North Carolina traditional music explorer and interpreter Jake Xerxes Fussell’s particular strength with the pieces he chooses to adapt is well demonstrated on Rock Island Line, the second song on The Old Beloved Path, his sixth studio album and second for Fat Possum. Not quite satisfied with a straight version of what he considers ‘one of the greatest railroad songs of all time’, Jake scratched his head and began considering what his take needed; he finally landed on the children’s nursery rhyme Intry Mintry, which he incorporated into the work. The simple ‘one flew east and one flew west / one flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ lyric works beautifully with ‘the Rock Island Line is a mighty good road / the Rock Island Line is the road to ride’ of the original song, really underpinning the movement and impermanence Jake wanted to focus on.
In contrast to this idea of travel and freedom is the ‘short drag’ working song, traditionally built to occupy labourers when performing quick, short movements, like ship deck scrubbing. Jake has adapted a few of these over the years; my pick is the entrancing Drinking of the Wine ending Out of Sight, but this album’s Boney is one of his finest songs. Dating back to a few years after Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821, Jake plays his version like a lament, with a slow electric guitar line and Dominic Billett’s skeletal piano perfectly framing Jake’s melancholy-tinged vocal. The sparse arrangement and steady rhythm evoke images of crews working hard to ready a ship, while the words keep the song gripping throughout. Stunning.
Lighter in tone is the acoustic Everytime I Go to Town, a novelty folk and bluegrass song dating back to the early twentieth century. Built on a neat strummed acoustic guitar progression, with producer Ben Whiteley’s rustic mandolin adding some dust and Isa Burke’s fiddle adding warmth, this bittersweet number (also known as They Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around) balances tints of sadness with mellow ease.
A traditional folk and blues song about the devastation of the Southern cotton industry by a tiny impudent beetle should be a dismal affair. Still, Boll Weevil, something of a stone-cold classic, is laced with dry humour, making it fitting for Jake’s attention. The band play it with sympathy, choosing piano, percussion and mandolin to add beautifully delicate brushes alongside Jake’s acoustic guitar and warm vocals. This ability to portray such historic damage with a lightness of touch shows his genius for interpretation.
For his sixth album, Jake Fussell has adapted a set of songs that spend time nestling into the ear. Seemingly easy in nature and quite light for the first few listens, the album then works its magic and its subtlety lingers in the mind. His most delicately considered release yet is also his most elegant and unassuming. The production and unpretentious nature of the music, with an emphasis on musicians playing in a room, is ideally suited to Jake’s direct approach to singing these songs. A complete document with no fat and not a wasted note, The Old Beloved Path is yet more proof that Jake Xerxes Fussell is still only getting better. Outstanding.
The Old Beloved Path (September 18th, 2026) Fat Possum Records
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Jake Xerxes Fussell UK / EU Tour Dates
Fri. Oct. 2 – Liverpool, UK @ St Michael’s Church *
Sat. Oct. 3 – Manchester, UK @ Hallé St Peter’s *
Mon. Oct. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club *
Tue. Oct. 6 – Glasgow, UK @ St Luke’s *
Thu. Oct. 8 – Cork, IE @ Cyprus Avenue
Fri. Oct. 9 – Galway, IE @ Róisín Dubh
Sat. Oct. 10 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Mon. Oct. 12 – Bristol, UK @ St George’s *
Tue. Oct. 13 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 *
Wed. Oct. 14 – London, UK @ Union Chapel *
Wed. Dec. 2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil
Thu. Dec. 3 – Oslo, NO @ Røverstaden
Fri. Dec. 4 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb
Sat. Dec. 5 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Mon. Dec. 7 – The Hague, NL @ PAARD
Tue. Dec. 8 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Rotonde
Wed. Dec. 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Nachstasyl
Thu. Dec. 10 – Berlin, DE @ Theater im Delphi
Fri. Dec. 11 – Cologne, DE @ Stadtgarten
Sat. Dec. 12 – Paris, FR @ Le Hasard Ludique
Sun. Dec. 13 – Bruges, BE @ Duyster Festival
* = with Naima Bock