I couldn’t buy into Sam Smith’s album last year at all, but switching from cloying, whitebread soul to livelier, more dance-oriented like Disclosure works wonders on this track. It moves in a way that gets you moving, and the melody gives Smith ample opportunity to show off a fabulous falsetto. The young man could always croon admirably, but he grooves like Curtis Mayfield on “Omen”, and it’s wonderful to hear. ADRIEN BEGRAND [7/10]
Being immune to the charms of the British soul-pop revival of recent years (Winehouse, Adele, Duffy, et al.), the first time I saw Sam Smith on TV I thought it was a parody. The hair, the suit, the highly mannered delivery, it all seemed too much to be in earnest. Anyhow, if all your Best of the 80s CDs have fallen into a wood-chipper, then this will no doubt fill that hole. On the other hand, if 1987 isn’t your year zero, then the sound of the busy, high, multi-tracked vocals in the chorus will make you feel as if you’ve inhaled hairspray. Either way, this is going to be huge. — PAUL DUFFUS [6/10]
Like with most breakout hits, there seem to be two very distinct camps that either love or hate Sam Smith depending on which side of the field they’re on. I concede to the fact that I’m more dedicated to the former than the latter; it’s hard to even fathom disliking a man with as positive a celebrity image and as strong an artistic presence that he maintains. I’m not the biggest fan of Disclosure — EDM is a genre that I can respect, but not one that I’m often buddies within the confines of my own listening compound back home—and frankly, the “nevers” emanating throughout “Latch” annoyed the hell out of me. “Omen”, though, is something that I can get behind. The chorus isn’t as immediately catchy as “Latch”, but it feels much more sinewy than the megahit. It’s much less ready to follow the former in terms of sales, but it feels like the better song to me. — JONATHAN FRAHM [6/10]