"Rough with the Smooth" is a song by British singer-songwriter Shara Nelson, released in September 1995 by Cooltempo as the first single from her second solo album, Friendly Fire (1995).

The song was written by Nelson with Ashley Beedle and Marc Woolford, and produced by Michael Peden.

Thirty seconds in and I had great plans for Single of the Week — a minute later it's become, bizarrely, 'The Kids from Fame'.

"[2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media named the song Single of the Week, writing, "Many so-called "dance divas" pretend they can sing; Shara is for real.

"[3] Johnny Cigarettes from NME said, "'Rough with the Smooth' is a swaying, swinging gospel-inflected love song that's not quite in the same league as such epic spine-tinglers as 'One Goodbye in Ten' or 'Inside Out', but will still make your coffee table move its feet.