"Everyone Prays in the End"

Despite being incredibly unassuming, if Sam Smith wanted to make a Gospel album, he'd have people lining up to buy the album. Many times before he's shown a deeply soulful side, but he took it to another level on Pray. With the backing of a church choir, he literally took everyone to church.

On the track he leverages the common theme of relying on religion in a time of need. On first listen there was something different about the track that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was the seemingly out of place "huh? vocal sample throughout? Maybe it was the percussion heavy bridge? Whatever it was, it led me to dig deeper. Needless to say, I almost lost my sh*t when I found out Timbaland chipped in on the production. It's obviously a great move for Sam given the track record Timbo has with countless artists. It's the second single off Sam's upcoming The Thrill of It All album that will be dropping on November 3rd. Go ahead and pre-order/pre-save the album while checking out the list of tour dates for Summer 2018. Let's just say, it won't be a matter of if I'll be seeing Sam in concert, it'll be when and where...#TheThrillOfItAll



Sam Smith - Pray (prod by Jimmy Napes & Timbaland)

Sam Smith is a Pro at Goodbyes

Even though I'm a die-hard EDM and Hip Hop-head, I'm a sucker for a good vocalist. On the absolute top of that list sits Sam Smith. Having seen him perform in concert a hand full of times, I'd encourage anyone who hasn't seen him to add it as a bucket list item. For an unassuming Brit, his vocals range and dramatic delivery are legendary.

His new single, Too Good at Goodbyes, falls on the somber side of what he's capable of producing. It's the first single he's put out since 2015, but it affords the perfect opportunity for new fans to hop on board the bandwagon. Over a soft piano beat, he reaches deep on the personal emotion and shows off his vocal prowess on the pre-chorus. The gospel-style background vocals provide enough support on the hook to keep things interesting. Check it out on iTunes or Spotify if you feel as compelled to take it for a few spins like I did...#TooGoodAtGoodbyes



Sam Smith - Too Good at Goodbyes

Dillon Francis Remixing Disclosure is a Good Omen

After a few listens, I'm really impressed with what Dillon Francis did with Disclosure and Sam Smith's Omen. I was skeptical prior to pressing play, but he did everything he needed to turn my skepticism into unbridled optimism. His creative use of Sam's vocal samples and bass heavy beat breakdowns were a big reason why my perception quickly shifted. He took a radio hit and made it into more of a fun party track, which isn't an easy task. In his own words, he really did "nail it" and I can see why he compared his excitement to the feeling he had in making Coming Over with Kygo. The only downside is you'll have to wait until next week when the remix lands on iTunes and Beatport

Disclosure - Omen (Dillon Francis Remix)

"Do I Go Home to Nothing or Stay Out for More?"

Boy...when Sam Smith warns us that a song isn't radio friendly and is dark, he is not playing around. I can see why Drowning Shadows wouldn't have necessarily fit with a lot of the other tracks on his platinum debut In the Lonely Hour. Despite it's depressing tone of the track, it's incredibly real and I'm glad the Zane Lowe edition of the track below includes a bit more of a back story to the genesis of how the song came to be. It's easy to glamorize the lives of these really talented artists like Sam, but at the end of the day, they're just people like us too. Back when he wrote this track he had to make a real decision every night about whether to turn left to go home and be lonely or turn right and head to the club for the prospect of a good time. It's a struggle that a lot of 20-somethings go through in their day-to-day lives and it struck me as real because he was just an average artist trying to make it big when he wrote this track. In summary, I'm glad he didn't drop this downer of a track on the first release, but now that he's releasing it as a deluxe version, it's much easier to appreciate in hindsight...#DrowningShadows

Sam Smith - Drowning Shadows

Videos of the Week October 9th

This week was a downright exciting mix of videos. There was no rhyme, reason or discernible pattern to the top five, but on the flip side that created an awesome variety. Leading the way was Sam Smith's new video for the upcoming James Bond Spectre theme. The mix of clips from the movie, orchestral instrumentation and of course, Sam's stellar vocals created a dramatic aesthetic. Along similar lines was Kygo and Ella Henderson's BBC Radio 1 live cover of Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams. Love Kygo on the piano live and you'd be hard pressed to convince me that the original is much better than the cover.

And just in case the first two videos delve too much into real life, Skrillex went all anime with the help of California based visual artist Roboto. I've always loved Ease My Mind, so it's cool to see it finally get a visual story attached to it. If you're a fan for really out-there festivals, you'll enjoy the behind the scenes look at the Gathering of the Juggalos. It was interesting to hear Flosstradamus's take on the gathering as a whole being more communal than they thought it would be. Of course last but not even close to the least, there's the dangerous and underrated-ly beautiful Ronda Rousey. I really hope she and Floyd "Woman beater" Mayweather get a chance to have it out at some point. Until then, I'm going to continue to try and reconcile how someone so physically threatening could be anywhere near that attractive...#Rousey
Sam Smith - Writings on the Wall (Video)

Flosstradamus Visits the Gathering of the Juggalos

Skrillex Ease My Mind (Video)

Kygo & Ella Henderson Cover Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams

Ronda Rousey Speaks on Floyd Mayweather Beef and Dresses Scantily

Photo Credit: YouTube

Sam Smith's Record Breaking James Bond Theme Song

It's hard to believe, but until this week there has never been a James Bond theme song that reached #1 on the UK single chart. I say UK because Bond has always been British character and there are countless songs that people understand to be "Bond songs." Everyone will point to the 1964 Goldfinger theme as the most recognizable, but my favorite is Adele's Skyfall.

Enter Sam Smith who pays no mind to prior tracks because he's armed with a voice that is beyond comparison. Sam's new James Bond Spectre theme, Writings on the Wall, is everything you'd ever want in a Bond theme. It is driven by the timeless orchestra sound and accentuated with Sam's incredible vocal range. The emotion dripped song will tug on your heart strings and not apologize for the drama it's able to foreshadow. It won't end up being my favorite Bond track, but Sam Smith deserves all the accolades that go along with having the only #1 Bond single...#WritingsOnTheWall

Sam Smith & Disclosure Cover Drake's Hotline Bling

I'm struggling with a bit of an existential crisis tonight as a result of the video below. By now you're all keenly aware of my affinity for both Drake and Sam Smith, so you're most likely nodding your head in empathy for what I'm going through right now. Then, you throw in a Disclosure cameo on the production just for good measure and the result is a more than a little tough to process.

I'll put it this way, it didn't matter what the end result was of Sam and Disclosure's cover of Hotline Bling, there's no possible way it was going to live up to my expectations. Full disclosure (no pun intended), I wasn't a huge fan of the original version of Hotline Bling, so the cover was already set up to fail. Given, it was a live cover, which requires a good amount of prep and thought, but the lounge feel on the instrumental was a bit vanilla. Sure, Sam brought his usual sweet vocals, but it was missing the punch and exclamation that he usually brings to songs. Let's just call this one interesting and move on, cool?...#HotlineBling

Photo Credit: YouTube

Sam Smith and Disclosure Prove to Be a Good Omen

Last weekend I got married. The first dance I had with my wife was to Sam Smith's acoustic version of Latch. I don't know if it's a good "Omen" or simply a well timed wedding gift, but Sam and Disclosure decided to release a new one last week. Rather than going the traditional Soundcloud route, they skipped a step and went straight to the visuals for their new single...

Yea, it's just as swanky and deep hous-y as you'd expect with stellar vocals from Sam. It's a funk-filled ballad that wobble its way right into your headphones. Whether it's clapping along or a steady head nod, this one is hot and will be getting worn out on my honeymoon this week. Shout out to two of UK's finest acts for proving an on-point, surprise wedding gift...#Omen

Sam Smith's Lay Me Down Gets the Tiesto Treatment

If this track weren't real, it would be a great click bait candidate for Buzzfeed. Fortunately for us, the track is legitimate and showcases an uncharacteristically mellow vibe for a Tiesto creation. As you'd anticipate, Sam's vocals carry the track, but the easy-listening house vibe of the beat creates a much different experience from the original. The remix is much closer in sound to the original than Flume's drastic departure, which can be good or bad depending what you're in the mood for. Either way, start studded cross-genre collaborations between two artists at the top of their respective mountains don't come along that frequently, so let's enjoy this one for what it is...#LayMeDown

Sam Smith & Tiesto - Lay Me Down

Duets Don't Get Better Than Sam Smith with John Legend

The video below seemed waaaay too good to be true when reading the headline "Sam Smith featuring John Legend." It was one of those, "am I going to regret clicking on this link because a Buzzfeed story is behind the door?" Strangely enough, it wasn't clickbait, it was the exact opposite of what I expected. In an effort to raise money for poverty via Red Nose Day, Sam and John did an in-studio performance of Sam Smith's Lay Me Down. What follows is picturesque brilliance...

You want to talk about an epic amount of vocal and performance talent...holy cow! For those of you who want to participate in the movement, Red Nose Day is this Friday, March 13th in the UK, while it's going to be celebrated in the US sometime in May. In general, great music that serves a bigger purpose is the ultimate win in my eyes. Kudos to everyone involved in the making of this...#RedNoseDay

Photo Credit: Vevo

Videos of the Week February 6th

In a week dominated by historically awesome late night spots, it was a challenge trying to fit actual music into videos of the week. Let me take that back actually, Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon were every bit as musical as Rihanna and Kanye. The only difference was Big Willy and Fallon were using an iPad beatbox app and RiRi and Yeezy were relying on Paul McCartney for the beat.

While Fallon gets most of the late night love, Kimmel's celebrities reading mean tweets about themselves is about as entertaining as it gets. Between Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande and Psy, it was really tough finding a favorite among the hilarity. In an effort to inject some musical quality to the post, Sam Smith came through at the right time with visuals for one of my favorites of his, Lay Me Down. Last, but certainly not least, the Saved by the Bell reunion was a slight of nostalgia that anyone born in the 1980s thoroughly appreciated. It is crazy how well all of them look exactly the same twenty years later...well...minus Mr. Belding...#SavedByTheBell
Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets Music Edition Part 2

Rihanna feat Kanye & Paul McCartney - FourFiveSeconds (Video)

Jimmy Fallon and Will Smith Beatbox Rap It Takes Two

Sam Smith - Lay Me Down (Video)

Jimmy Fallon Visits Bayside High School (Saved by the Bell)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week December 26th

Simply put, there were way too many 2014 year in review and holiday videos this week that is was impossible to whittle down videos of the week to a top 5. So as a belated Christmas gift, I'm delivering a top 10 this week as a special year end gift. In the post you'll see the past year in search, viral videos, extreme videos and even an Orange is the New Black version of the 12 days of Christmas.

Beyond the year end videos, there's a Coachella recap, a new full length trailer for the upcoming entourage movie and a Dr. Evil cameo on SNL. On a serious note, I appreciated how well the SNL writers pulled off the critique of The Interview vs North Korea situation. The whole controversy brought about a slew of firsts in both hacking and pop culture bleeding into politics, but Dr. Evil made a lot of great points about just how absurd the whole thing was on a lot of fronts. In case you needed an actual music video fix, the Dade County artists (Pitbull & Flo Rida) had your back with new videos for Time of Our Lives and GDFR. Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is looking forward to New Years as much as I am...#2014YearinReview
Google's Year in Search 2014

People Are Awesome 2014 Year in Videos

Coachella 2014 Recap Video

Orange is the New Black Cast Remake the 12 Days of Christmas

Top 25 Viral Videos of 2014

Entourage Trailer Teaser

Fall Out Boy - Immortals (Video)

Dr Evil Makes a Cameo on SNL to Talk About Sony/North Korea

Pitbull feat Ne-Yo - Time of Our Lives (Video)

Flo Rida feat Sage the Gemini - GDFR (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week December 12th

If I was pressured to pick two adjectives to describe this week's top 5 6 videos, I'd say interesting and unique. Lead by the powerful performance of Bed of Lies Nicki Minaj & Skylar Grey, the week started off on a high point. If there's any possibility of me seeing Skylar Grey in concert, you better believe I will be taking full advantage of that opportunity. On the documentary front, Beyonce released an 11 minute short film to prove to all of us that she's a human just like everyone else. Time will tell whether her attempt at empathy will continue to positively shape her brand.

The two real music videos came from Sam Smith's new single Like I Can and Imagine Dragon's I Bet My Life. Sam is getting close to an entire album of singles now, and the Imagine Dragons are seriously ramping up for their sophomore effort. And in case you need some feel good vibes for the holiday season, feel free to check out the supermarket "This Little Light of Mine" flash mob or the Christmas light choreography to Frozen's Let it Go...#ThisLittleLightofMine
Nicki Minaj feat Skylar Grey - Bed of Lies (Live on SNL)
Imagine Dragons - I Bet My Life (Video) Beyonce's Yours and Mine Short Film Sam Smith - Like I Can (Video) This Little Light of Mine Supermarket Flash Mob Bonus Video: Frozen Christmas Lights Photo Credit: YouTube

Sam Smith Wants You to Have a Merry Little Christmas

Having now seen Sam Smith perform live, I can say without a doubt that he's the most talented vocalist I've seen in concert. Maybe it's because his voice doesn't match his appearance, but just listening to his music digitally doesn't do justice to his skills. Case in point, his in-studio performance of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas below.

Living in the city of San Francisco means that you have to travel to winter weather, so it's easy to miss out on holiday spirit. Having a Thanksgiving in the mid-60s was weird enough, so hearing Christmas music is about all I have as far as winter is concerned. Good lookin' out Sam Smith for providing the necessary refresh on a Christmas classic. Here's to hoping the song below means there is an entire Christmas album on the way...#MerryLittleXmas

"A New Disease in My Town Called Idiotic"

I've sung Sam Smith's praises over and over, yet he continues to impress. On first glance, a collaboration with A$AP Rocky might seem weird, but Dat PMF already found himself on remixes with Lana Del Rey and Lykke Li, so it was not that far of a reach to see him on stage with Sam Smith last night at the American Music Awards. Performance below in case your missed it...

I wouldn't go as far as to say that they brought down the house with the performance, but you can bet that those who didn't know Sam's name when the night started sure do now. I'll say this too, there's a soft, poetic side to A$AP that plays well on ballads. He's got enough edge in between to sound Hip Hop, but the composure and delivery to sound right at home on pop hits like I'm Not the Only One. They make a seemingly odd pair, but kudos to whoever managed to get combine their talents on the remix...#2014AMAs

Sam Smith feat A$AP Rocky - I'm Not the Only One (Remix)

Sam Smith & Kanye Sound Great Together

Alright Carlos Serrano, you've got my attention. First it was the 2pac and Banks mashup, now you've got the audacity to mix some classic Kanye over Sam Smith's I'm Not the Only One? (*initiates slow clap*) Well done sir, the verses match up in a way that almost dares the listener to try and find seams. Much to my delight, I came up empty in that search and was left with a mix of nostalgia and delight when hearing it all mixed together. If I've learned anything from the two Serrano mixes, it's that there's a clear opportunity for mixing classic Hip Hop with great modern vocalists...#TellMeImNotTheOnlyOne

Sam Smith & Kanye West - Tell Me I'm The Only One (Carlos Serrano Mix)

"We Know We Can, We Can Survive"

It seems only fitting that I post a new track featuring Sam Smith on the day that I see him in concert. The vocals may be a little obscured making them sound less like Sam, but you better believe it's him helping out producer Freddy Verano with his new single Moments. It has a piano-led deep house feel to it, but it seems fitting for a Sunday funday mix. The pink balloon in the cover art is fitting because the carefree vibes on Moments are tangible. Feel free and head on over to hypem if you want to keep this guy at the top of the list today...#Moments

An Out of Nowhere Pretty Flacko & Sam Smith Collabo

Wait a minute...Pretty Flacko and Sam Smith? Really? I still haven't figured out how A$AP keeps landing cameos on ballads, but I'll concede that he holds his own on them. The bluesy remix offers the same soulful crooning that we've become accustomed to from Sam Smith, but this time with a bit of edge provided by the two verses from A$AP.

Man I can't tell y'all how excited I am to see Sam Smith live in a few weeks. I haven't done a concert review for a while, but that may have to change if I'm able to get some footage. Til then feel free and head on over to iTunes to cop the remix....#NotTheOnlyOne

Sam Smith feat A$AP Rocky - I'm Not The Only One (Remix)

Mary J and Disclosure Make a Formidable Duo

I appreciate Mary J Blige and respect her longevity as an R&B legend, but I probably wouldn't have posted this track had it not been for the on-point beat cooked up by Disclosure. Initially I was sucked in by the written by Sam Smith aspect of Right Now, but the funky electro synth beat was the reason I kept listening. It follows the same tried and true emotionally deep ballad style that has worked for decades, but the new Disclosure twist is intriguing. You can expect this one to surface on MJB's upcoming release, The London Sessions, which will be her 13th studio album...#TheLondonSessions

Mary J Blige - Right Now (Prod by Disclosure & co-written by Sam Smith)

Videos of the Week September 5th

Good mix of humor, entertainment and just plain awesome vocals in this week's top five. The list includes a trailer from a festival I still have on my bucket list (EDC), an inspirational video for those who are finding themselves in the fight with cancer (Remission), some fantasy football humor courtesy of Jimmy Fallon, visuals from one of the better Hip Hop EDM collabos in recent memory (That Girl) and last, but certainly not least, an incredible vocal performance by none other than Sam Smith. I know Fast Car will never be able to be done better than Tracy Chapman, but it's hard to touch Sam's version. I've got a date to see Sammy S live in less than a month and you better believe I'm counting down the days...#FastCar
"Under the Electric Sky" Electric Daisy Carnival Trailer

Sam Smith Covering Tracy Chapman's Fast Car

Stafford Brothers feat T.I. & Eva Simons - This Girl (Video)

Lupe Fiasco feat Jennifer Hudson & Common - Remission (Video)

Jimmy Fallon Outlines the Pros and Cons of Playing Fantasy Football

Photo Credit: YouTube