Sam Smith’s “The Thrill of It All,” released Friday, introduces some change and growth in Smith’s musical style. The album is full of Smith’s signature belting voice, honest thoughts about relationships and love and the hybrid of sadness and hope Smith first introduced on his 2014 debut, “The Lonely Hour.”

“The Thrill of It All” is bigger and more grandiose than Smith’s debut album. Smith experiments with fuller songs, complementing his piano work with guitars, drums, electronic percussion, choir work and other musical elements throughout.

Smith’s most powerful instrument is still his voice; his opening croons on “Too Good At Goodbyes” stir the soul, and it isn’t until he truly unleashes during the chorus that Smith shows the control he has over his voice.

His softer tones sound more powerful than most vocalists’ full strength, and when he truly lets loose building to beautiful heights, the listener can feel his emotion deep within.

“One Last Song,” the album’s third track, is one of the fuller tracks on the album. Smith sings over a giddy drum and high-hat beat, scatting with his voice, experimenting with higher tones and a faster musical flow, all layered over beautiful choir work.

One of the most powerful songs on the album is “HIM,” which opens like a prayer with the line, “Holy Father.”

Smith seeks to reconcile the love he feels with the religious version of love as he sings, “say I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t give up his touch. It is him I love, it is him. Don’t you try and tell me that God doesn’t care for us. It is him I love, it is him I love.”

The song builds powerfully. Starting with a lower tone and darker musical element, it rises as Smith sings. A background gospel choir brings about images of a southern church, stereotypically deemed proprietors of the anti-homosexual attitudes Smith is decrying. The song ends by cutting to his ultimate signature sound, just his voice over a soft piano, “I love him.”

The title track “The Thrill of It All” sounds the most familiar to Smith’s debut album. Smith sings cautiously, sounding almost breathless, singing with a piano that sounds far away. He goes into higher tones as he sings about lost love, using the pitch of his voice to weave a story about cheating on his partner.

The album is a solid second effort from Smith, capitalizing on his strengths while also reaching for new territory. He moves from simple arrangements to a more complex production, using his voice as the primary driver of the album.

Smith experiments with songs that go beyond love and heartbreak; he delves into complex spiritual, political and social issues. Smith is paving his own way in the music industry; he reminds the auto-tune and electronic-crazed pop music of the power of raw talent and refined skill.