Artist to Keep an Eye On: James Smith Captivates with the Fiery “Dancing with You (Baby),” a Future Classic - Atwood Magazine

      Warm, nostalgic, and beautifully captivating, James Smith’s “Dancing with You (Baby)” encapsulates the essence of romance in a haunting and evocative reflection on memory, love, and desire, solidifying the East London artist as a rising, timeless voice—a soulful artisan whose musicianship and deep emotion distinguish him from the rest.

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      Stream: “Dancing With You (Baby)” – James Smith

      It was a love of a different nature—now solitude has become a companion of mine…

      * * *

      The first moment you hear that opening guitar riff—warm, simmering, and steeped in longing—you feel as if you’re entering a faded snapshot.

      “Dancing with You (Baby)” draws you in immediately, intertwining memory and melody into something rich, authentic, and deeply engaging. It has a bluesy, nostalgic feel—both tender and tumultuous. James Smith, a man with what seems to be one of the most common names in the Western Hemisphere, distinctly sets himself apart: His voice resonates with raw emotion as he lingers in the shadows of what once was, ensnared in a yearning he can’t quite escape.

      Dancing With You (Baby) – James Smith

      It was a love of a different kind

      Now loneliness is a friend of mine

      I’m looking back on the summer nights

      When life felt so much more fulfilling

      Dancing with you, baby

      Oh, I can’t help but remember

      The way you moved, baby

      Back when we felt

      So alive

      It feels like I’m wasting all my time

      Not dancing with you, baby

      Dancing with you, baby

      Smith’s first release since his highly praised debut Common People, “Dancing with You (Baby)” serves as both a continuation and a bold forward leap. “It’s a track I’ve held on to for the past few years,” Smith shares with Atwood Magazine. “I wrote it specifically about a summer a couple of years back when my partner and I used to dance around the kitchen with the radio playing. The lyrics are pretty straightforward! This song is a nostalgic glance back at the ‘honeymoon phase’ and how insignificant everything feels when you first fall in love.”

      That feeling resonates in every lyric. “Stumbling around on the kitchen floor to our favorite song on the radio. There was nothing that could break us when our heartbeats synced.” Smith vividly captures the glow of youthful love, balancing the thrill of memory with the pain of separation. “Oh, I just can’t stop remembering how you moved, baby. Back when we used to feel so alive.”

      Stumbling around on the kitchen floor

      To our favorite song on the radio

      There was nothing that could break us

      When our heartbeats synced together

      Now every time I close my eyes

      I’m taken back to that peace of mind

      I keep them shut because I wish I

      Could stay right here forever

      James Smith © 2025

      Musically, the track exemplifies warm restraint. That lead guitar—pure and expressive—creates a sound reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and John Mayer, two of Smith’s main inspirations (and conveniently, two of my favorites. Coincidence? I think not). “I’d say Continuum and Rumours are definitely on my list of desert island discs haha!” he mentions. “Continuum is so beautifully recorded and really influenced this record.”

      Appropriately, the song was captured live in a single take at London's iconic Konk Studios. “I didn’t have a specific plan for the song initially—it just came to me one morning while I was experimenting on my guitar. But in the recording phase,” Smith recalls, “I knew I wanted to produce it in a real studio (instead of my small room in North London). So, I spent some time at Konk Studios, which is such a magical place founded by the Kinks, and many legendary records have been created there. ‘Dancing with You’ ended up being recorded in one live take, and I’m extremely proud of how authentic and cool it was to do it that way!”

      Dancing with you, baby

      Oh, I just can’t help but remember

      The way you moved, baby

      Back when we felt

      So alive

      It feels like I’m wasting all my time

      Not dancing with you, baby

      Dancing with you, baby

      James Smith © 2025

      Ten months after Common People, Smith expresses that this new song signifies both a quick return and an artistic growth. “Less than a year later, and I’m already back in the game!” he laughs. “I truly love that album, but it feels like a different version of me. I began writing those songs in my early twenties, and I’m pushing 27 now. It was a labor of love that opened many doors for me. Touring Europe with