THE DEATH OF PRINT JOURNALISM: AS "GOOD" AS IT GETS

Sam Smith returns to the limelight with a big new single ahead of a powerful full-length. The Capitol superstar, who scooped up four big Grammy wins two years ago, has been warming up for bigger stages with a series of intimate shows that have amped up the already deafening buzz. Though when approached about being on the cover of our misbegotten rag, he probably wishes he'd told us to buzz off.

Capitol boss Steve Barnett is hailing the return of singer/songwriter supreme and Grammy magnet Sam Smith, whose "Too Good at Goodbyes"—the soulful first salvo from his hotly anticipated new album, due this fall—is flying at radio, retail and streaming. Add smashes from Niall Horan and Halsey, plus an eagerly awaited set from another Grammy winner, Beck, and you have the makings of a Towering Q4. Though Steve's appearance here is making him want to say his own "Goodbyes."