Following the announcement of his forthcoming album The Old Beloved Path, folk singer-songwriter Jake Xerxes Fussell has shared two new tracks: “Boney” and “Boll Weevil.” These latest offerings continue his exploration of the American traditional songbook, building on the momentum of his lead single, “Rock Island Line.”
Regarding “Boney,” Fussell notes its origins in the maritime worksong tradition. “It is believed to have been what’s known as a ‘short drag’ — a chantey sung to accompany and keep pace for a brief hauling task aboard a ship,” he explains. He further highlights the song’s evolution through various interpretations by musicologists and artists like Sam Eskin and Paul Clayton, describing it as a “fractured portrait of a colossal and difficult figure” in Napoleon Bonaparte.
But the song has also lived a life in the decades that have passed since the golden age of sail. The self taught musicologist Sam Eskin recorded a version of it, as did the great Paul Clayton. Listeners will recognize that the song recounts some of the bolder and finer points along the timeline of events in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte — though somewhat out of order and at times half-wrought. In some variants his dancing and cursing receive more attention than his victories or defeats, which I appreciate. Other versions will have him crossing The Rockies in addition to The Alps. I think this song is, among other things, a curiously rendered and fractured portrait of a colossal and difficult figure. Or a short drag — whichever you prefer.
Fussell also shed light on “Boll Weevil,” a track he approaches with a blend of historical reverence and personal narrative. Drawing inspiration from versions by Sid Selvidge, Charley Patton, and Blind Willie McTell, Fussell has woven together various verses to create a cohesive story. “This song deals with themes of encroachment, influx, growth, the invasive, the entrepreneurial, the opportunistic, the parasitic,” he says. “Like so many of us, he’s looking for a home.”
Hear both tracks below:
The Old Beloved Path is scheduled for release on September 18 via Fat Possum.
