Sam navigates relationships, platonic and romantic alike, struggling to find a place to call home. After an introductory track - Money On My Mind - where we learn that Sam is proud of not being a sell-out and made the album out of love before anything else, the loneliness odyssey begins with Good Thing, a track dedicated to a relationship headed for failure past its honeymoon phase. Its lyrics and ambiance are rooted in Sam's loneliness in a crown of passing or impossible matches. 'In The Lonely Hour' is at its heart a testimony to the power and pain of unrequited love. 'In The Lonely Hour' really is a monotonous experience, unveiling little surprise three tracks in and beyond, working with a pop brand that layers vocals and calls forth sporadic horns and strings to wear the more worldly soul badge.

If anything, the album might be worth a - quick - detour for Sam's vocal delivery. Indeed lyrical content could have done with a little more depth and creative flair. Coming from a deeply personal place, Sam Smith described his album as the 'diary from a lonely 21-year-old', perhaps too literally. His outstanding vocals already stood out - and won him Pop Vocal Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy's - but the public knew little of his songwriting. Sam Smith's 2014 debut 'In The Lonely Hour' came after he was propelled at the top of the charts for his work with Disclosure and Naughty Boy on 'Latch' and 'La La La'.

Sam smith in the lonely hour amazon