Sam Smith's Soulful Crooning Stays With You

Could Sam Smith be the female version of Adele? If the UK crooner's "Stay With Me" is any indication that's a valid enough argument. Given his cousin is none other than Lily Allen of "Smile" fame there's definitely performance chutzpah in his bones. "Stay With Me" is one of the most delicate flowers I've listened to in an age. He's so approachable it's almost painful to hear his agonies unfold. He's a mere man and, therefore, love is required to make sure his world hasn't fallen off its axis completely. From the jump the piano sinking in behind him can penetrate even the most jaded of ears. Sam's vocal range lays threadbare his pulsating open heart wound. By mid song the focus has shifted from a classical R & B sound to something more along the lines of an organ grinding gospel catharsis. He's definitely got a way with keeping his intentions short and sweet. What he and his lady of the moment have going on isn't clear to him but he'd like for her to stay with him anyway, to lay down beside him. To this song's credit the pathos is laid down steadily, giving you and I the chance to catch our breaths before seeing where Sam's going with his drama. The guiding hand is steady, pitch likewise. As the night of possible intimacy takes shape Sam asks himself why he's being emotional for men's men don't act like that. He demands of himself the needed self control so the evening as a whole doesn't become a hot mess. If "Stay With Me" was to be compared to a form of weather I'd have to go with steady chill, possibly wintry flurries whizzing through the air. In other words a gentle form of weather for a gentle call for closeness. The debut album this comes from goes by the moniker "In The Lonely Hour". "Stay With Me" is an ideal song to chase away those lonely night blues.