Sam Smith never fails to deliver through his songs. Be it about infidelity or staying strong for a relationship, the genius behind In the Lonely Hour always creates something magical whenever his songs play. “Like I Can,” for its part, impressively captures attention since the first line when Sam sings, “He could be a sinner or a gentleman.” What follows is a vocal parade where Sam displays his immense musical prowess, in different layers that penetrates even the innermost partition of the heart. Oh, Sam! If Adele were a guy, she would definitely be you.
“’Cause he’ll never love you like I can, can, can,” Sam professed. In terms of vocal talent, though, no one can sing like he can. The shift from Sam’s soft voice to full display of ability is amusingly gripping. From the beginning of the song until the chorus when Sam sings, “Why are you looking down all the wrong roads / When mine is the heart and the soul that is sore,” it has been a rollercoaster of emotions beautifully delivered by him.
There is a very likable quality in Sam’s voice where it can be vulnerable, but at the same time, it can be aggressive. He can deliver a yearning performance while maintaining a very manly quality to it, which is far from being cheesily pathetic. It is just simply a delivery that stays true to the integrity of the song’s sentiment.
Sam Smith is a breath of fresh air in music today. He sings about emotions when people keep talking about nonsensical themes. He displays what he is capable of, when others downplay their talent to fit the pop stereotype. “Like I Can” is definitely something that shows how original Sam Smith is as an artist. He sings straight from the gut, and that enables him to create a sound unlike anything else. It helps, too, that he writes his own songs. That way, he can dig to where the emotions are coming from.
Sam’s choice of singles is really interesting. From the emotional depth of “I’m Not The Only One,” he (or his team) intelligently chose a playfully aggressive follow-up through “Like I Can.” It works, because it shows people how many dimensions there is in one Sam Smith.