JAKE XERXES FUSSELL

“And sunk her in the low and lonesome water/And he sunk her in the lonesome sea”

Good And Green Again

PARADISE OF BACHELORS

THE centrepiece of , the ingenious and soulful new album by North Carolina-based folk musician Jake Xerxes Fussell, is “The Golden Willow Tree”, an epic story-song about the sinking of a ship. Combining lyrics and melodies from various folk tunes – including a song by The Carter Family and another by a North Georgia singer named Paralee McCloud – it’s an intricate tale of maritime espionage, of courage and conspiracy, betrayal and comeuppance, told over a dozen swashbuckling verses. Fussell recounts a sailor’s offer to scuttle his own ship to win the favour of a rival captain, depicting the event in grave detail: “” he sings, his robust voice sounding particularly downcast. “”