Having released his sophomore album, The Thrill Of It All, at the very end of 2017, Sam Smith was caught up with presenting this new arsenal of songs to rooms of thousands of fans each night on his world tour and seemed to have momentarily escaped the rapid whirlwind of new releases throughout 2018–apart from lending his vocals to Calvin Harris' "Promises." The album was an capsule of emotional outpours of confessions, regrets, and hopeful wishes, and showed the singer in the all of the R&B and Pop spaces he dominates best on his own. Apart from YEBBA assisted "No Peace" and a remix of "Pray" featuring Logic, Smith's discography suggests that he tends to keep his work to himself, making collaborations a scarce commodity. With his latest release, it appears that sure to be breakout pop artist, and former Fifth Harmony member, Normani had what it takes to get Smith on board with sharing the spotlight.
Coming in at just under three minutes in length, "Dancing With A Stranger" is short and sweet. Smith and Normani manage to eradicate any sense of time as the track's conclusion allows for a satisfyingly smooth loop right back into its beginning. Rather than allowing overpowering productions to steal their moment, the two singers stand out as they float along a bass driven track. Normani delivers her strongest vocals on a track as a solo artist thus far while Smith continues to serve effortlessly graceful arrangements, as always. The song is infectious in a different way than that word is normally used in addressing pop songs. It urges you to take another listen, or twenty, not for the purpose of keeping an endless dance party going, but to lengthen a moment of tranquility as the serenity of their vocals cascade around you.
Connect with Sam Smith: Twitter / Spotify / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook
Connect with Normani: Twitter / Spotify / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook
