Record reviews

Sam Smith

Album: “In the Lonely Hour” (Capitol)

Grade: A

“Why am I so emotional?” newcomer Sam Smith sings on his top 10 hit “Stay With Me.”

“No, it’s not a good look, need some self-control.” It may not be a good look, but as far as the sound? Amazing.

The 22-year-old English singer’s soulful pop debut, “In the Lonely Hour,” is a passionate, heart-wrenching album that explores the emotions behind falling in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same. It’s a brave and honest album that captures the mood perfectly, especially on the bold “Leave Your Lover” and the guitar-tinged “Not In That Way,” where he closes with the heartbreaking line: “You’d say, ‘I’m sorry, believe me, I love you, but not in that way.’”

The 10-track set is full of more lyrics like that — words that reel you into Smith’s story of loneliness and love lapses, making for beautiful music. “I’m Not the Only One” is addictive, the sounds of strings stun on “Good Thing” and the falsetto heavy “Life Support” feels like falsetto heaven.

“Lonely Hour” is not all depressing: Album opener “Money On My Mind” is full of upbeat swag, while the dance-soul bonus track, “Restart,” feels classic. There are also the hits Smith co-stars on that are helping him shine brighter: Disclosure’s “Latch” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” which showcase the breakthrough singer’s versatility.

Smith’s powerhouse voice — full of impressive high notes — also helps lift the album’s sad tone, bringing on a fiery, spirited vibe much like Adele on her masterful “21” album. And Smith even borrows from some of her top collaborators: Eg White, who co-wrote and produced Adele’s “Chasing Pavements,” is behind “Good Thing,” while “Set Fire to the Rain” co-writer and producer Fraser T. Smith helps on “Not In that Way.”

With this release, Smith won’t feel alone for much longer.

—Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

Willie Nelson

Album: “Band of Brothers” (Legacy)

Grade: B

Willie Nelson has written a song — sometimes two, three or four — for every occasion, mood and moment. There’s Wistful Willie. Defiant Willie. Repentant Willie. Randy Willie. Preacher Willie. Populist Willie. Whimsical Willie. Vengeful Willie.

Nelson the songwriter returns in all his wonderful guises on the first album of mostly new material he penned himself since 1996’s “Spirit,” the best album of the latter half of his 60-year career. Nelson wrote nine of the 14 songs on “Band of Brothers” with album producer Buddy Cannon, and each song is a perfect projection of its writer’s best qualities. They’re comfortable, familiar, well-worn, but also new and different.

Nelson is 81 now, and the new songs make allowances for this. His defiant moments sound a little more world-weary, his regrets a bit more painful. But his sense of humor and philosopher’s personality remain undiminished.

“Band of Brothers” opens with Defiant Willie staring down the storm on “Bring It On.” Wistful Willie lets the “Guitar in the Corner” play him, Repentant Willie hits “The Wall” and Randy Willie leads us through a tall tale of all his “Wives and Girlfriends,” “but may they never meet/may they never know each other when they pass on the street.”

Populist Willie provides the title track, a beautiful display of the sentiment that has made Nelson incongruously both an outlaw and a figure beloved by all. “We’re a band of brothers and sisters and whatever/On a mission to break all the rules.”

Nelson positions that song between a pair of Billy Joe Shaver covers — “The Git Go,” featuring Jamey Johnson, and “It’s Hard to Be an Outlaw” — midway through the album, and this outlaw triptych serves as a powerful reminder of why we’ve loved Nelson all these years.

—Chris Talbott, Associated Press

Mary J. Blige

Album: “Think Like A Man Too — Music from and Inspired by the Film” (Epic)

Grade: B

Sequels rarely outshine the originals they follow, so perhaps that’s why the team behind the “Think Like a Man” soundtrack decided to do something different with the music for the romantic comedy’s second installment.

Execs ditched the “various artists” formula — though last time it yielded a Grammy-nominated hit with John Legend’s “Tonight [Best You Ever Had]” — and instead put all their faith in a singular artist: Mary J. Blige. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul easily proves herself more than capable of exercising a vocal and emotional range to capture all the ups, downs and misfires one might expect from a movie inspired by Steve Harvey’s best-selling relationship guide book.

Harvey would certainly approve Blige’s message on the anthemic “Power Back.” “The more you do that BS, the more I keep it real,” she sings of dealing with a wishy-washy lover. “If it’s one thing men respect, it’s when we don’t react.”

Self-assured Blige is serious about commitment, and she says as much on the ominous, head nod-inducing “All Fun and Games,” produced by The-Dream. But for all Blige’s tough talking, she has a soft side, too.

She finds chemistry in the club on the delicious horn and drum-laced “See That Boy Again,” produced by Pharrell. On the growling “I Want You,” she’s all torn up inside when she spots her ex-guy with a new woman. And she’s aching to be loved “like I’m you, like I’m you, babe,” on “Self Love,” a beautifully grand track, which is easily the soundtrack’s most riveting offering.

As a whole, the “Think Like a Man Too” compilation reveals that while women and men might be closer to figuring each other out, we can never outsmart love.

—Melanie J. Sims, Associated Press