Gloria, Pam

Gloria is half what we can come to expect from Sam Smith—slow ballads and sad slow songs (keyword here being "slow")—and half really fun surprises. "Love Me More" is to the youth of today what "Unpretty" was to my generation. If you can't at least appreciate the necessity of a song like this out in the world, then you miiiight not have a soul. Somewhere this song is saving someone. I'm glad it exists in the universe for that reason, and also because it's really sweet. 

"Lose You" is my favorite on the album. The first time the beat drops in with that chorus is so good. It brings me back to the days when I enjoyed a club night once in a while. I can envision how much fun a Vegas club would be while dancing to this one.

"No God," "Perfect," and "How to Cry" at first glance all fit the mold of classic, sappy Sam Smith songs. But as you listen more, there's a different angle here. I think Gloria as an album showcases this metamorphosis of Sam Smith that ends with self-love and acceptance and a feeling of not wanting settle for less. And most of the songs on Gloria seem to align pretty nicely with that theme. Instead of sadness being the feeling we are left with, it's more a feeling of, in Sam Smith's own words, "liberation."

"Unholy" is another absolute club banger, and a scandalous one at that! It's a different sound for them. It reminds me of The Fame Monster / Born This Way era Lady Gaga. "Six Shots" is another deviation from their usual sound, but in a sultry R&B-type way. I think if I were to throw out a song on Gloria, this would be the one.

The chorus on "Gimme" is straight-up annoying. However, the reggae verse from Koffee is really fun on this track and redeems this song for me. "I'm Not Here to Make Friends"—the RuPaul snippet! Using the most overused reality show quote of all time is quite the silly concept for a song, but the execution is great. I'm loving the placement of this disco revival song from Sam Smith. And let us not forget that "this is not RuPaul's Best Friend Race!"

Although the choral Gregorian chant that is "Gloria" is obviously the biggest outlier on the album, it's such a smart choice to pull everything together and really drive the message home. And I sort of feel like this is going to be an unpopular opinion because it really is a sweet song, but "Who We Love" just feels a little forced, maybe? I think if it were just Sam Smith singing this last song, it might have worked a little better. Perhaps it's the Ed Sheeran of it all. Nice sentiment, a little too on the nose. All in all, this album was more upbeat and fun than expected. Sam Smith is the butterfly here, and that, in addition to the music produced in the process, is the coolest part of all.