Sam Smith - "I'm Not the Only One"
While I critically panned one of his prior singles for being completely hypocritical ("Leave Your Lover"), Sam Smith proves that he's still a strong musician with "I'm Not the Only One". While his styles are completely haphazard and occasionally horribly confusing, he's still able to write decent material. "I'm Not the Only One" is one of the brightest highlights from his debut album In The Lonely Hour. See my original comments below.
"There's no denying that Sam Smith can tell a vibrant, passionate, heart-wrenching story, but when you compare the bold and downright ridiculousness of "Leave Your Lover" to what you hear on "I'm Not the Only One", you get a sense of confusion. For those criticizing "Leave Your Lover" for being hypocritical, it's hard to still call Sam Smith a hypocrite by the time the end of strings and chords come to a bitter end in "I'm Not the Only One". Why? Because you've already forgotten about the previous track, and are engrossed at the possibilities of what's next to come.
I'll give Sam Smith one thing: he's surprisingly good at telling a type of story that he hasn't had much experience with."
"There's no denying that Sam Smith can tell a vibrant, passionate, heart-wrenching story, but when you compare the bold and downright ridiculousness of "Leave Your Lover" to what you hear on "I'm Not the Only One", you get a sense of confusion. For those criticizing "Leave Your Lover" for being hypocritical, it's hard to still call Sam Smith a hypocrite by the time the end of strings and chords come to a bitter end in "I'm Not the Only One". Why? Because you've already forgotten about the previous track, and are engrossed at the possibilities of what's next to come.
I'll give Sam Smith one thing: he's surprisingly good at telling a type of story that he hasn't had much experience with."
Kiesza - "So Deep"
While she's still riding high on the waves of "Hideaway" and "Giant In My Heart", there's a few other styles to be explored on her debut extended play, Hideaway. "So Deep" offers up a whole new image to the young budding singer. On this track, she swaps electronic deep house beats for a sexy r&b thump beat that still has some hints of progressed rhythm while feeling like a brand new experience. It's not as instantly captivating as her other works, but it works on a different level, and is a subtle grower. In a review for her Hideaway EP, I briefly touched on "So Deep". Here's a snippet of my original thoughts:
"..."So Deep" displays a trace/dance quality that feels so unique and glamorous all together..."
"..."So Deep" displays a trace/dance quality that feels so unique and glamorous all together..."
Drake - "0 to 100 / The Catch Up"
Approximately a full year after his "Hold On, We're Going Home" became a massive hit on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 (reaching #5 on the tally), Drake is back with a darker single to lead off his highly anticipated 4th studio album Views From the 6. "0 to 100 / The Catch Up" is a two part song that smoothes out from start to finish. It's a whole lot more grainy and really reminiscent of his early 2013 release "Started From the Bottom" (which ended up becoming my 2nd least favorite mainstream release of 2013), which leads me to believe that "0 to 100" will also become one of my least favorites of the year. Thankfully, it's not nearly as terrible. It's worth at least a listen or two.
Weezer - "Back to the Shack"
After 4 years of silence, American band Weezer is finally back with a brand new set of music.
The Script - "Superheroes"
During the last album cycle, British band The Script failed to impress me on many occasions, with "Hall of Fame" falling short of the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 back in 2012. Thankfully, The Script is back with a fresher sound. While "Superheroes" sounds a lot like the stuff on their last album, it's ripe with a new form of energy.
Alexandra Stan - "Dance"
Stan's last effort ("Cherry Pop") got off to a less than pleasant start back in May, and barely missed inclusion on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 on numerous occasions. Despite the mixed success of "Cherry Pop", Alexandra Stan's new single "Dance" could reverse her course.
