the record is what really hits hardest.  Smith has decided not to allow poor self-esteem and the comments of others to bring him down. They’re evolving, hence, why they are dedicated to “Love me more.” The centerpiece, the chorus, says it best: “Every day, I’m tryin’ not to hate myself / But lately it’s not hurtin’ like it did before / Maybe I am learning how to love me more.” There’s lots to heart about this “Love Me More.”

“Why do you have to be in control / When you’re wrong, baby, let it go.” Woo! Following a compelling start with “Love Me More”, Smith keeps the momentum going strong on 🤩 🎵 “No God.” No, atheism is NOT part of the script 🙌! Instead, Smith, tackles an individual with a god complex who is allowing their words to ruin relationship(s). Over a lush backdrop, including a string orchestra and background vocals, Smith asserts in the chorus, “You’re no god, you’re no leader / You’re no saint, you’re no teacher / You’re no god (Ain’t nobody wanna hear your voice) / No god (When nonbody’s tryna save you, save you).” “No God” marks a second consecutive highlight. The album’s first interlude, 🎵 “Hurting Interlude,” follows.  Notably, it continues to feature the string orchestra, as well as spoken word by LGBTQ activist, 🎙 Lilli Vicenz. Vincenz provides perspective about sadness as a homosexual – the lack of people to console compared to heterosexual.

“Lose You”

On 🎵 “Lose You,” Smith CANNOT give him up, sigh. It appears that the relationship is expiring, but Sam can’t shake it. “Yeah, you know I would do anything / Baby, to feel you back her in my arms,” they assert in the second verse.  Furthermore, Smith states in the chorus, “I’m begging you / I’m not ready to lose you.” While there is sadness, there is also an awesome groove, readymade for the club and the dance floor. Follow up 🎵 “Perfect” marks the first of three 🎙 Jessie Reyez features on Gloria (🎵 “Gimme” and 🎵 “I’m Not Here to Make Friends”). Here, Smith admits to their imperfections: I’m trouble through and through / I wear my flaws like jewelry.”.  Even so, Smith appears to be maturing as well, leaving behind the night life, exploring finding “the right guy,” and despite their flaws, empowering themself (“I’m not perfect, but I’m worth it”).  Reyez provides fabulous contributions, including the second verse, which complements Smith’s.    

“Mummy don’t know daddy’s getting hot / At the body shop / Doing something unholy.” Gah-day-um! On 🤩 🎵 “Unholy”, the second single from Gloria, Smith is joined by German pop singer, 🎙 Kim Petras, who fits the unholiness perfectly. “Unholy” commences unexpectedly with big a cappella vocals by Smith (with vocal effects), the eventual chorus of the record.  Ultimately, the chorus ends up being a vibe that you can’t get unstuck. Besides the epic intro and alluring chorus, “Unholy” features incredibly sleek production work courtesy of Smith, 🎛 Ilya, Cirkut, Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi, and Jimmy Napes. Although the chorus does a fabulous job of summing up the sus happenings, the verses by Smith and Petras superbly fill in the blanks.  In the first, Smith sings, “Dirty, dirty boy / you know everyone is talkin’ on the scene / I hear them whisperin’ bout the places that you’ve been / And how you don’t know how to keep your business clean.” As for Petras,  in playful and sassy fashion, she asserts, “You gon’ need to bag it up ‘cause I’m spendin’ on Rodeo (Woo) / You can watch me back it up, I’ll be gone in the A.M.” All told, “Unholy” is short but ultimately sweet.

“How To Cry”

Following the unholiness, which Smith explains is connected to 🎵 “How To Cry,” they clearly tap into more personal matters. The portrait painted is someone who struggles to show sensitivity and vulnerability. Instead, they lie, and take out their issues on their lover (Sam, in this case).  Clearly, Smith feels sympathetic towards this person he loved, but realizes they must take their power back and let him go (“God, I’m over me protecting you”). 🎵 “Six Shots” brings S-E-X into the picture, in all its glory, or emptiness. “Better with the lights on / We can play my favorite song,” Smith sings in the first verse, later adding the likes of “I can last so long” and “Throat heat up, get sweeter, mmm.”  Even though ‘it’s going down,’ love itself appears to be missing from the equation, signaled by the lyric, “There’s no loving me,” as well as Smith’s characterization that they’re hard to love. What is not hard to love is the sensual sound of the “Six Shots,” ranging from the superb vocals and the marvelous production (Napes, Smith, 🎛 David Odlum, Los Hendrix, NEZ and Nami).

“Gimme, gimme what I want, what I want.” Woo! It is not hard to deduce what Sam Smith, 🎙Koffee, and 🎙 Jessie Reyez want on 🤩 🎵 “Gimme”: SEX! “Gimme” marks the third single from Gloria. “Gimme” is a ball of fun – infectious from an initial listen.  It begins with Reyez repetitive and utterly simplistic chorus, which is a VIBE and a half. Throw in an infectious beat that totally slaps (production courtesy of Smith, Napes, StarGate, and 🎛  Anju Blaxx) and “Gimme” is on fi-ya! While Reyez arguably gets the best part of the song, Smith and Koffee shine too. Admittedly a sexual person, Smith reveals the cards in the first verse and pre-chorus.  “So, nut before you come over,” they assert, adding, “Your eyes on my dun, dun-dun-dun / I need you closer.” As for the pre-chorus, “Voyeurs are watching us / Giving me such a rush / When I’m crazy and drunk on love / Give me what I want…” Koffee brings the reggae energy on this tropical, reggae-tinged joint, which means we get the patois.  “Mi rock yuh body, ooh suh go rock yuh body fi mi / Come over yah so may mi push yuh body to the limit.” Yup, it’s giving good Smith can slay a ballad, but it is also cool to hear him switch things up and open up.

“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”

🎵 “Dorothy’s Interlude” runs under 10 seconds.  While there is not much track, there is some substance. 🎙 Divine, Judy Garland, and Sylvia Rivera contribute to the three lines of lyrics. The key lyric: “Believe in the gay power.”  That says it all! The disco – or neo/nu-disco – arrives on 🤩 🎵 “I’m Not Here To Make Friends.” “…Friends” features 🎙 Calvin Harris and, for a third time, 🎙 Jessie Reyez.  The groove is electrifying, thanks to work behind the boards by Smith, Napes, and the key ingredient, Harris, of course! Of course, the grandeur comes down to more besides the beat – those strings make this “the whole damn meal”, to quote the goddess better known as Lizzo! Even though Reyez contributes, Smith is the star on “I’m Not Here To Make Friends.”  “Put your aura into mine / Don’t be scared if you like it,” they assert in the pre-chorus, dropping the titular lyric in the chorus (“I’m not here to make friends / I need a lover”).  I love how commanding Smith sounds, delivering some incredible runs.

“Demons on my shoulder / Monsters in my head / Shadow in the water…”🤩 🎵 “Gloria” is arguably the biggest surprise of Gloria.  Furthermore, it marks one of the truly elite moments.  Yes, it is the title track, but it runs under two minutes.  Furthermore, it is a classical vocal piece as opposed to a contemporary pop song.  The vocal arrangement is utterly radiant, carried primarily by the 🎙 London Voices.  That said, the soulful melisma by Smith is absolutely glorious. They sing so effortlessly, adorning the choral backdrop.  Gloria concludes radiantly with 🤩 🎵 “Who We Love” featuring 🎙 Ed Sheeran.  Both Smith and Sheeran’s voices complement each other sublimely. The lyrics are poetic and thoughtful, the expectation from these two songwriters, as well as fellow writers Napes, 🎼 ✍ Fred again.., Johnny McDaid, and Steve Mac, who also produces. A heartwarming closer, the inclusivity is truly touching – “Yeah, we love who we love.”

Final Thoughts 💭

While 💿 Gloria is a short album – again, just 33 minutes long – it is well-rounded and incredibly enjoyable.  Just about everything that Sam Smith does well is incorporated into this album, making it a winner.  Smith gives us those signature ballads, adding more upbeat anthems to the repertoire, while continuing to encompass those pesky matters of the heart, empowerment, and of course, embracing queerness as opposed to running away from it. Personally, I prefer Gloria to 💿 Love Goes.

🤩 Gems 💎: “Love Me More”, “No God,” “Unholy”, “Gimme”, “I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” “Gloria” & “Who We Love”  

🎙 Sam Smith • 💿 Gloria • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 1.27.23 

[📷: Capitol]