Smooth gained international acclaim with the release of his late 1980s tracks "Promised Land" (featuring Anthony Thomas), "They Want to be Free," and "I Try." He is best known for "Promised Land," which spoke of how humans, as brothers and sisters, should unite in love and thrive in paradise. Joe Smooth's song has been covered several times and is still played today. Originally released in 1987, it peaked at #56 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1989 following the Top 40 success of a cover version by The Style Council. An album became available in 1988, and a music video was produced for the single. A follow-up album, Rejoice, was released in 1990, which featured the hit single "They Want to be Free." Smooth helped influence a decade of house and dance music elements in mainstream pop throughout the 90s. By the new millennium he was approached to work with many Pop, R&B, and other genre icons like Destiny's Child, Whitney Houston, and Cisqo. In October 2004, "Promised Land" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Within the game, the song could be heard playing on the fictional House Music radio station SF-UR. Joe Smooth has released on labels such as Trax Records & D.J. International and continues to DJ worldwide at some of the globes most renowned venues.