Israel Nash has spent more than a decade blurring the boundaries between Americana, cosmic country, and widescreen heartland rock. On September 25, the Texas-based singer-songwriter will release his reimagining of The Byrds’ landmark 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, transforming a foundational country-rock record into something decidedly more contemporary—and unmistakably his own. “I don’t look at Sweetheart of the Rodeo as a covers album,” Nash explains. I’m changing melodies and writing new arrangements, reinterpreting an album that opened the floodgates to Americana music nearly 60 years ago. His version of Sweetheart of the Rodeo takes that philosophy one step further, using the past as raw material rather than a destination.