Sam Smith shot to international fame over the last year with a bevy of hits. His album In the Lonely Hour was one of the top albums of 2014. Last year, Smith released a new edition of his smash album called In the Lonely Hour: Drowning Shadows Edition. Not only does this feature brand new songs by Smith (you need to hear “Drowning Shadows” – seriously), but it also features a beautiful rendition of Whitney Houston’s chart topper “How Will I Know.”
Smith slows down the song and features his beautiful voice with a single piano which makes the upbeat pop song have a little more soul. While no one but Whitney Houston can be Whitney Houston, Smith holds his own making this track on his new album a must-hear. Smith also makes the song gender-neutral, so that anyone and everyone can relate to the words.
It’s pretty clear that everything Smith touches practically turns to gold. That was evident with his release of amazing hits like “I’m Not the Only One” and “Lay Me Down” which he also re-recorded with John Legend. Also on the In the Lonely Hour: Drowning Shadows Edition album, he has taken some of his hits and remade them with artists like A$AP Rocky and Mary J. Blige.
Even with all of the success Smith has had, it’s been a tough year for him. In 2015, Smith had to cancel the rest of his worldwide tour due to vocal hemorrhaging. He then underwent vocal hemorrhaging surgery in June to have the issue corrected. There is a chance with this surgery that the singer could experience voice changes, but it’s clear that Smith is back without an issue!
While all of Smith’s songs are tops on many of my lists, he really out does himself with this wonderful rendition of “How Will I Know.” There is no doubt in my mind that if Whitney Houston was here today that she would be so proud that her song has been made into such an impressive ballad. I, for one, am excited to see what’s next for Smith.