For his first release after signing with Mountain Home Music Company, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Smathers digs deeper into the vein of his earlier singles with a neatly multi-flavored version of “Sleepy Eyed John,” an old favorite written by a Kentucky fiddler turned Hollywood western swing musician and found in the repertoire of old-time, country, swing and bluegrass musicians alike. Yet despite the song’s enduring popularity, Smathers’ version is infused with a distinctive approach that stands out for its embodiment of the young artist’s varied musical preoccupations.

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