Gloria | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 27 January 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:03 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer |
| |||
Sam Smith chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Gloria | ||||
|
Gloria is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Sam Smith, released on 27 January 2023 through Capitol Records. The album serves as a follow-up to Love Goes (2020). [4] Smith took creative control on the album, resulting in gaining an increasingly provocative image in the public eye. Musically, Gloria is a pop album, with lyrical themes of sex, lies, passion, self-expression, and imperfection.
Gloria received positive reviews from critics. It was supported by four singles; "Love Me More", "Unholy", a collaboration with Kim Petras, [5] "Gimme", a collaboration with Koffee and Jessie Reyez, and "I'm Not Here to Make Friends". "Unholy" became the most successful single from the album, topping the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, becoming both Smith and Petras' first chart-topper in the latter. The song also won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Commercially, Gloria debuted at number one in United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland, and has moved over 1.6 million album-equivalent units worldwide. [6] To support the album, Smith embarked on Gloria the Tour, touring the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, and they additionally performed at the 2023 BRIT Awards, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, and at the Royal Albert Hall.
The album was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Jamaica, with Smith working with regular collaborators Jimmy Napes, Stargate and Ilya Salmanzadeh, [7] as well as expecting further contributions from Los Hendrix, Max Martin and Calvin Harris. Smith stated that the album "feels like a coming of age" and got them "through some dark times", and expressed a hope that it could also be a "beacon" for listeners. A press release called it a "personal revolution" for Smith, containing the "dazzling, sumptuous, sophisticated, unexpected and at times thrilling, edgy sound of Sam's creative heart today", as well as lyrics about "sex, lies, passion, self-expression, and imperfection". [8]
Smith announced the album on their social media accounts on 17 October 2022, writing a note to their "dearest sailors", Smith's name for their fans, and sharing the cover art, a portrait of Smith with bleached hair wearing a golden earring of an anchor and pearl. [8] Smith performed "Unholy" with Petras and "Gloria" with Sharon Stone as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live . [9]
The first track to be released from the album was the single "Love Me More" on 28 April 2022. [10] "Unholy", a collaboration with German singer Kim Petras, followed on 22 September 2022 and was promoted as the second single. [11] [12] It reached number one in several countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, [13] as well as number one on the Billboard Global 200. [14]
The track "Gimme" was released as the album's third single on 11 January 2023. It is a collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez and Jamaican musician Koffee.
On 27 January 2023, the same day of the album's release, "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" was released as the fourth single. [3]
"Gloria" was released on 20 January 2023, one week before Gloria, as a promotional single. [15]
On 21 October 2022, Sam Smith announced Gloria the Tour via their Instagram account. The concert run began on April 12, 2023, in Sheffield. [16] On 5 January 2023 the North American leg of the tour was announced. [17]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.0/10 [18] |
Metacritic | 68/100 [19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
Clash | 7/10 [21] |
DIY | [22] |
Evening Standard | [23] |
The Guardian | [24] |
The Irish Times | [25] |
Metro | [26] |
NME | [27] |
Pitchfork | 6.2/10 [28] |
Gloria received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 68 out of 100, based on 16 reviews. [19] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [18] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone called Gloria Smith's "deepest album yet" and described it as "a compact, steadily flowing collection of pop songs that showcase Smith's vocal versatility and personal growth" with lyrics about "Smith's experiences as a queer person who was raised Catholic" throughout. [1] Gary Bushell of the Daily Express found the album to be "less gloomy than 2020's Love Goes , beautiful in places, and packed with surprises". [29] Nick Levine of NME wrote that the album "really is the most surprising, satisfying and vital work of [Smith's] career" and at its heart is a "personal exploration of the broader queer experience that recalls George Michael's classic 1996 album Older ". [27]
Reviewing the album for The Guardian , Alexis Petridis was critical of the press release's claims of "experimentation", writing that while there are "hints of R&B, trap and disco" amongst the ballads and tracks similar to their "piano-led sound" of previous releases, "there's still something underwhelming about Gloria: the feeling that it's more of the same is more prevalent than it should be". [24] David Smyth of the Evening Standard felt that "Unholy", a "masterpiece of oversexualised nonsense", "sticks out outrageously in the middle of this fourth album" as the rest of the tracks are "rather grey" by comparison. Smyth concluded that it is "a shame the songs, well crafted as they are, don't always match the self belief" Smith's lyrics have. [23] Writing for The Observer , Kitty Empire denoted that the project does not fulfill its potential, as it was not pushed to the levels of Beyoncé's Renaissance , an album that deals with similar themes and sounds, pointing out that "something slinky [...] might have been more apposite on an album dedicated to fun – and liberation from the past" over tracks like "How to Cry", "Gloria" and "Who We Love". [30]
Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times found that Smith "puts aside ballads for more danceable tracks" and while the album "has moments of boldness", ultimately "its occasional lapses into generics keep it from feeling like a major personal statement". [31] Writing for Pitchfork , Jamieson Cox opined that by this point of Smith's career, "an artist whose writing has long tended toward the bland and impersonal has grown into a vision and identity that can be compromised by mediocre features" like those of Jessie Reyez, with Cox calling "Gimme" and "Perfect" "anodyne at best and grating at worst", and Ed Sheeran, with Cox finding "Who We Love" to be "basically [...] Sheeran's 'Same Love'," with lyrics that lay out "trite scenes". [28]
Emma Madden, reviewing for Metro , gave the album two out of five stars, writing that "sex and queerness do indeed feature in the album, but in a way that feels tacked on out of obligation [...] The references are extremely ham-fisted and obvious". Madden also felt that Gloria feels "slipshod and confused". [26]
Gloria debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 14,155 units, [32] becoming the singer's third non-consecutive album to reach the top, joining In the Lonely Hour (2014) and The Thrill of It All (2017). [33] In Australia, Gloria became the singer's first album to debut atop the ARIA Albums Chart and second number-one album overall. [34]
The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 with 39,000 album-equivalent units, earning Smith their fourth US top-10 album. [35]
As of February 2023, Gloria has moved over 1.6 million units worldwide. [6]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Love Me More" |
| 3:23 | |
2. | "No God" |
|
| 3:17 |
3. | "Hurting Interlude" | 0:18 | ||
4. | "Lose You" |
| 3:10 | |
5. | "Perfect" (with Jessie Reyez) |
|
| 3:51 |
6. | "Unholy" (with Kim Petras) |
|
| 2:36 |
7. | "How to Cry" |
|
| 2:40 |
8. | "Six Shots" |
| 2:30 | |
9. | "Gimme" (with Koffee and Jessie Reyez) |
|
| 2:49 |
10. | "Dorothy's Interlude" | 0:08 | ||
11. | "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" |
|
| 3:49 |
12. | "Gloria" |
|
| 1:50 |
13. | "Who We Love" (with Ed Sheeran) |
| Mac | 2:42 |
Total length: | 33:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Heavenly Sent" |
|
| 2:49 |
15. | "Kissing You" |
| 4:55 | |
Total length: | 40:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stay with Me" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 4:13 |
2. | "I'm Not the Only One" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 3:54 |
3. | "Too Good at Goodbyes" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 4:31 |
4. | "How Do You Sleep?" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 3:55 |
5. | "Dancing with a Stranger" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 4:10 |
6. | "Lose You" (live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 3:37 |
7. | "Unholy" (featuring Kim Petras; live from the Royal Albert Hall) |
| 3:59 |
Notes
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Belgium (BEA) [66] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [67] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [68] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [69] | Gold | 10,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [70] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 27 January 2023 | Capitol | [8] |
C'mon, C'mon is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on April 8, 2002, in the United Kingdom and April 16, 2002 in the United States. Lead single "Soak Up the Sun" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of her biggest hits since "All I Wanna Do". The album was arguably her most pop-influenced to date, a big departure from the folk and rock sound on her previous release, The Globe Sessions.
Songs from The Capeman is the ninth solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. His first new studio album of original materials in seven years, it contains Simon's own performances of songs from the Broadway musical he wrote and produced called The Capeman, augmented by members of the original cast. The songs retell the story of Salvador Agron, who was known as the "Capeman". A departure musically from his earlier work, the album features doo-wop, rock and roll and Puerto Rican rhythms, and a number of songs contain explicit lyrics, a first for Simon. The stage show was a commercial flop, losing $11 million, and the album did not sell well. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200, the lowest chart position in Simon's career at the time.
Destiny is the seventh studio solo album released by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, but is the nineteenth of her career overall. It shipped 1.6 million copies worldwide in its first month of release.
All I Need is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Foxes, released on 5 February 2016.
Beautiful Lies is the third studio album by British musician Birdy, released on 25 March 2016 by Atlantic Records. The album includes the singles "Keeping Your Head Up", "Wild Horses", "Words", and "Hear You Calling".
The Thrill of It All is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith. It was released on 3 November 2017 through Capitol Records.
Only Human is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Calum Scott, released on 9 March 2018 through Capitol Records. The album was re-released in November 2018 as the "special edition" featuring four additional tracks.
Pray for the Wicked is the sixth studio album by American pop rock solo project Panic! at the Disco. The album was released on June 22, 2018 on Fueled by Ramen in the United States. It is the follow-up to the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor (2016). The album was produced by Jake Sinclair and promoted by the singles "Say Amen ", "High Hopes" and "Hey Look Ma, I Made It", with "(Fuck A) Silver Lining", "Dancing's Not A Crime" and "King of the Clouds" as promotional singles. It received generally positive reviews upon release, with many critics noting Urie's Broadway influences following his performance in Kinky Boots.
Love Goes is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Sam Smith. It was released on 30 October 2020 through Capitol Records. The album serves as a follow-up to Smith's second studio album The Thrill of It All (2017). Originally planned to be titled To Die For and was due for release on 1 May 2020 but was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the album was promoted by the singles "My Oasis", "Diamonds" and "Kids Again".
= ("Equals") is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 29 October 2021 through Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was supported by five singles: "Bad Habits", "Shivers", "Overpass Graffiti", "The Joker and the Queen", and "2step". The song "Visiting Hours" was released as a promotional single.
Earthling is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Eddie Vedder. The album was released on February 11, 2022, by Republic Records and Seattle Surf.
Give Me the Future is the fourth studio album by British indie pop band Bastille, released on 4 February 2022 through EMI Records. It was executive produced by Ryan Tedder. The album was preceded by the singles "Distorted Light Beam", "Give Me the Future", and "Thelma + Louise", and subsequently announced alongside the release of the fourth single "No Bad Days". A fifth single titled "Shut Off the Lights" launched nearly three weeks prior to the album release.
Gold Rush Kid is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter George Ezra, released on 10 June 2022 by Columbia Records. The album was promoted by four singles: "Anyone for You ", "Green Green Grass", "Dance All Over Me" and "Sweetest Human Being Alive". It became his third consecutive number-one album in the UK.
Dance Fever is the fifth studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 13 May 2022 by Polydor Records. Work on the album was originally scheduled for early 2020 in New York City; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recording took place in London instead. Frontwoman Florence Welch has cited Iggy Pop as the biggest musical influence on the album; which features a variety of styles, ranging from progressive pop to indie pop, disco, and industrial music.
Love, Damini is the sixth studio album by Burna Boy. It was released on 8 July 2022 through Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Ladysmith Black Mambazo, J Hus, Vict0ny, Popcaan, Blxst, Kehlani, Ed Sheeran, J Balvin, and Khalid. It was supported by two singles, "Kilometre" and "Last Last". The album is named after Burna Boy's legal first name and serves as the follow-up to his previous album, Twice as Tall (2020).
"Unholy" is a song by British singer Sam Smith and German singer Kim Petras. It was released on 22 September 2022 through EMI Records and Capitol Records as the second single from Smith's fourth studio album Gloria (2023) and as a bonus track on Petras's debut studio album Feed the Beast (2023). It was teased by Smith on their TikTok account a month before its release and went viral due to its use in thirst trap-style videos. Produced by Ilya, Omer Fedi, Blake Slatkin, Jimmy Napes, and Cirkut and written by them alongside Smith and Petras, "Unholy" is a sexually charged electropop, dance-pop, and synth-pop song with choral and hyperpop influences, which marked a shift away from ballads for Smith. It uses the Phrygian dominant scale and its lyrics are about a family man who cheats on his wife at a strip club.
Only the Strong Survive is the twenty-first studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2022, through Columbia Records. The album is a cover album of R&B and soul songs, and his second cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006). It was announced on September 29, 2022, along with the release of "Do I Love You ", a cover of the song by Frank Wilson. The singles "Nightshift", "Don't Play That Song" and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" followed throughout October and November 2022. The album title is an eponymous reference to its first track, a cover of the original "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Queen of Me is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Shania Twain. The album was released on February 3, 2023, by Republic Records. It is her first album since Now (2017), and is her first to not be released with her previous label of 29 years, Mercury Nashville. The album was promoted with the release of two singles and a promotional single: "Waking Up Dreaming", "Last Day of Summer", and "Giddy Up!". Commercially, the album became her third number one album in the United Kingdom, and entered the top ten in Canada, Switzerland, Australia and the United States.
Mercy is the seventeenth studio album by the Welsh musician and composer John Cale. It was released on 20 January 2023 by Double Six Records, making it Cale's first album of new songs in over a decade. It features collaborations with Tony Allen, Laurel Halo, Weyes Blood, Tei Shi, Animal Collective's Avey Tare and Panda Bear, Dev Hynes, Sylvan Esso, Actress, and Fat White Family. It was inspired by current events such as Donald Trump's first presidency, Brexit, COVID-19, climate change, civil rights, and right-wing extremism.
Cuts & Bruises is the second studio album by Irish rock band Inhaler. It was released on 17 February 2023 through Polydor Records.