t's a good thing he decided not to. Given the success of "Latch" and Smith's follow-up single, Naughty Boy's ridiculously catchy 2013 smash "La La La," he could easily have made a more beat-reliant debut. Instead, "In the Lonely Hour" draws from the same classic soul that spawned albums like Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," a favorite of Smith's, or Adele's "19," which his album is currently on track to outsell in the U.S. its opening week. More importantly, he sounds comfortable with himself. The acoustic "Latch" that appears toward the end of the 14-track effort is no better or worse than the original; these arrangements seem to come more naturally to Smith. A bed of strings and a simple piano chord progression highlight every snag in his voice, the sudden leap into falsetto, a controlled yet tremulous vibrato.