At just 23 years old, Jackson Dean feels like one of country music’s older souls. The Maryland-bred singer-songwriter won a broad range of fans with his contemplative songwriting and larger-than-life voice on 2022’s Greenbroke, which landed the young artist tour slots with the likes of Brooks & Dunn and Miranda Lambert and song placements on major TV shows like Yellowstone. On the Back of My Dreams picks up where Greenbroke left off, but the Luke Dick-produced album is no retread. The record opens with “Big Blue Sky,” a midtempo Southern rocker that sonically recalls Chris Stapleton and showcases Dean’s narrative-songwriting prowess. “Daddy Raised” is bold and swaggering, with a particularly fiery performance from Dean’s band, who joined him recording the album. “Duct Tape Heart” puts a groovy new spin on a heartbreak tune, with funky guitar and whining harmonica to boot. And the emotional centerpiece of On the Back of My Dreams is “Heavens to Betsy,” a live favorite about a flawed father yearning for redemption from beyond the grave.