Sam Smith - Love Goes review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

The Guardian 0

(Universal)
Smith attempts to mix despair with euphoria on an album that delivers plenty of gloom but not much glitter

The third album from Sam Smith arrives amid mixed messages. Love Goes comes six months later than planned, renamed from To Die For. The latter is explained by Britain’s coronavirus death rate. The reasons for the former are less scrutable. Perhaps Smith deduced that mid-pandemic was not the right frame of mind to enjoy their latest album, which even hardcore fans would admit tends towards the self-absorbed and glum. There was also the “crying selfie” posted in March as Smith struggled to cope with lockdown: the inevitable criticism led by Piers Morgan prompted talk of a backlash.

Related: Sign up for the Sleeve Notes email: music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras