Smith came in where co patriot Adele left off. Yes, he is the new voice to reckon with having bagged three Grammy awards and also excelling at the BRIT awards taking home two Brit awards.

The 14 tracks on this debutante’s album speak volumes for what he has achieved so far. Smith’s voice is like heaven on earth, he sings with emotion and it impossible to let go once he draws you in. A true soul wonder to find after a really long time. In the Lonely Hour is meant to be Smith's love letter to a man who never returned his feelings; but those in love with the opposite sex too swear by his every word spoken in the songs.

If you thought Smith was just a balladeer, one of the highlights here include the album opener Money on my Mind, an immediate dance piece drum'n'bass number with a chorus high-pitched enough to make you take the dance floor. Good thing slows the tempo down a bit to an acoustic set moving on to a simple drum beat right till the end. The song talks about obsession ("Too much of a good thing won't be good anymore/ Watch where I tread before I fall"), while Stay With Me has all the elements of a stunning ballad, a plea for a lover to stay over after a one night stand just for some human contact. The words in the song say it simply; Smith’s vocals are strong and appealing.

Leave Your Lover, on the other hand has a direct chorus: "Leave your lover/ Leave him for me," backed by a trendy acoustic guitar stomp all sung matter-of-factly in his most gorgeous falsetto.

The big ticket for the man comes in I’m not the only One which catapulted him to super stardom. A super ballad as everyone knows, talks the obvious question of a relationship gone wrong, with one partner cheating on the other. He stresses lovingly as he says "When you call me baby, I know I'm not the only one…."

His voice takes a twist when he croons on the slow and steady I’ve told you now and on the repetitious mid tempo Like I Can. There are other moments of pop ballads mushiness in Life Support, Lay me down and Restart. Not in That Way and like most tracks they are in a very storytelling style.

The acoustic version of Disclosure’s Latch shows Smith in various vocal ranges and he amazingly manages to sound crisp on each verse. This is one of the songs that set him for stardom: The penultimate track on the album (he also co- wrote it) is the song La La La (featuring Naughty Boy), a great club piece, punchy and a welcome break from the mushy tones. Both songs will certainly be loved by his fans as the most appealing bouncy songs for his work with Disclosure and Naughty Boy. As you listen to the album you might find that some songs seem to be far away from Smith’s vocal capability, but he does justice to it in whatever measure he can. His album is part of him. Though there's no doubt In the Lonely Hour comes from a personal place, it doesn't end up feeling like a very personal record too. Lyrics included.

Can’t wait for his next album.

Rating: ****1/2

n  Reviewed by Verus Ferreira