【Billboard】滚石2017年专辑top50出炉
30.Chris Stapleton, 'From a Room: Volume 1'
A collection of songs written 10 years ago, Stapleton's eagerly awaited follow-up to 2015'sTravellercould have come across like some K-TelBest of the Beardcompilation. But the supremely talented singer doesn't rest on old laurels. These performances crackle and pop with new energy, as Stapleton embraces the R&B, Southern rock and country components of his pedigree. On "Second One to Know," he lets his voice run wild, setting up a wicked one-note guitar solo, and later dials it back on the hushed "Either Way." It's that kind of juxtapositions that makeVolume 1(as well as the just releasedVolume 2) an authentic snapshot.J.H.
A collection of songs written 10 years ago, Stapleton's eagerly awaited follow-up to 2015'sTravellercould have come across like some K-TelBest of the Beardcompilation. But the supremely talented singer doesn't rest on old laurels. These performances crackle and pop with new energy, as Stapleton embraces the R&B, Southern rock and country components of his pedigree. On "Second One to Know," he lets his voice run wild, setting up a wicked one-note guitar solo, and later dials it back on the hushed "Either Way." It's that kind of juxtapositions that makeVolume 1(as well as the just releasedVolume 2) an authentic snapshot.J.H.
29.Jay Som, 'Everybody Works'
Written, recorded and produced entirely in her D.I.Y. soundproofed bedroom, Melina Duterte's sophomore LP sets a high bar for introverted pop. But for a product of hermetic genius,Everybody Worksglows with warmth and goodwill for her fellow humans, most successfully during the swoon-worthy, lo-fi highlight "The Bus Song," a lilting love note to a crush (and public transit). A jazzy undercurrent sprawls throughout tracks like "One More Time, Please" and "Baybee" – both slow jams for shoegazers, nestled in the intersection between Sade and Hope Sandoval.S.E.
Written, recorded and produced entirely in her D.I.Y. soundproofed bedroom, Melina Duterte's sophomore LP sets a high bar for introverted pop. But for a product of hermetic genius,Everybody Worksglows with warmth and goodwill for her fellow humans, most successfully during the swoon-worthy, lo-fi highlight "The Bus Song," a lilting love note to a crush (and public transit). A jazzy undercurrent sprawls throughout tracks like "One More Time, Please" and "Baybee" – both slow jams for shoegazers, nestled in the intersection between Sade and Hope Sandoval.S.E.
27.Drake, 'More Life'
Part grime-experiment, part-trop house rendezvous, Drake explored a "playlist" with his expansive, blissfully voyeuristicMore Life. On this 22-song project, we see many of Drake's sides: the piña colada-sipping partier shines on "Passionfruit," the nostalgic heartbreak kid emerges on "Teenage Fever" and the boastful jetsetter traps on "Gyalchester." A variety of friends – old and new, local and global – shine with solo interludes and features, including Giggs, Skepta, Young Thug, Partynextdoor, Sampha, Jorja Smith, and even Kanye West, who made one of his very few musical appearances on the sweet, simple standout "Glow." Following the gaudiness of last year'sViewsand 2015's back-to-back chart-topping mixtapesIf You're Reading This It's Too LateandWhat a Time to Be Alive,hearing Drake take a step back makes this project a no-frills victory lap.B.S.
Part grime-experiment, part-trop house rendezvous, Drake explored a "playlist" with his expansive, blissfully voyeuristicMore Life. On this 22-song project, we see many of Drake's sides: the piña colada-sipping partier shines on "Passionfruit," the nostalgic heartbreak kid emerges on "Teenage Fever" and the boastful jetsetter traps on "Gyalchester." A variety of friends – old and new, local and global – shine with solo interludes and features, including Giggs, Skepta, Young Thug, Partynextdoor, Sampha, Jorja Smith, and even Kanye West, who made one of his very few musical appearances on the sweet, simple standout "Glow." Following the gaudiness of last year'sViewsand 2015's back-to-back chart-topping mixtapesIf You're Reading This It's Too LateandWhat a Time to Be Alive,hearing Drake take a step back makes this project a no-frills victory lap.B.S.
26.Lana Del Rey, 'Lust for Life'
"Part of the past, but now you're the future," Lana Del Rey sings onLust for Life's opening track, "Love," as the bass hollows out a cavernous space that connects Phil Spector to Atlanta trap. Del Rey's fifth album drifts along on a sunset cloud so familiar and comforting, it's easy to miss how focused and quietly audacious this music is. She shuffles mythic figures like she's scrolling contacts in her phone. The lyrics invoke Iggy Pop, Patsy Cline, Brian Wilson and Led Zeppelin; the guests include the Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, A$AP Rocky and Sean Ono Lennon. Whatever she needs to invoke the weightlessness of life in our new not-normal, she takes. "Is it the end of an era? Is it the end of America?" she intones in "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing." "No, it's only the beginning." As true, and as terrifying, a thought as any song this year produced.J.L.
"Part of the past, but now you're the future," Lana Del Rey sings onLust for Life's opening track, "Love," as the bass hollows out a cavernous space that connects Phil Spector to Atlanta trap. Del Rey's fifth album drifts along on a sunset cloud so familiar and comforting, it's easy to miss how focused and quietly audacious this music is. She shuffles mythic figures like she's scrolling contacts in her phone. The lyrics invoke Iggy Pop, Patsy Cline, Brian Wilson and Led Zeppelin; the guests include the Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, A$AP Rocky and Sean Ono Lennon. Whatever she needs to invoke the weightlessness of life in our new not-normal, she takes. "Is it the end of an era? Is it the end of America?" she intones in "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing." "No, it's only the beginning." As true, and as terrifying, a thought as any song this year produced.J.L.
25.Paramore, 'After Laughter'
The tension between Paramore's high-intensity hooks and withering lyrics explodes into fluorescent colors onAfter Laughter, which aims toward pop's most hypermanic ideals while detailing inexorable drifts toward despair. The mania resulting from that split manifests in despondent-yet-danceable jams ("Hard Times”), mirror-image synthpop (the acid-laced "Rose-Colored Boy") and heartbreakingly wise balladry (the string-laden "26"), with highlife guitar tones and shimmering countermelodies adding to the overdriven atmosphere. Hayley Williams remains a powerful up-front presence, a belter who can croon as convincingly as she can yelp. Her vocal bravado almost makes you forget thatAfter Laughteris an up-close chronicle of her weariness with the world.M.J.
The tension between Paramore's high-intensity hooks and withering lyrics explodes into fluorescent colors onAfter Laughter, which aims toward pop's most hypermanic ideals while detailing inexorable drifts toward despair. The mania resulting from that split manifests in despondent-yet-danceable jams ("Hard Times”), mirror-image synthpop (the acid-laced "Rose-Colored Boy") and heartbreakingly wise balladry (the string-laden "26"), with highlife guitar tones and shimmering countermelodies adding to the overdriven atmosphere. Hayley Williams remains a powerful up-front presence, a belter who can croon as convincingly as she can yelp. Her vocal bravado almost makes you forget thatAfter Laughteris an up-close chronicle of her weariness with the world.M.J.
24.Valerie June, 'The Order of Time'
Valerie June perfected her handsomely idiosyncratic brand of Americana on this second LP, steeped deep in electric blues and old-time folk, gilded in country twang and gospel yearning. The press-repeat standout is "Astral Plane," with its woozy reverb and disarmingly tender, flying-on-the-ground vocals. "Shakedown" is an impressionist juke-joint party jam. But the headiest moments are "If And," which taps into Tuareg styles to map African sounds from old world, to new, then 'round again; and "Got Soul," a matter-of-fact re-braiding of Southern musical history with banjo, fiddle and Stax/Volt brass. Who knew musicology could feel so good?W.H.
Valerie June perfected her handsomely idiosyncratic brand of Americana on this second LP, steeped deep in electric blues and old-time folk, gilded in country twang and gospel yearning. The press-repeat standout is "Astral Plane," with its woozy reverb and disarmingly tender, flying-on-the-ground vocals. "Shakedown" is an impressionist juke-joint party jam. But the headiest moments are "If And," which taps into Tuareg styles to map African sounds from old world, to new, then 'round again; and "Got Soul," a matter-of-fact re-braiding of Southern musical history with banjo, fiddle and Stax/Volt brass. Who knew musicology could feel so good?W.H.
23.Jlin, 'Black Origami'
The year's best electronic album is a dizzying, disorienting, delirious clatter of hyperreal, synthetic sounds. Rhythmically, Gary, Indiana-based producer Jerrilynn "Jlin" Patton creates polyrhythmic cyclones similar to the high-octane Chicago dance music known as "footwork," but her textures are purely avant-garde, an airbrushed sound with buzzing thumb pianos, clipped vocal flickers and hi-definition virtual reality noise that wouldn't sound out of place from experimental artists like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Oneohtrix Point Never, the PC Music crew or collaborator Holly Herndon.C.W.
The year's best electronic album is a dizzying, disorienting, delirious clatter of hyperreal, synthetic sounds. Rhythmically, Gary, Indiana-based producer Jerrilynn "Jlin" Patton creates polyrhythmic cyclones similar to the high-octane Chicago dance music known as "footwork," but her textures are purely avant-garde, an airbrushed sound with buzzing thumb pianos, clipped vocal flickers and hi-definition virtual reality noise that wouldn't sound out of place from experimental artists like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Oneohtrix Point Never, the PC Music crew or collaborator Holly Herndon.C.W.
22.Sheer Mag, 'Need to Feel Your Love'
Having mastered the short form on three airtight EPs in as many years, scrappy Philly punks Sheer Mag finally scaled the album summit withNeed to Feel Your Love. Thankfully, they didn't tweak the recipe.Need to Feel Your Lovefeatures the same boombox fidelity, garage-metal shred quotient and heavy-duty soul-powered hooks (courtesy of mighty-voiced singer Tina Halladay) that made their prior releases so much fun. What's different here is that the band lets its tender side show, to stunning effect, on tracks like sultry disco strut "Pure Desire" and wistful power-pop nostalgia trip "Milk and Honey." Plus, they're still writing some of the most badass love songs ("Just Can't Get Enough") and stylish protest anthems ("Expect the Bayonet") in contemporary rock.H.S.
Having mastered the short form on three airtight EPs in as many years, scrappy Philly punks Sheer Mag finally scaled the album summit withNeed to Feel Your Love. Thankfully, they didn't tweak the recipe.Need to Feel Your Lovefeatures the same boombox fidelity, garage-metal shred quotient and heavy-duty soul-powered hooks (courtesy of mighty-voiced singer Tina Halladay) that made their prior releases so much fun. What's different here is that the band lets its tender side show, to stunning effect, on tracks like sultry disco strut "Pure Desire" and wistful power-pop nostalgia trip "Milk and Honey." Plus, they're still writing some of the most badass love songs ("Just Can't Get Enough") and stylish protest anthems ("Expect the Bayonet") in contemporary rock.H.S.
21.Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, 'The Nashville Sound'
"I ain't fighting with you down in the ditch, I'll meet you up here on the road," sings Jason Isbell on "Hope the High Road," the declaration of unyielding perseverance that ties together his sixth studio album, a 10-track Americana jewel. Indeed, Isbell elevates relationships ("If We Were Vampires"), discussions about privilege ("White Man's World") and the art of songwriting itself to a higher plane onThe Nashville Sound. But the LP addresses nationwide blue-collar hardships, from the trap of addiction ("Cumberland Gap") to crushed dreams ("Tupelo"), proving Isbell is a voice for all people, not just the ones in the South.J.H.
"I ain't fighting with you down in the ditch, I'll meet you up here on the road," sings Jason Isbell on "Hope the High Road," the declaration of unyielding perseverance that ties together his sixth studio album, a 10-track Americana jewel. Indeed, Isbell elevates relationships ("If We Were Vampires"), discussions about privilege ("White Man's World") and the art of songwriting itself to a higher plane onThe Nashville Sound. But the LP addresses nationwide blue-collar hardships, from the trap of addiction ("Cumberland Gap") to crushed dreams ("Tupelo"), proving Isbell is a voice for all people, not just the ones in the South.J.H.
20.SZA, 'Ctrl'
After a trio of promising EPs and a prominent feature on Rihanna'sAnti, the budding alt-R&B star showed what she could do on a full-length LP. SZA unravels through largely improvised meditations on love and sex and all the promise and abandonment that can result from both. From a side-chick manifesto ("The Weekend") to the appreciation of a rom-com icon that mulls the singer's own self-worth ("Drew Barrymore"), SZA flourishes in her own hazy spotlight.B.S.
After a trio of promising EPs and a prominent feature on Rihanna'sAnti, the budding alt-R&B star showed what she could do on a full-length LP. SZA unravels through largely improvised meditations on love and sex and all the promise and abandonment that can result from both. From a side-chick manifesto ("The Weekend") to the appreciation of a rom-com icon that mulls the singer's own self-worth ("Drew Barrymore"), SZA flourishes in her own hazy spotlight.B.S.
19.Father John Misty, 'Pure Comedy'
In which Josh Tillman updates the Seventies singer-songwriter tradition for our dystopian, post-ironic era, using its melodicism and "sincerity" as both comfort food and grim punchline. "Bedding Taylor Swift/Every night inside the Oculus Rift" was the most quoted couplet, from the culture-indicting "Total Entertainment Forever," a send up of virtual reality and Kanye West-style audience bait. But the most impressive writing is "Leaving L.A.," a 13-minute Dylan-esque anti-hero epic that locates Tilman himself in its crosshairs ("Oh, great, that's just what they all need/Another white guy in 2017/Who takes himself so goddamn seriously"). Predicting his own backlash was just another way he seemed to be one step ahead of nearly everyone this year.W.H.
In which Josh Tillman updates the Seventies singer-songwriter tradition for our dystopian, post-ironic era, using its melodicism and "sincerity" as both comfort food and grim punchline. "Bedding Taylor Swift/Every night inside the Oculus Rift" was the most quoted couplet, from the culture-indicting "Total Entertainment Forever," a send up of virtual reality and Kanye West-style audience bait. But the most impressive writing is "Leaving L.A.," a 13-minute Dylan-esque anti-hero epic that locates Tilman himself in its crosshairs ("Oh, great, that's just what they all need/Another white guy in 2017/Who takes himself so goddamn seriously"). Predicting his own backlash was just another way he seemed to be one step ahead of nearly everyone this year.W.H.
18.St. Vincent, 'Masseduction'
Annie Clark manages a double gainer with her fourth LP, making both her most hook-filled, pop-savvy set and what feels like her most personal. Memoir-pop cheerleader Jack Antonoff assists on production, ditto Mars Volta head-puncher Lars Stalfors. But it's Clark's wit and the new warmth in her songcraft that make this record so impossible to shake. See the heartbreaking "Happy Birthday, Johnny," the wry show tune "New York," and the chilling-hilarious "Pills" – the latter graced with a seizure-inducing Clark guitar outburst and a Kamasi Washington sax coda.W.H.
Annie Clark manages a double gainer with her fourth LP, making both her most hook-filled, pop-savvy set and what feels like her most personal. Memoir-pop cheerleader Jack Antonoff assists on production, ditto Mars Volta head-puncher Lars Stalfors. But it's Clark's wit and the new warmth in her songcraft that make this record so impossible to shake. See the heartbreaking "Happy Birthday, Johnny," the wry show tune "New York," and the chilling-hilarious "Pills" – the latter graced with a seizure-inducing Clark guitar outburst and a Kamasi Washington sax coda.W.H.
17.Harry Styles, 'Harry Styles
After a stellar run with One Direction, Harry Styles could have gone anywhere he wanted. What would he try for his big solo move: Glitzy radio pop? Celebrity guests? The usual slate of big-name producers? Instead, Styles stakes his claim as a rock star, getting personal with a sublime album of Seventies-style guitar grooves. "Sweet Creature" and "Ever Since New York" are intimate acoustic ballads; while "Kiwi" lets him strut his Oasis-style self at top volume. "Two Ghosts" is a break-up lament worthy of his muse and cosmic mentor Stevie Nicks. Unlike most boy-band dudes going solo, he never sounds like he's sweating to get taken seriously – he never loses touch with the exuberance and swagger he brought to One Direction in the first place. So get used to this man – you'll be hearing a lot more from him.R.S.
After a stellar run with One Direction, Harry Styles could have gone anywhere he wanted. What would he try for his big solo move: Glitzy radio pop? Celebrity guests? The usual slate of big-name producers? Instead, Styles stakes his claim as a rock star, getting personal with a sublime album of Seventies-style guitar grooves. "Sweet Creature" and "Ever Since New York" are intimate acoustic ballads; while "Kiwi" lets him strut his Oasis-style self at top volume. "Two Ghosts" is a break-up lament worthy of his muse and cosmic mentor Stevie Nicks. Unlike most boy-band dudes going solo, he never sounds like he's sweating to get taken seriously – he never loses touch with the exuberance and swagger he brought to One Direction in the first place. So get used to this man – you'll be hearing a lot more from him.R.S.
16.Margo Price, 'All American Made'
Margo Price's 2016 debut,Midwest Farmer's Daughter, established her as one of the sharpest songwriters in Nashville, but her second LP upped the ante in remarkable fashion.All American Madeis a fierce protest album about the ways that the American dream has failed so many – see the feminist ballad "Pay Gap," where she channels Loretta Lynn and Donna Summer for a frank discussion of capitalism's double standards. It's also a reverent tribute to music's past, featuring a tender duet with Willie Nelson and a slew of other songs that recall his Seventies heyday. No other country act, and precious few from any genre, went nearly as deep as Price did this year.S.V.L.
Margo Price's 2016 debut,Midwest Farmer's Daughter, established her as one of the sharpest songwriters in Nashville, but her second LP upped the ante in remarkable fashion.All American Madeis a fierce protest album about the ways that the American dream has failed so many – see the feminist ballad "Pay Gap," where she channels Loretta Lynn and Donna Summer for a frank discussion of capitalism's double standards. It's also a reverent tribute to music's past, featuring a tender duet with Willie Nelson and a slew of other songs that recall his Seventies heyday. No other country act, and precious few from any genre, went nearly as deep as Price did this year.S.V.L.
15.Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, 'Lotta Sea Lice'
A match made in indie-rock heaven. Vile is a sly lyricist with a stoner's demeanor who's always made his most articulate statements with his guitar. Barnett is a sly melodist, and so adept a wordsmith you can imagine any randomly-ripped-out page from her diary would make an engaging song. Together they craft a sublimely chilled-out set that shines with tossed-off bedhead dazzle, whether rambling about fabric softener, their daily routines, or – on the standout "Continental Breakfast" – the flickering disconnect of maintaining relationships while schlepping around the world playing music. It's also sweetly romantic, never more so than on the giddy "Blue Cheese" when the duo harmonize the line "so kiss me with your mouth, girl of my dreams!"W.H.
A match made in indie-rock heaven. Vile is a sly lyricist with a stoner's demeanor who's always made his most articulate statements with his guitar. Barnett is a sly melodist, and so adept a wordsmith you can imagine any randomly-ripped-out page from her diary would make an engaging song. Together they craft a sublimely chilled-out set that shines with tossed-off bedhead dazzle, whether rambling about fabric softener, their daily routines, or – on the standout "Continental Breakfast" – the flickering disconnect of maintaining relationships while schlepping around the world playing music. It's also sweetly romantic, never more so than on the giddy "Blue Cheese" when the duo harmonize the line "so kiss me with your mouth, girl of my dreams!"W.H.
14.Waxahatchee, 'Out in the Storm'
No songwriter handles the curves and swerves of modern romance quite like Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield. Her band's fourth albumOut in the Stormis the kind of breakthrough that heralds a major artist truly finding her voice, as she digs herself out of what sounds like some gnarly emotional wreckage. It's like a punk rock answer to Carole King'sTapestry. "8 Ball" and "Silver" are full of wise-ass guitar twang, as the Alabama-born Crutchfield talks shit about the menfolk but mostly dishes the dirt about her heart-on-fire self. In "Sparks Fly" she gets a spiritual boost from twin sister Alison, who dropped her own excellent album this year withTourist in This Town. This is the best kind of break-up journal – the kind you want to blast out loud.R.S.
No songwriter handles the curves and swerves of modern romance quite like Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield. Her band's fourth albumOut in the Stormis the kind of breakthrough that heralds a major artist truly finding her voice, as she digs herself out of what sounds like some gnarly emotional wreckage. It's like a punk rock answer to Carole King'sTapestry. "8 Ball" and "Silver" are full of wise-ass guitar twang, as the Alabama-born Crutchfield talks shit about the menfolk but mostly dishes the dirt about her heart-on-fire self. In "Sparks Fly" she gets a spiritual boost from twin sister Alison, who dropped her own excellent album this year withTourist in This Town. This is the best kind of break-up journal – the kind you want to blast out loud.R.S.
13.Randy Newman, 'Dark Matter'
Newman opens his first album of new material in eight years with three songs that play the end of Western civilization for laughs – starting with a Marx Brothers version of the Scopes Trial and culminating with a Vladimir Putin variety show – and then hits one that plays the end of life for tears: "Lost Without You," in which a husband listens in the shadows as his dying wife tells her kids to take care of him after she's gone. It's a stunning miniature, with swells of American prairie strings and horns giving way to Newman alone at the piano delivering a simple message: The darkness is coming to us all, one way or the other.J.L.
Newman opens his first album of new material in eight years with three songs that play the end of Western civilization for laughs – starting with a Marx Brothers version of the Scopes Trial and culminating with a Vladimir Putin variety show – and then hits one that plays the end of life for tears: "Lost Without You," in which a husband listens in the shadows as his dying wife tells her kids to take care of him after she's gone. It's a stunning miniature, with swells of American prairie strings and horns giving way to Newman alone at the piano delivering a simple message: The darkness is coming to us all, one way or the other.J.L.
12.Jay-Z, '4:44'
As young, self-examining artists like Lil Uzi Vert and XXXTentacion ushered in hip-hop's emo stage, a 47-year-old multi-millionaire dropped the year's best self-lacerating Bugatti-dashboard confessional. Utilizing rap's unique ability to convey deep and vivid truths, Jay confronts his own failings, excoriating himself as an unfaithful husband ("4:44") and egocentric public figure ("Kill Jay Z"). With multiple samples from Sixties firebrand Nina Simone and a chopped-up flip of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free," Jay and producer No I.D. ease into an explicitly conscious tack as well, giving his own wealth – and the one his daughter will inherit – a political importance.C.W.
As young, self-examining artists like Lil Uzi Vert and XXXTentacion ushered in hip-hop's emo stage, a 47-year-old multi-millionaire dropped the year's best self-lacerating Bugatti-dashboard confessional. Utilizing rap's unique ability to convey deep and vivid truths, Jay confronts his own failings, excoriating himself as an unfaithful husband ("4:44") and egocentric public figure ("Kill Jay Z"). With multiple samples from Sixties firebrand Nina Simone and a chopped-up flip of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free," Jay and producer No I.D. ease into an explicitly conscious tack as well, giving his own wealth – and the one his daughter will inherit – a political importance.C.W.
11.The National, 'Sleep Well Beast'
Where the Ohio-bred, Brooklyn-forged band makes its leap from admirable indie-rock high achievers to mainstream contenders, not via marketplace pandering but, rather, the old fashioned way: upping its musical and lyrical game. The band's trademark Joy Division gloom gets cut with sexiness and dark humor, abetted by co-writer Carin Besser (singer Matt Berninger's wife) plus backing singers Lisa Hannigan and Justin "Bon Iver" Vernon. The soundscapes, meanwhile, are more striking than ever, with prominent electronics, edgy string arrangements and lancing guitar ("The SystemOnlyDreams in Total Darkness"). It's a rock record that rages against our freakish cultural moment not by sloganeering but by turning inward, circling wagons, taking stock of beauty and love and gathering strength for what lies ahead.W.H.
Where the Ohio-bred, Brooklyn-forged band makes its leap from admirable indie-rock high achievers to mainstream contenders, not via marketplace pandering but, rather, the old fashioned way: upping its musical and lyrical game. The band's trademark Joy Division gloom gets cut with sexiness and dark humor, abetted by co-writer Carin Besser (singer Matt Berninger's wife) plus backing singers Lisa Hannigan and Justin "Bon Iver" Vernon. The soundscapes, meanwhile, are more striking than ever, with prominent electronics, edgy string arrangements and lancing guitar ("The SystemOnlyDreams in Total Darkness"). It's a rock record that rages against our freakish cultural moment not by sloganeering but by turning inward, circling wagons, taking stock of beauty and love and gathering strength for what lies ahead.W.H.
10.Sam Smith, 'The Thrill of It All'
Sam Smith is a fluid soul man, with style channeling Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles alongside modern icons like Amy Winehouse and Adele. The follow-up to his massive InThe Lonely Hourleads with That Voice, and what it lacks in the club beats that were his early signature (see Disclosure's "Latch"), it more than makes up for in dazzling, falsetto-barbed vocal pyrotechnics. The standout is "Him," an uplifting tear-jerker about queer love and cultural intolerance that, in its understated, gospel-charged way, is an LGBTQ civil rights anthem. It's the sound of a gay man intent on reaching a universal audience on his own terms, and succeeding handsomely.W.H.
Sam Smith is a fluid soul man, with style channeling Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles alongside modern icons like Amy Winehouse and Adele. The follow-up to his massive InThe Lonely Hourleads with That Voice, and what it lacks in the club beats that were his early signature (see Disclosure's "Latch"), it more than makes up for in dazzling, falsetto-barbed vocal pyrotechnics. The standout is "Him," an uplifting tear-jerker about queer love and cultural intolerance that, in its understated, gospel-charged way, is an LGBTQ civil rights anthem. It's the sound of a gay man intent on reaching a universal audience on his own terms, and succeeding handsomely.W.H.