Eschewing the slick sound of Nashville pop in favor of the time-honored tunesmithing of Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Lefty Frizzell, and others, Blackie Jackett Jr's emotional intensity and faithfulness to honky-tonk tenets comes as a pleasant surprise in a musical atmosphere that’s too often about chasing the next throwaway hit single.

But that’s not the only surprise here. Blackie Jackett, Jr. isn’t a person; it’s a band. And not just any band: it’s the side project of James Black and ...