Track Review: Sam Smith Links Up With Burna Boy On "My Oasis"

After delaying and retitling their To Die For album due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam Smith has returned with their first new track in three months. Titled "My Oasis" and featuring Burna Boy, the new single follows the underwhelming "I'm Ready," a duet with Demi Lovato.

Produced by Jimmy Napes (Taylor Swift, Madonna) and Ilya (Ariana Grande, Beyoncé), "My Oasis" fits right in line with the atmospheric sparkly midtempo sound that has characterized most of Sam's music post-The Thrill Of It All. From the stunning Normani collab, "Dancing with a Stranger," to "How Do You Sleep" and "To Die For," Sam's recent singles have been lush soundscapes of bubbly synths, yearning lyrics, and strong percussion that anchors the tempo. On "My Oasis," Sam sings "keep thinkin' that I'm seein' water/You're playing tricks on me in the sun" as they liken burgeoning love to an oasis. In a similar way to the production, lyrically, "My Oasis" connects to Sam's previous singles in a way that elevates them from the general melancholy of their previous work to something more cautiously hopeful. Burna Boy's deep smoky tone is the perfect contrast to Sam's lighter voice, although it does feel like he was a bit of an afterthought. He appears on the second verse, which is entirely too short, and a quick outro. Burna sounds excellent on this dreamy production and it would have been great to hear more of him. In short, "My Oasis" is another solid offering from Sam's upcoming EP. The track proves that "I'm Ready" was a definite misstep, but Sam is back on track.

Score: 60