The Best Albums of the Decade, Ranked

Published on January 29, 2020 By Mathew Cohen

21. Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour, (2014)

This London-based singer-songwriter burst onto the scene with a debut studio album driven by emotional ballads such as Lay Me Down and I’m Not the Only One. The gospel-infused Stay With Me went on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year as well as Song of the Year, while the album itself remained on the year-end Billboard 200 chart until 2018.

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This album went on to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year as well as Best Pop Vocal Album. At the 2015 Brit Awards, the English singer-songwriter received both the Best British Breakthrough and Global Success awards.