The new album from Jake Xerxes Fussell, Out of Sight, dropped today on Paradise of Bachelors. It is largely the sort of new folk-kinda thing that I shun but, I gave it a chance and I liked it. Jake has a rich, natural tone in his voice that renders this material so unassuming that's hard not to like what's here.
"Oh Captain" has a nice twang about it, while opener "The River St. Johns" is nearly jaunty. Elsewhere, "Three Ravens" and "Jubilee" are more understated, shades of old Gordon Lightfoot songs peeking through the seams here. At his best here on Out of Sight, like on the mellow and affecting "Drinking of the Wine", Jake Xerxes Fussell manages to make folk music seem interesting, and it's largely down to his skill at presenting this simple material directly and unadorned.
Out of Sight is out today via Paradise of Bachelors.
More details on Jake Xerxes Fussell via his official Facebook page.