Writing a new tune that sounds like it could be an old one is no easy task, but it seems to be second nature for multi-instrumentalist Andy Leftwich. Not only that, the Mountain Home Music Company artist has an uncanny ability to write a melody that, even as it sounds old, can maintain its integrity and interest while flowing without interruption from traditional to contemporary contexts and back again.

The Tennessee native gives a master lesson in the process with “Jackson’s Ground,” his third single for 2021, and demonstrates his command of yet another instrument—the mandola, a mandolin’s larger cousin—along the way. Backed by favored collaborators Cody Kilby (guitar), Scott Vestal (banjo) and Mark Schatz (bass), Leftwich lays out a slinky, two-part melody on mandola and fiddle, then turns the spotlight over to Kilby and Vestal for a brief ride before bringing the mandola front and center once again—and then, halfway through the already mesmerizing performance, he gives the tune a twist that takes it into moodier, modern territory, and then on through successive turns that lead to an engagingly rhythmic, high-energy ending.

“This is a tune that I wrote on my mandola, and decided to name after my old dog, Jackson,” notes Leftwich. “There was an area in our yard where he would run and play, and I always referred to it as ‘Jackson’s ground’ whenever we would be outside. This song depicts the fun spirit and exciting nature he had, and I always think of him whenever I play it.”

While dog lovers may get an extra measure of enjoyment from visualizing the inspiration for “Jackson’s Ground,” listeners of every sort will find plenty of delight in this musical excursion that proves once again that Andy Leftwich is emerging as a force to be reckoned with in the world of acoustic roots music.