The Thrill of It All
| Sam Smith
The Thrill of It All
The Thrill of It All is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith. It was released on 3 November 2017 through Capitol Records. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
Sam Smith Makes His Lonely Hours Feel Universal on a Great LP
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NME
It’s a cliché to compare Smith with fellow belter Adele, but a fairly unavoidable one.
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Pitchfork
The second album from the pop crooner uses the same method that made his debut such a commercial success. His spectacular voice doles out feelings in terms everyone can understand.
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Entertainment Weekly
Sam Smith's unadventurous 'The Thrill of It All' doesn't live up to its name.
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The Guardian
Actual thrills are scarce on these 10 tracks, which fulfill the brief of following up a hit album with a bankable sequel.
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Consequence of Sound
The singer's sophomore album soars highest when he stretches outside his comfort zone.
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Variety
The multiple Grammy winner returns with a second album that's far better — and more deliciously sad — than the first.
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Los Angeles Times
'The Thrill of It All' demonstrates Smith's impressive growth as a vocalist and a songwriter.
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The Advocate
Sam Smith's 'Thrill of It All' is a thrill indeed.
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Independent
Having survived the world-tilting effect of selling millions of copies of his debut album, Sam Smith returns to the fray leaner and energised with 'The Thrill Of It All'; though oddly, no more confident.
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Slant Magazine
Sam Smith’s 'The Thrill of It All' feels more like a fine-tuning than a bold new adventure for the singer-songwriter.
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Drowned In Sound
The thing is, if I want heartbreak and misery then there are artists out there who do it with far more poignancy and originality.
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Red Dirt Report
What makes this album powerful beyond words is the versatility in the lyrics which resembles a diary entry morphed into poetry and the usage of church choirs mixed with a classical orchestra.
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Financial Times
The singer specialises in sugar-coating the torments of heartbreak.
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The Telegraph
Forget the soggy lyrics, stay for the supernatural vocals.
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Idolator
As Sam matures into one of the industry’s most reliable hitmakers, he is becoming even more adept at finding beauty in the darkest moments.
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The Washington Post
Sam Smith: Sadness with a whole lot of emptiness.
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The Line of Best Fit
Sam Smith candidly bares his soul for listeners in a collection of songs that candidly speak on love, passion and heartbreak.
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The Daily Californian
Falling prey to some redundancy in form and structure of the songs, the album might not be quite thrilling, but it remains a reflective and evocative sequel that introduces us to more of Sam Smith as a person.
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Newsday
Second album shows of Sam Smith's growing confidence.
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CU Independent
'The Thrill of It All' not only shows Smith's progress as a songwriter but as a vocalist as well.
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San Francisco Chronicle
Smith's terminal sadness might inspire a few yawns, but that falsetto doesn't hold anything back, and only the sturdiest of souls would not be moved by his tenderness.
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New York Transatlantic
In his sophomore album, the British singer and songwriter reminds us that he is here to stay.
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The Sunday Times
There is a suggestion of renewed purpose to his second album, but if only he would break out of the slick/retro pairing he made his name with.
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Young Post
Sam Smith's 'The Thrill of It All' is solid, but too similar to "In the Lonely Hour."
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The New Paltz Oracle
Listening to 'The Thrill of It All,' then, is not unlike watching a brilliant singer perform on a bargain karaoke machine: it’s not terrible, but there has to be a better karaoke bar in town.
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Cryptic Rock
'The Thrill of It All' is an album about the pitfalls of love, a collection of tracks that already feel like time-honored classics that you will cherish for a lifetime.
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The Sun
Musician Sam Smith delivers an album that's well worth the three-year wait since his 2014 studio debut.
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O'Colly
Smith is blessed with arguably the most powerful and unique voice in today’s music industry, and he uses it perfectly to create yet another masterpiece.
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Evening Standard
There’s certainly a new lyrical boldness evident but, alas, Smith still sounds like a wet dishcloth
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The Breeze
Smith has inspired his devoted fans, and for this reason 'The Thrill of It All' is a must listen.
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The Ithacan
Sam Smith’s second album is a thrilling masterpiece.
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Gulf News
On his sophomore album, the British singer is still singing emotional songs, but his growth is evident. And perfectly executed.
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The Young Folks
His beautiful voice, heartwrenching lyrics, and gift for musical transportation remain intact.
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Spectrum Culture
This album’s 10 tracks are effective for long drives in the rain lamenting the broken shards of one’s life, sure, but in growth terms, it’s a disappointment.
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Live Wire
Get the tissue box ready as Sam Smith is going to take you on an emotional rollercoaster with this new album.
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Odyssey
Each song is filled with impactful and relatable lyrics, leaving listeners crying even harder than they were with his last album.
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Metro
Emotions are notoriously messy, but Smith’s controlled material reflects none of that.
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The Courier
There is no doubt that it is a very pretty album, but if, like me, you were hoping for Smith to be a little more adventurous and show us what that incredible voice can really do, you may be just a little bit disappointed.
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Metro Weekly
Smith’s voice is strong and packed with enough emotion to provide a counterweight to the relative blandness of the material.
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Substream Magazine
The album is full of tear-jerking ballads, but it offers personal growth.
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Immortal Reviews
The album doesn't want to shift out of its comfort zone in any way other than lyrically, and it ends up feeling a bit monotonous by the end.
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The Edge
Stunning vocals, meaningful lyrics, cleverly deployed diversity in beat and rhythm and its authentic soulful feel mean that Smith’s second offering manages to meet the incredibly high bar set by his debut.
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Star2.com
The trouble with 'The Thrill Of It All' though, is that the sadness is simply too severe.
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Sputnik Music
'The Thrill Of It All' is not a revelation.
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Reading Eagle
Smith's powerful voice paired with a gospel choir is phenomenal
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Irish Examiner
It’s a shame the record is so relentlessly commercial, as it takes the edge off what might otherwise have been hard-punching songs
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The Irish Times
A one-note ode to misery
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The New Zealand Herald
'The Thrill of It All' is simply what it is: An album made up of heartbreak and vocal talent.
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High Res Audio
Not only the title track, but each of the songs collected on the new album has the potential to be successful as a single as well, thanks to its ingenious composition, dramatic design and high professionalism of all participants
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Knox News
Don't date Sam Smith, just listen to him.
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Beat Magazine
If there’s an album this year that’s going to strike a heavy hit to your emotions through its songwriting this is it.
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The Post
The sophomore album encompasses Smith at his best: almost painfully personal lyrics mixed with heartwarming vocals that sway the listener.
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MUTV
Sam Smith’s sophomore LP is the perfect amount of melancholy and soul that fans have grown to expect from his work.
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Medium
Without a doubt, 'The Thrill of It All' will make everyone feel something — whether that’s strength or weakness, happiness or sadness or just plain confusion.
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WRBB Radio
'The Thrill of It All' is by no means a step in the wrong direction for Sam Smith.
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PennState CommMedia
After his massively successful debut album 'In the Lonely Hour,' the singer returns with a more mature sound on his new record.
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Redbrick
'The Thrill of It All' may not have as many single-worthy songs but is a brilliant second release nonetheless.
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The Wood Word
Smith’s ability to translate classic R&B stylings for a modern audience is unparalleled, but the singer is still in the developmental stages of perfecting his craft.
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Nylon
It feels familiar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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WGBT
'The Thrill Of It All' proves that Sam Smith hasn’t lost any vocal prowess but only gained in confidence and vulnerability.
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The Daily Nebraskan
Sam Smith grows as musician, lyricist in 'Thrill of It All'
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