“American Drifter” EP by Jacob Jones

Country music doesn’t get more traditional than it does on American Drifter, in the latest installment of EP’s by Jacob Jones, and it also couldn’t be more self-aware oriented, as well as historically proudly written and produced. The tracks all center around Jones’ military upbringing, which often gets referred to as any army brat, but Jones’ father was in the Navy, so this is an homage of sorts to his father’s service. Every track is based around something from his experience as a military kid and adult living in Nashville, but who’s lived everywhere and professes to be from nowhere at the same time.

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Safe to say these tracks are all about the life of the artist himself, and his surroundings growing up and beyond, including the ups and downs and all around factors that come with serving in the military and how it impacts the environment wherever it dwells, but these eight tracks are the beginning of what’s culminating into a twenty-one track album in 2026. I can’t predict what’s the be heard on said album, but it’s all concept driven, unlike other releases on the Jacob Jones catalog.

“Son of a Military Man” starts the EP in what might be a predictable fashion, but it also gets that obviousness out of the way, but essentially follows traditional country songwriting to complete it, and the singing and playing match the quality of the overall well-crafted track. You can’t ask for a better way to open such an homage to patriotism and soldiers, told by the son of one he witnessed first-hand as they moved around the country from base to base. Jones makes no secret and plays no mystery throughout the tracks on American Drifter, starting with this perfect lead-off track.

“The Fallen Stood” plays a little longer in the lyrics department, getting more complex with a story of the fallen and what the flag they protect stands for, paying respects to the deceased for our national security. This track also maintains a more complex musical arrangement to round it out with pure excellence. “Even Heros Need Saving” is a more difficult topic in the lyrics over a more rollicking backing track with some nice lap steel to top it off, with an overall sense of urgency in the verses, almost as if to be in the act of saving.

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/american-drifter/1846542253

The songs on American Drifter get better as they go, but they also come out even by the time it’s over, so there’s no space without good music or words to be heard on the EP, and that includes “Another Angel,” the 9/11 tribute track “September 12th” and “Homeless Man” all keeping perspective with the military focus, explaining some of the state of the nation in the process, where a vet should never have to be homeless. “Over a Beer (feat. Michael Warren)” slows the pace down for another perspective, a conversational and reflective track with a warm sense of humor ending the EP with “Tears on my Dogtags” being less of a tearjerker than the title suggests but gets the point across anyway.

Nicole Killian