WHOEVER decided to book Sam Smith in the same time slot as Dolly Parton at Glastonbury last Sunday afternoon must have been going through a meltdown. Thank goodness for catch-up TV.
While in direct competition with a true show business veteran, Sam Smith is no mean talented artist himself and one of the most exciting new singer-songwriters of his generation. A third cousin of Lily Allen, 22-year-old Smith has a husky, rich voice, not dissimilar to Terence Trent Darby, but with much better material. The power soul dance tracks work best. Money On My Mind, Stay With Me and the Naughty Boy collaboration La La La are among the best British pop tunes of the past few months.
The ballads are also strong, especially Good Thing, Life Support and Lay Me Down, and are likely to become staple listening for many in 2014. For what is proving to be another vintage year, Sam Smith’s debut LP is pretty special.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here