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Adele, whose 2011 album 21 recently reached 30 million in worldwide sales, is still taking her time to make new music. While her fans are anxiously waiting, a “male version Adele” is quickly rising to stardom in the UK, singing his soul out and touching listeners’ hearts, just like Adele.
不久前，阿黛尔的专辑《21》（发布于2011年）在全球的发行量超过了3000万，而她现在仍在创作新的音乐。当阿黛勒的粉丝们苦苦等待时，一位“男版”阿黛勒在英国迅速蹿红，像阿黛勒一样，他不仅唱出了自己的灵魂之音，更打动了无数听者的心。
Sam Smith, winner of the 2014 BRIT Critics’ Choice Award and the BBC’s Sound of 2014, grabbed the spotlight even before his debut album In the Lonely Hour was released in June. At the age of 22, he seems far beyond his years, with a charm that stems from years of professional training.
他就是山姆•史密斯——2014年全英音乐奖“评论选择奖”及英国BBC年度之声冠军获得者，在6月发布第一张专辑《In the Lonely Hour》之前就已经备受瞩目。这位年仅22岁的男歌手有着超越年龄的成熟与淡定，而多年的专业训练也为他带来了另一种魅力。
Born in the rural county of Cambridgeshire, England, Smith was put in formal vocal training at the age of 8 after his parents heard him singing along to Whitney Houston’s My Love Is Your Love one morning on the drive to school. Thereafter, much of his childhood and adolescence was spent in theater rehearsals.
史密斯出生在英国剑桥的乡村，在他8岁时，父母在送他上学的路上听到了他唱的惠特妮•休斯顿的《My Love Is Your Love》，之后便决定让他接受专业的声乐训练。自那之后，他的大部分童年与青春时光都在剧场的排练中度过。
Smith moved to London at the age of 18 and became a pub singer. In October 2012, he was featured on British house duo Disclosure’s breakthrough single Latch, which also became Smith’s breakthrough. Not only did Smith rise to fame along with the song, it also helped him find something he hadn’t yet explored musically: contrast. His voice has a traditional sound and lends itself well to old standards. But pairing up with Disclosure added a contemporary edge to his voice. Suddenly, he was relevant.
史密斯18岁时搬到伦敦，成为一名酒吧歌手。2012年10月，史密斯为英国浩室音乐组合Disclosure的成名单曲《Latch》献声，成为他音乐生涯的新突破。这首歌不仅让他一夜蹿红，也让他发现了之前从未尝试过的音乐风格：反差感。他正统的嗓音似乎更适合传统音乐，而与Disclosure的合作却为他的声音增添了一丝现代韵味。瞬间，他的歌就变得平易近人。
Speaking of Smith’s voice — his biggest selling point — it is deep, rich, soulful, and surprisingly mature for his young age. Thanks to that, with only one album, Smith has successfully produced the same brand of soul music with which Adele exploded onto the pop scene.
史密斯声音的最大卖点就是：深沉、饱满、穿透灵魂，总带着令人惊讶的成熟味道。正因如此，史密斯才能单凭一张专辑就帮自己打造了如同当初阿黛勒闯入流行乐坛一样的灵魂音乐品牌。
However, Smith sounds even rawer. On In the Lonely Hour, Smith’s vocals are mostly out in front of the background music, which has a direct impact on listeners. He may sing about loneliness, but what you get is the painful, suffocating feeling fostered by unrequited love.
而相比之下，史密斯的嗓音更加自然。在《In the Lonely Hour》中，他的声音总能从背景音乐中脱颖而出，直接打动听者。他用歌声诉说着孤单，你却能从中感受到无望之爱所带来的那份痛苦与压抑。
If Adele’s 21 was about a busted relationship, then Smith’s In the Lonely Hour deals with a love that never happened at all. And his vocal approach perfectly suits that theme.
如果说阿黛勒的专辑《21》诉说了一段失败的感情，那么史密斯的《In the Lonely Hour》则讲述了一段从未发生过的爱情。而他的嗓音则完美的诠释了这个主题。
