Steve Earle is no stranger to paying homage to the songwriters who shaped him. In 2009, Earle released the album Townes, a heartfelt tribute to the late, great Townes Van Zandt. A decade later, Earle explored the songs of Guy Clark with 2019’s GUY, three years after Clark’s death. Here, Earle plumbs the depths of Texas transplant Jerry Jeff Walker, one of Americana and outsider country’s most respected singer-songwriters. Earle and his band the Dukes tackle Walker’s songs with the utmost reverence, as on a cover of “Mr. Bojangles,” one of Walker’s biggest hits, and a playful, swinging take on “Gettin’ By,” on which Earle delightfully changes Walker’s opening monologue. While Earle’s own music carries the legacies of the artists who shaped him, projects like Jerry Jeff offer an intimate, at times enlightening look at one of country’s finest living songwriters—and those who preceded him.