B.J. Smith

B.J. Smith’s Dedications to the Greats series has always been about reverence — not imitation, but transformation — and this fourth instalment, a tender reimagining of “Don’t Be Cruel,” is no exception.

Joined by pedal steel sorcerer Joe Harvey-Whyte, Smith drifts the Elvis classic through a haze of Balearic soul, cosmic country, and dusk-lit melancholy.

The result shimmers like an old photograph left too long in the sun — familiar, faded, yet glowing with new warmth. Gentle guitar phrasing, amber-toned steel slides, and whispered vocals create a dreamstate where Americana meets seaside ambient.

It’s devotional music for slow Sundays and golden hours — nostalgic, weightless, and quietly transcendent.