Balearic Americana: B.J. Smith’s Dedications To The Greats Vol.4 With Joe Harvey-Whyte
- Phat Phil Cooper
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 27
Long-time NuNorthern Soul contributor B.J. Smith is a man in constant motion. Alongside his solo output, he divides his time between playing guitar in Crazy P man James Baron’s JIM outfit, contributing to acclaimed projects such as Smith & Mudd, Bison and White Elephant, and composing various library music as Movedrill Productions.
It’s been a while since Smith added to his much-loved Dedications To The Greats series, which began on NuNorthern Soul in 2013 with striking reworks of tracks by Mos Def and The Pharcyde.
Later volumes saw him turn his hand to Outkast, Prefab Sprout and Soul II Soul, each treated with his signature blend of warmth and invention.
Now, five years on, Smith returns with Dedications To The Greats Vol. 4. This time he offers a “cover of a cover” – a bold reinterpretation of Billy Swan’s version of Don’t Be Cruel, itself made famous by Elvis Presley. The project emerged from Smith’s shared love of Swan’s recording with pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, whose plaintive, expressive touch is central to the EP.
It was a shared love of Swan’s tender take that brought Smith together with Joe Harvey-Whyte – the London-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and pedal steel innovator whose reputation has been growing steadily across the UK’s experimental, folk and ambient scenes.
Harvey-Whyte has built his name by reframing the pedal steel for modern ears, pushing it beyond its country roots into new ambient and cinematic spaces, while also working with an impressive list of collaborators ranging from Liam Gallagher and Billy Bragg to Nilüfer Yanya and The Magic Numbers. On Dedications To The Greats Vol.4, his lilting, bittersweet pedal steel is given pride of place – the emotional heart of the record.
Across three distinct takes, Smith and Harvey-Whyte weave something both expansive and intimate. Leading the set is the 14-minute Mother Earth version, where rippling acoustic guitars, reverb-laden pedal steel and Smith’s wordless vocals drift into a slow, hypnotic groove. It’s a spacious journey that unfolds with languid solos, gentle percussion and hazy organ motifs, sounding worlds apart from either Presley or Swan.
The Earth Heart version – presented in both vocal and instrumental form – takes a different path, pushing the song’s lyric and melody to the fore. Here, Tamar Osborn’s graceful flute lines intertwine with guitar and pedal steel before Smith’s heartfelt vocal enters. The arrangement swells and recedes in waves, building patiently towards a powerful close.
Rounding out the release, the Root Heart Instrumental fuses Balearic breeziness with Americana tones. Shuffling drums, sun-lit acoustic strums, warm bass and Harvey-Whyte’s pedal steel combine to create a glowing, love-soaked sunset moment.
The result is another inspired chapter in Smith’s ongoing exploration of other people’s songs – familiar yet transformed, timeless yet utterly his own.
The vinyl is officially released end of October 2025 on NuNorthern Soul and will be available in all decent vinyl emporiums and on our Bandcamp via the button below.
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