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Every time I hear a new B.J. Smith record, I’m reminded why I fell in love with his sound in the first place. There’s always that balance between craft and feeling, an acoustic warmth that carries you somewhere between Balearic sunrise and deep emotional storytelling. Whether you know him from his work with Smith & Mudd, Bison, White Elephant or JIM alongside Crazy P’s James Baron, B.J. has always been quietly crafting timeless, soul-soaked music that speaks directly to the heart.
Now, he’s back with a new chapter in his beloved Dedications To The Greats series on NuNorthern Soul. On Vol. 4, B.J. turns his attention to Don’t Be Cruel, inspired by Billy Swan’s cover of the Elvis Presley classic. The idea started as a shared love of Swan’s version between B.J. and pedal steel master Joe Harvey-Whyte, whose playing runs like golden thread through the entire release.
The record unfolds like a journey. The 14-minute Mother Earth version opens with spacious acoustic textures and dreamy pedal steel before easing into a hypnotic groove that stretches and breathes. Then Earth Heart brings us a beautiful vocal moment, joined by Tamar Osborn’s soft and melodic flute lines. The closing Root Heart Instrumental feels like a postcard from another world, soulful, calm, and deeply human, with every note placed exactly where it needs to be.
Like everything on NuNorthern Soul, this release captures more than just sound. It’s about mood, emotion, and the shared energy that connects musicians and listeners across time. It’s the kind of music that reminds you to slow down, listen, and really feel.
The first vinyl record I bought on my own after seeing them on Top of the Pops. I love the fact they had two drum kits.
I had this album on cassette in my Sony Walkman on repeat. The album sounded amazing to my ears and her voice velvety and smooth. It makes sense to me now that the album connected with me, because the producer was Gary Katz with session players Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Steely Dan has been a huge influence on my musical beginnings.
Like many of my generation, the Monkees TV show was a huge part of our lives and the Head album inspired me to explore home-made ‘sonic painting’ using old radios, cassette tapes and vinyl to make my own weird collages of music and dialogue.
This ignited something wild in me. I was a rebel spy leaping from as high as I dared. I didn’t watch the film till much later in life, so I had my own images to imagine alongside the sound track
Another huge influence on me. I continue to follow David Byrne and his whacky thoughtful output. This track has one of those drop moments in it that demands attention. The groove drop at 4:50 that goes into the solo is hypnotic.
Pixies were with me in the lows and highs of teenage land. They helped me learn guitar through hours playing along to their tunes. Ana stands out as a perfectly shaped poem or love. They were the first band to introduce me to odd bar counts and key modulations – subtle technical stuff that elevated the music and wasn’t ‘too clever’.
I spent hours and hours with the tunes on their Jazz Samba album. The live recordings have a magic about them. I would play along as if I was in the room with them. The chords I learnt here got me the nickname ‘Mr Jazz Progression’. Jazz Samba and Bossa Nova were a huge influence on my playing and subsequently on the sound of the bands I formed.
Mid 1990s my first was born. Science For The Senses. Jake Burdess on electric guitar and vocals, me on acoustic guitar, Matt Klose on drums, and Crazy P’s Chris Todd. We all listened to this album over and over again.
I discovered Axelrod through DJ Shadow (Mo’Wax and Ninja Tune), who sampled this tune for Midnight in a Perfect World. The explorative dynamics of the album Earth Rot, particularly The Signs Part 1, and the story telling in these arrangements influenced my approach to reworking Don’t Be Cruel.
When starting new projects, I sketch several versions out on one page and work them all up to see which one stands strong. Sometimes all the sketches become one new idea. This project ended up with 3 alternate ideas I couldn’t let go of and thankfully NuNorthern Soul agreed all three should get released. I used the same writing method that I used for my ‘From The Ash’ release on NuNorthern Soul. A pre digital approach: no drop ins, long form recordings, let the tune end when it wants to end.
A big thank you to B.J. Smith for sharing the tracks and stories that shaped his journey. From his early love of Adam & The Ants and The Monkees, to the deep inspiration from Talking Heads, Pixies, DJ Spinna, Charlie Byrd, and Dave Axelrod, you can hear all those layers echoing through his work today.
His new release, Dedications To The Greats Vol. 4, is more than a tribute, it’s a conversation between eras, between artists, between emotions. It’s warm, reflective, and timeless. Go give it a listen, get your hands on the vinyl, and support the independent labels and artists who keep real musical storytelling alive.
For more stories like this, visit dirtydiscoradio.com, where we keep shining light on the creators who give the underground its heartbeat
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DJ | MUSIC CURATOR & SELECTOR | PODCAST MAKER | BLOGGER Professional online interpreneur. Coffee practitioner. Electronic music culture maven. Total music guru. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Food & sports fanatic.
If you’ve ever danced to a Sean McCabe record, you’ll know there’s something timeless in his sound, a warmth, a groove, a sense of soul that bridges the best of […]
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