Newcomer Jay Smart wisely covers Haley Bonar's 'Kismet Kill'

When it comes to turning people on to new music, it doesn't get much newer than Jay Smart. And rarely does it seem this promising.

At 24 years old, Smart is a newcomer to both Minneapolis and America. He's only been playing guitar a few years. He's yet to put out a record. As of two months ago, he was close to being a complete unknown in the music scene.

Now, he's a must-hear. The main — but far from only — reason for the buzz is his re-recording of a Haley Bonar song that itself is very new. (Listen here.)

"I recorded it as soon as I heard it, I was so blown away," Smart said of Bonar's "Kismet Kill," the single from the local indie-rock vet's latest album, "Impossible Dream."

Smart turned the frayed, stormy rocker into a slow, dramatic acoustic ballad sung in his willowy but soulful voice, part Jeff Buckley and part Terence Trent D'Arby (look him up, kids). Bonar was greatly impressed. So were 89.3 the Current's tastemakers, who put the cover version in rotation alongside Bonar's original. Still, nobody really knew who he was.

He's a native of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, which he called in his British-sounding accent "an interesting, mostly westernized city." He had relatives in Minneapolis and moved here three years ago, he said, to try to make it as a musician in the state that birthed his greatest influence, Bob Dylan. His real name isn't Jay Smart, of course, but like Dylan he opted to keep the real thing under wraps for now.

At least the secret is out on his talent. Smart's singing voice is as golden as the trees around his adopted hometown this week, and his songwriting is already rich if still a bit raw. Check out the songs on a folky solo acoustic EP posted at JaySmartMusic.com, all largely based on what he called his "problematic" and "lonely" experiences changing countries. He is currently wood-shedding with a new band and hopes to unveil his debut record and live show in the spring.

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