Uptempo produced by Shellback and Oscar Gorres. coming friday. they really need a hit - My Oasis didn't get higher than 43 in the UK (still love it)
I'm a bit put out that the imagery is so drab - we don't get a fabulous photoshoot for a song called Diamonds? I wonder if the label have deliberately toned down his queer and proud image from last year. That would be a shame.
here it is and... THERE'S AN ALBUM! (again) 1. Young 2. Diamonds 3. Another One 4. My Oasis (feat. Burna Boy) 5. So Serious 6. Dance (‘Til You Love Someone Else) 7. For The Lover That I Lost 8. Breaking Hearts 9. Forgive Myself 10. Love Goes (feat. Labrinth) 11. Kids Again BONUS TRACKS 1. Dancing With A Stranger (Sam Smith & Normani) 2. How Do You Sleep? 3. To Die For 4. I’m Ready (Sam Smith & Demi Lovato) 5. Fire On Fire 6. Promises (Calvin Harris & Sam Smith) I can't at How Do You Sleep being a bonus but whatever. Diamonds is a banger at least.
love Diamonds and the album cover. i like the concept of shelving all pre-album droplets as bonus tracks actually.
Haim did that - but it looks odd when your bonus tracks are big hits, better songs or outperform the main album. Commercially it makes sense though. at least his are collabs, kind of makes sense.
Diamonds is really good. Sam's voice stays away from the unpleasant territory that they veer into quite often for me. Hopefully there will be some similar uptempo moments to cherry pick from the album.
there's another new track, Another One (written by Swedish songwriting goddess Noonie Bao!), previewed in the album trailer. It sounds like a glittery piano banger with some 90s dance influences
There are meltdowns on THAT board because the album isn’t full of bops, but I have to say, on first listen it’s full of rather gorge songs. Mostly slow to mid tempo affairs for sure though.
I'm not seeing meltdowns - slightly hyperbolic reporting there beb I love it - a bit ballad-heavy at the back but the front half is lovely. Another One, Dance and So Serious are quite boppy for those looking to cherry pick - Another One is my first play standout. Kids Again, which I don't love much for now, is the new single
There was no fact checking sweetie, i'd just been in that thread myself so I didn't need to run and look - I knew the tone was reasonably positive
Oh I'm not here for Sam ballads. Are they doing that awful screeching thing again? Is this all a bit of back pedalling? I thought this new album was going to be a new direction for them along the lines of the singles, most of which I am a fan of
@Jark, reacting to your selections Another One Too shrieky! Dance ('Til You Love Someone Else) Way too shrieky, why do they insist on doing this? Who told them it sounded good? It doesn't Kids Again A bit shrieky but I quite like this! It's not in the category of lowkey slinky bops though which is the only way I actively like them So Serious Yeah this is alright too
I'm thinking decent first week in the UK (35-40k?) and then bombing down the chart without a trace before December. Not sure about current iTunes position It's weird/unfortunate how even Diamonds has struggled to gain momentum, looking at a new peak of around 17/18 today which... can't be what they had in mind for this campaign-reset of a lead single. It's a great song.
What happened to their gowns and lipstick look? That was piquing my interest after all that straight-acting suits rubbish. Have the record company HAD A WORD?
I think sadly it's abundantly clear that SOME HETEROSEXUAL INTERVENTION has been made. Glittery make-up, nail polish and translucent blouses have been intercepted and dropped off in a box behind OFXAM where coincidentally they will be reuinited with several dozen copies of Sam's second album!
God what is this, 1981? Phonogram having an unproductive word with Marc Almond about the mascara and bangles comes to mind
I'm quite liking Another One so far and Kids Again is nice, if very obviously aimed at getting the mums on board. When Sam was interviewed on Jools Holland a few weeks back they said it had been a fun experience making this album, working with big pop writers, but that it probably wouldn't be happening again. So make the most of any tempo you can find...
all but four of these tracks were on the original To Die For tracklist in February - I don't think there was ever a disco diva album on the cards tbh. BABY STEPS.
half the songs were still written with Sam's regular go-to Jimmy Napes they really overrate their own willingness to experiment huh
It's OK, but it's not really the sexually-liberated George Michael opus I was hoping for. And yes, I'm with dUb about the shrieking problem. Sam's lower register is much nicer.
As if I wasn’t already sufficiently devastated by the binning of the translucent blouses, I would like it to be known that I am fatally allergic to JEAN JACKETS I CANNOT EVEN
