Something Beautiful (Jordan Smith album)

History

On December 15, 2015, Jordan Smith was crowned the winner of season nine of The Voice. Three days later, Smith told Entertainment Weekly, "I'm very, very adamant about getting my music out there as quickly as possible and the label is with me in that effort."

Smith announced in February 2016 that he was working on the album with David Foster and Stephan Moccio. The track list for Something Beautiful was announced at the same time as the release of its first single, "Stand in the Light".

Something Beautiful was released on March 18, 2016, and features 12 songs comprising a mix of covers and original material. Two additional tracks are included on the Walmart edition. The album debuted at number two on the iTunes Store album sales list; it took the top spot on March 22. Smith entered the Billboard top 200 albums chart for the week of April 9, 2016, debuting at number two behind This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the first number one debut by The Voice coach Gwen Stefani. Something Beautiful was the highest entry and best sales week ever for any contestant on The Voice, and the top debut for any new artist in 2016 through March. The album has sold 73,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016.

Singles

"Stand in the Light" was released to digital retailers as the lead single on February 12, 2016. The accompanying music video premiered on March 4. The song experienced moderate success, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart and at number 25 on the magazine's Adult Contemporary airplay chart.

Critical reception

iTunes' editorial staff praised Smith's "fearless, confident singing, which elevates even the simplest phrases into stirring statements." AllMusic noted Smith's "relentless good cheer. He's just ... happy to be singing," and the listener's enjoyment "depends entirely on how ingratiating you find that starry-eyed optimism." Starpulse wrote, "Smith’s instrument is stronger than Something Beautiful in itself, hence making this debut one that’s satisfying and better than expected".

Jake's Take offered a B+ grade for the connection Smith had with the album's songs, but would prefer that "Jordan and the Republic Records team find high quality original material" for Smith's next effort. The Knoxville News Sentinel gave the album three stars (out of five) for its "entirely too cautious" approach and "safe but beautiful" songs: Smith's take on "You Are So Beautiful" is "embarrassingly sterilized"; his cover of "Beautiful", however, "is the album highlight as he taps into the life-affirming lyrics with touching gentleness." AXS wrote, "Voice fans who purchase the record won't be disappointed ... but it still feels like the real Jordan Smith has yet to stand up."