The Thrill of It All (Sam Smith album)

The Thrill of It All
Studio album by Sam Smith
Released 3 November 2017
Length 35:38
Label Capitol
Producer
Sam Smith chronology
The Lost Tapes – Remixed
(2015)		 The Thrill of It All
(2017)
Singles from The Thrill of It All
  1. "Too Good at Goodbyes"
    Released: 8 September 2017
  2. "One Last Song"
    Released: 3 November 2017
  3. "Pray"
    Released: 29 March 2018[1]
  4. "Baby, You Make Me Crazy"
    Released: 29 June 2018[2]

The Thrill of It All is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith.[3] It was released on 3 November 2017 through Capitol Records.[4]

Background

On 6 October 2017, Smith announced via Twitter that his second album, titled "The Thrill of It All", was to be released on 3 November 2017.[5] It is Smith's second full album of material after his hugely successful debut album In the Lonely Hour (2014), which has sold 12 million copies worldwide.

Speaking to Billboard about the album, Smith said:

"I went through, like, this vortex, came out, I feel like I've rebuilt myself as a stronger thing and I'm just gonna go into the vortex again," he says in a preview that features a montage of studio sessions. "I wasn't trying to make a big pop record when I made this album. I was actually just trying to make something personal and like a diary."[6]

Singles

"Too Good at Goodbyes" was released as the album's lead single on 8 September 2017. It topped the UK Singles Chart and peaked No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[3]

"One Last Song" was sent to radio in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2017, on the day of album release as its second single.[7][8]

On 27 March 2018, Smith announced that "Pray" would serve as the third single, and would feature newly recorded guest vocals from American rapper Logic. The song was released on 29 March 2018.[9]

"Baby, You Make Me Crazy" was released as the fourth single from the album on 29 June 2018.[2]

Promotional singles

On 6 October 2017, Smith released "Pray", a gospel-tinged ballad in collaboration with Timbaland, prompted by time spent in Iraq with the charity War Child as a promotional single from the album.[3][10] Another promotional single, "Burning", was released on 27 October 2017.[11]

Tour

Within releasing "Pray" as the promotional single on 6 October 2017, The Thrill of It All Tour was announced firstly revealing shows in Europe and North America. It began on 20 March 2018 in Sheffield, England, and it is set to conclude on 20 November 2018 in Perth, Australia.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?5.9/10[12]
Metacritic72/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
The Daily Telegraph[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB[16]
The Guardian[17]
The Independent[18]
NME[19]
The Observer[20]
Pitchfork5.8/10[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Slant Magazine[23]

The Thrill of It All received generally positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72 based on 16 reviews.[13]

Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph gave the album four stars, and was highly positive about it and Smith's vocals, calling them "supernatural" and saying: "The Thrill of It All doesn't just wallow in love's misery, it practically drowns in the stuff. Its 10 songs are almost unrelentingly miserable, self-absorbed and self-pitying, verging on the lachrymose and sentimental (as lovers in the midst of a break-up often are). The instrumentation is understated piano and strings blended with just the occasional hint of contemporary hip-hop effects. At times, Smith's lyrics display a slightly clunking prosaicness. There's not much poetry in lines such as 'real love is never a waste of time' or 'there’' no insurance to pay for the damage'. Yet it all hits home, because Smith makes every note sound like a matter of life and death. 'Him' is the album’s centrepiece, a gospel drama addressed to a judgmental 'father', insisting on Smith's right to love whom he chooses. It is a kind of hymn to Him, and as the choir powers up it gains a righteous glory."[15] Andy Gill from The Independent also gave a four-star review, and shared in the positivity about the album, remarking: "Smith's voice remains a thing of wonder throughout".[18]

Will Hermes for Rolling Stone also gave a positive four-star review, and said: "Doubling down on his magnificent, gender-nonconforming voice while pushing his songcraft forward, Smith's second LP knights one of the mightiest, most expressive vocalists of his generation."[22] In another positive review Nick Levine from NME compared Smith to Adele in his review of the album, stating: "Both have become enormously successful by singing emotional ballads that connect with huge numbers of people, and both are understandably reluctant to raise the tempo as a result. But like Adele's 25, this is an undeniably accomplished album that will, deservedly, shift a helluva lot of copies.[19] AllMusic's Andy Kellman was positive too in his three and a half-star review, and opined: "this album maintains a consistency and intensity that places it slightly above the debut."[14]

Some reviews were more negative. Though making it his album of the week and giving it three stars, Alexis Petridis from The Guardian was more mixed in his review, writing: "There’s a certain power to "The Thrill of It All" but it could have been a much more potent album if they’d laid off the polish just a little."[17] Kitty Empire from The Observer was less enthusiastic in a more negative two-star review, claiming Smith was "moping by numbers" like Adele, and surmised: "There is little drama here, just plenty of shorthand (sad pianos), a total absence of risk"[20]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2017
10
Melty Best Pop Albums of the Year
10

Commercial performance

The Thrill of It All topped the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release with 97,328 combined units (consisting of 83,637 sales and 13,691 sales-equivalent streams), giving Smith his second number-one album in the nation after In the Lonely Hour (2014). It also had the fifth-largest opening there at the time for a 2017 album.[26][27] The record fell to number two the next week with a combined total of 52,781 units.[28][29] before returning to the top spot three weeks later[30] and being displaced by Ed Sheeran's ÷ the following week.[31] In Australia, the album opened at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming the singer's second album to enter at that position after In the Lonely Hour.[32] It additionally debuted at number one on the Irish[33] and Scottish charts.[34]

The album the entered atop the US Billboard 200 with 237,000 album-equivalent units, including 185,000 pure sales, giving Smith his first chart-topper and highest opening sales in the United States. It also had the country's seventh-largest album opening of the year at the time.[35] The Thrill of It All dropped to number two the following week, earning 66,000 album-equivalent units.[36] It also became his first number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, debuting with 16,000 units, including 9,500 copies.[37]

Track listing

Standard edition[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Too Good at Goodbyes"
3:21
2."Say It First"
4:07
3."One Last Song"
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Napes
  • Johnson
3:12
4."Midnight Train"
  • S. Smith
  • Napier
  • Ho
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Napes
  • Malay
3:27
5."Burning"
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Napes
3:23
6."Him"
  • S. Smith
  • Brendan Grieve
  • Reuben James
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Grieve
3:10
7."Baby, You Make Me Crazy"
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Napes
  • Haynie
3:27
8."No Peace" (featuring Yebba)
  • S. Smith
  • Napier
  • Yebba Smith
  • Fitzmaurice
  • Napes
4:43
9."Palace"
  • Johnson
3:07
10."Pray"
3:41
Total length:35:38

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • Track 6, "Him", is stylised as "HIM".

Sample credits

  • "One Last Song" contains samples from "Be a Lion" from The Wiz Original Cast
  • "Baby, You Make Me Crazy" contains samples from the recording, "Breeze and Soul" as performed by Ed Watson & The Brass Circle

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[78] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[79] Gold 7,500*
Canada (Music Canada)[80] Gold 40,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[81] Platinum 20,000^
France (SNEP)[82] Gold 50,000*
Italy (FIMI)[83] Gold 25,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON)[84] Gold 30,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[85] Platinum 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[86] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[87] Platinum 30,000*
Sweden (GLF)[88] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[89] 2× Platinum 600,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 3 November 2017
Capitol [90]

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Sam [@samsmithworld] (27 March 2018). "My new single is PRAY feat. @Logic301 I am so excited for you to hear this new version of one of my favourite tracks on the album. It was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Logic to create this, such an incredible artist x Released Thursday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 "SAM SMITH "Baby, You Make Me Crazy" – (Radio Date: 29/06/2018)". radiodate.it. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Nick Duerden (6 October 2017). "Sam Smith on His Recent Struggles, Triumphant Return and Having His Eyes Opened in Iraq". Billboard. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Rob Copsey (6 October 2017). "Sam Smith will release his new album The Thrill Of It All on November 3". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (October 24, 2017). "Sam Smith Explains How 'The Thrill Of It All' is 'Like a Diary' in Apple Music Doc Trailer". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  7. ↑ "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Lewis Corner (3 November 2017). "Listen to Sam Smith's new single One Last Song, and new album The Thrill Of It All". Gay Times. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  9. ↑ Smith, Sam [@samsmithworld] (27 March 2018). "My new single is PRAY feat. @Logic301 I am so excited for you to hear this new version of one of my favourite tracks on the album. It was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Logic to create this, such an incredible artist x Released Thursday" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 March 2018 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Sam Smith – Pray (Official Audio)". YouTube. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Luke Morgan Britton (3 November 2017). "Sam Smith shares new single 'Burning', his "favourite" song from his new album". NME. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "The Thrill of It All by Sam Smith reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for The Thrill of It All – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  14. 1 2 Andy Kellman (3 November 2017). "AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  15. 1 2 Neil McCormick (3 November 2017). "Sam Smith, The Thrill of It All, review: forget the soggy lyrics, stay for the supernatural vocals". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  16. ↑ Eric Renner Brown (2 November 2017). "Sam Smith's unadventurous The Thrill of It All doesn't live up to its name". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  17. 1 2 Alexis Petridis (2 November 2017). "Sam Smith: The Thrill of It All review – sanitised soul meets genuine despair". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  18. 1 2 Andy Gill (1 November 2017). "Album reviews: Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All, Stereophonics – Scream Above the Sounds, Maroon 5 – Red Pill Blues". The Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  19. 1 2 Nick Levine (3 November 2017). "Sam Smith – 'The Thrill of It All' Review". NME. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  20. 1 2 Kitty Empire (2 November 2017). "Sam Smith: The Thrill of It All review – moping by numbers". The Observer. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  21. ↑ Jamieson Cox (7 November 2017). "The Thrill of It All". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  22. 1 2 Will Hermes (2 November 2017). "Review: Sam Smith Makes His Lonely Hours Feel Universal on a Great LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  23. ↑ Josh Hurst (31 October 2017). "Sam Smith: The Thrill of It All –Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  24. ↑ Rolling Stone Staff (27 November 2017). "50 Best Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  25. ↑ Rajona, Wyzman (20 December 2017). "Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... Les meilleurs albums pop de l'année" [Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... The best pop albums of the year] (in French). Melty. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  26. ↑ Rob Copsey (10 November 2017). "Sam Smith's The Thrill Of It All debuts at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart: "This is a dream come true"". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  27. ↑ Alan Jones (10 November 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Sam Smith debuts at No.1 just short of 100,000 sales". Music Week. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  28. ↑ Copsey, Rob (17 November 2017). "Taylor Swift claims her third Number 1 in the UK". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  29. ↑ Alan Jones (17 November 2017). "Charts Analysis: Taylor Swift's Reputation soars to chart summit". Music Week. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Myers, Justin (8 December 2017). "Sam Smith's The Thrill of it All reclaims Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  31. ↑ Copsey, Rob (15 December 2017). "Ed Sheeran scores the rare Official Chart double as Perfect and Divide claim Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "P!nk's Beautiful Trauma holds #1 for fourth week". Australian Recording Industry Association. 11 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  33. ↑ "irish-charts.com – Discography Sam Smith". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  34. 1 2 "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  35. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (12 November 2017). "Sam Smith's 'The Thrill of It All' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  36. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (20 November 2017). "Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  37. ↑ "Christmas Albums Hot On The Chart, And So Is Sam Smith". FYIMusicNews. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  38. ↑ "Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All (Target Exclusive)". Target Corporation. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  39. ↑ "The Thrill of It All [Japan Bonus Track]". CDJapan. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  40. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  41. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  42. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  44. ↑ "Sam Smith Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  45. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  46. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201746 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  47. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  48. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  49. ↑ "Sam Smith: The Thrill of It All" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  50. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 45, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  51. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sam Smith – The Thrill off It All" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  52. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 46/2017)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  53. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Sam Smith". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  54. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  55. ↑ "Hot Albums". Billboard Japan. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  56. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2017-11-20" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  57. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  58. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  59. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  60. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  61. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  62. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  63. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  64. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  65. ↑ "Sam Smith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  66. ↑ "2017 ARIA Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  67. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten Albums 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  68. ↑ "Rapports Annuels Albums 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  69. ↑ "Album Top-100 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  70. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2017". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  71. ↑ "Top Albums annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming)" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  72. ↑ "Classifiche annuali dei dischi più venduti e dei singoli più scaricati nel 2017" (Click on "Scarica allegato" and open the "Classifica annuale 2017 Album combined" file) (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  73. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2017". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  74. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  75. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2017 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  76. ↑ White, Jack (3 January 2018). "The Top 40 biggest albums of 2017 on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  77. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  78. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  79. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Enter Sam Smith in the field Interpret. Enter The Thrill of It All in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen. 
  80. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  81. ↑ "Sam Smith "The Thrill of It All"". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  82. ↑ "French album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  83. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  84. ↑ "Certificados Musicales Amprofon" (in Spanish). AMPROFON. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  85. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 June 2018. Enter The Thrill of It All in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  86. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  87. ↑ "Norwegian album certifications" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  88. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat" (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 26 April 2018. Type ' in the top right search bar. Click on "Sok" and select ' and see certification.
  89. ↑ "British album certifications – Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 March 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Thrill of It All in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  90. ↑ "Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All – Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B0754BBDF1. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
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