To mark the 30th anniversary of his band, the Night Drivers, Chris Jones revisits the country-leaning sound that has long shaped his bluegrass songwriting. His latest single, “How Small of Me,” released via Mountain Home Music Company, combines mid-1960s country stylings with acoustic sound and understated vocal interplay.
Co-written with folk stalwart John McCutcheon, the song meditates on pride, forgiveness, and hindsight, built around a chorus that captures the vulnerability at the heart of the lyric:
How small of me to think the least of you / How blind was I, I never tried to see the longer view…
Jones anchors the arrangement with his acoustic guitar and lead vocal, while his longtime bandmates, Mark Stoffel (mandolin), Grace van’t Hof (baritone ukulele), and former member Jon Weisberger (upright bass), form the song’s spare yet expressive foundation. Chris Scruggs (of Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives) adds pedal steel lines that nod to George Jones-era Nashville. The track maintains a restrained, acoustic setting while subtly invoking the emotional sweep of vintage country ballads.
Jim Lauderdale joins Jones for the first time on record, adding a well-matched harmony line. The collaboration also carries a theatrical footnote: Lauderdale once portrayed George Jones on stage. Their musical familiarity spans decades, though “How Small of Me” marks their first shared studio performance.
Jones and McCutcheon, frequent collaborators on festival stages but not in the writing room, began co-writing in 2023. This song emerged from those sessions and highlights their shared interest in melodic clarity and lyrical introspection.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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