Jesse Dayton

Jesse Dayton retains a knack for upending the expected, so his wide-ranging set of covers reaches characteristically broad. Digging his heels into everything from the Clash to Gordon Lightfoot, Austin's hardcore honky-tonker also lays into the full-tilt boogie of Dr. Feelgood's "She Does It Right" and blues raucousness of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie." Although his hard drawl torques easier melodies like Elton John's "Country Comfort" less effectively, Dayton's growling makeover of Jackson Browne's "Redneck Friend" and the laid-back dance hall turn of the Cars' "Just What I Needed" crackle as smart and surprising interpretations.