After a three-year hiatus, British pop-R&B artist Sam Smith returns sad, yet inspired on his new single, “Too Good at Goodbyes.” 

He’s back! Sam Smith that is, the breakout British pop/R&B singer with the voice of an angel. Perhaps calling Smith the male Adele is an overstatement, but honestly, it’s not far-fetched.  After a three-year hiatus, he returns sad, yet inspired on “Too Good at Goodbyes.”

Initially, Smith is accompanied by piano on “Too Good at Goodbyes.” One lonely chord precedes the beginning of Smith’s vocal performance.  This makes the record begin a bit abruptly. As always, vocally, he sounds absolutely gorgeous. He has a unique tone, and his falsetto is brilliant. Smith excels at balladry, particularly in relation to love. “Too Good at Goodbyes,” hence, is no different in that regard.

Structurally, in regards to form, there’s a lot of repetition within “Too Good at Goodbyes.”  Naturally, the verses are distinct of one another, yet written in similar fashion.  A refrain, for lack of better words, follows both verses, in advance of the pre-chorus.  The pre-chorus begins to intensify the emotions, serving as one of the key parts of “Too Good at Goodbyes.”

“And every time you hurt me, the less that I cry / And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry / And every time you walk out, the less I love you / Baby, we don’t stand a chance, it’s sad but it’s true.”

The production expands beginning on the chorus.  Here, Smith has backing vocals supporting him. This triggers a soulful groove on the second verse (guitar, bass, and drums).  Upon the return of the pre-chorus, however, “Too Good at Goodbyes” becomes stripped down again.  Naturally, things pick up again on the chorus, through the bridge section, before Smith brings it down once more on outro.

Final Thoughts 

All in all, Sam Smith returns strong on “Too Good at Goodbyes.”  Arguably, it doesn’t have the same strength of gem “Stay with Me,” but you can feel the emotion and authenticity which he approaches this with.  Vocally, he hasn’t missed a beat.

Sam Smith • Too Good at Goodbyes – Single • Capitol • Release: 9.8.17 

Photo Credit: Capitol