No, no, wasn't that last week? Sorry, here he is, not as a featured artist, but on his own, with "Stay With Me".
"Stay With Me" is a song about a guy who's so attached to his girlfriend that he never wants to let go.
Now I got you in my space
I won’t let go of you
Now, hold on a second. That was from "Latch", a song about the same thing. Oh boy. Well, I suppose there's worse ways to become typecast. Isn't that right, Lil Jon?
TURN DOWN FOR WHA-
He's probably going to butt into at least one review a week. Okay, so yes, "Stay With Me" and "Latch" are essentially the same song, but they sound a lot different. Whereas "Latch" was upbeat and pounding with excitement and passion, "Stay With Me" is more somber and longing.
Oh, won't you stay with me?
Cause you're all I need
Sam Smith's voice seems well suited for both, leading me to believe that while he may have a one-track mind when it comes to his subject matter, he can do different styles quite well. "Stay With Me" isn't the greatest song ever or anything, but it has its place in Slow Ballad Land. A nice-sounding love song that-
This ain't love it's clear to see
What? Then... what is it?
Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one-night stand
Wait a minute. Wait a minute! "One-night stand"? Oh, I was wrong about this entirely. This guy wants sex. And that's not even me saying that, that's him saying that! "This ain't love, it's clear to see." And it's clear that he wants to see more of your delicious booty!
And deep down I know this never works
But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt
Oh, this guy is crafty. The casual listener might dismiss this as a slow love ballad, but now I'm seeing it for its true colours. This guy is a pickup artist in disguise.
At least, I hope that's the case. Because otherwise, this song seems confused and mismatched.
If this is the case, though, what do I do with Sam Smith's straightforward contribution to "Latch"? It's not like that song was stupid, but it wasn't deceiving, either. This is a whole new side of Smith I'm seeing, and it's only the second song I've heard with him.
Oh, I hope I'm right. God, I hope I'm right. Because if I'm right, this song is brilliant. If I'm wrong, it's poorly thought out. I'm going to give him and myself the benefit of the doubt and assume I'm right.
Hot 100 Success:
Will he have it?
It's hard to say. His soft ballad side, even if it is a clever ruse, is falling out of favour compared to his dance side. It all depends on which side he feeds, because I don't see more "Stay with Me"s becoming popular soon.
Should he have it?
I think I need to listen to more of the guy's stuff before I make a decision on the artist as a whole, but for now, I'm intrigued. Sure, I'd like Sam Smith in the Top 50. Stay with me.
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