Photo Credit: Susannah Appleby
James Smith – I Stood There Naked…
Album Launch – 1st November at BelloBar, Dublin
Following the raw grief of his debut …And You Chose Not to Laugh, James Smith returns with its luminous sister album, ‘I Stood There Naked….‘ Where the first record wrestled with loss — written for the child he and his wife never got to meet — this new collection finds its spark in the birth of their daughter Connie. Love, silliness, and renewal weave through every track, carrying the intimacy of family life into widescreen arrangements.
Smith explains:
“Connie brought a huge inspiration to my life, and it can be heard across the record. Our bond, the silliness we share, the love that has filled my life — that’s what this album is about.”
Recorded, mixed, and produced entirely by Smith at Hellfire Studios (with contributions from some of Ireland’s finest players), the album is bold yet delicate, personal yet expansive. Over ten musicians feature across its acoustic-driven palette, with strings from the ORA Quartet and brass from Paul Kiernan, Hannah Miller, and Krists Liepa. The result is a record that is both intimate diary and showcase of Irish talent.
That balance between warmth and revelation continues here. Songs like ‘Desireland‘ carry a playful lightness, framing a tender feud between father and daughter, while Bassinet overflows with joy, showing how fatherhood reframed life and gave Smith a renewed sense of purpose.
In ‘Hand Me Down Kid‘, he meditates on the sacrifices of an artist, finding dignity in limitation, while ‘Nature Nurture‘ imagines a simpler life free from the constant noise of work, where stillness and family take precedence.
Lyrically vulnerable and sonically rich, Smith threads everyday intimacy with big emotional truths. On ‘So Low‘, he reflects on the shift from despair to love: “Before I knew your love / I was so low.”
On ‘The Car 2‘, a fractured relationship is pieced together in roadside moments, while ‘Cornershop‘ and ‘Josie‘ stretch family histories into universal meditations on resilience and memory.
Having honed his craft as engineer/producer for Irish acts like Big Sleep, Zaska, Rodney Paz, Cardinals, Krea, and Sundown, Smith brings that experience to his own music with newfound confidence. His live shows, though rare due to family life, have developed a reputation for being electric, intimate, and unmissable.
The journey comes together on November 1st at BelloBar, where James Smith will launch ‘I Stood There Naked…‘ in full. Eventbrite
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