At 17, Jack Barksdale has yet to get his driver’s license. But he’s got a good excuse. He’s been too busy navigating existentialism and the meaning of life and death.

The Fort Worth singer-songwriter and guitarist is a textbook example of an old soul, writing tunes about topics his peers won’t be thinking about for decades, if ever: “The End of Days,” “Martyrs,” “God Is Dead, I Am Dead, And So Are You” are three song titles from Voices, his latest album of somber country-folk.

It’s heavy stuff coming from a musician who until recently sang in the soft, high-pitched voice of a child. He’s been releasing records since he was 11, but now that his voice has dropped, Barksdale may be finally ready for prime time.

Truly Handmade Records, the label run by the estate of Texas folk legend G

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