When '' In the Lonely Hour '' was released , it received mostly lukewarm reviews from critics , many of whom praised Smith 's singing but were critical of the songwriting . The album was a commercial success worldwide , reaching number one in Australia , Ireland , New Zealand , South Africa , Sweden and the United Kingdom . It was the second best-selling album of 2014 in the UK , and the third best-selling of 2014 in the United States . It was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards , winning the latter and losing to '' Morning Phase '' by Beck in the former . '' In the Lonely Hour '' also received a nomination for Best British Album at the 2015 Brit Awards ; the accolade ultimately went to Ed Sheeran for '' x ''
57th Annual Grammy Awards
57th Annual Grammy Awards
In the Lonely Hour