Jake Xerxes Fussell Makes a Cosmic Shift on ‘Good and Green Again’
Maeri Ferguson
Posted On January 19, 2022
It is no simple feat to dust off traditional stories and polish them for a new era, but Jake Xerxes Fussell is one of the best to ever do it. The song-maker known for transporting us back to a simpler, sepia-toned time is in the midst of a cosmic shift forward on his latest, Good and Green Again. The melodies and arrangements feel contemporary and fresh, keeping his well-worn tales — usually meticulously pieced together from archives and ancient texts — very much in the present. Good and Green Again also represents a literal shift, as it features Fussell’s first original compositions, four albums in. Labelmate James Elkington helms the warm, soulful production and lends instrumental support along with Nathan Golub’s gorgeous pedal steel, plus several others adding horns, keys, strings, and more.
Though liquor-soaked prolonged sailing journeys and roaring cannons feel like relics of the past, it is easy to find a timeless love story in the hypnotically beautiful “Love Farewell.” A higher vocal tone from Bonnie “Prince” Billy adds dimension to Fussell’s mid-range, and the guitar echoes this effect with the occasional, unexpected uptick that magically makes this lovely sad song even sadder. A faint French horn smooths it all over. The haunting ballad “Rolling Mills Are Burning Down” mourns collapsing structures literal and metaphorical, buildings and friendships, as the most delicate twang takes shape in the background. “Carriebelle” swells with horns as a drunken lover makes a plea for another chance, Fussell’s vocals soft and measured as the guitar tiptoes alongside.
As for Fussell’s instrumental originals, each is a triumph of texture and mood. “Frolic” is wistful enough to summon a few tears before morphing into a melancholic groove; “What Did the Hen Duck Say to the Drake?” makes whimsy feel profound; and the lush “In Florida” moseys by like a daydream. These tunes don’t have lyrics, but they’re better for it, allowing us the space to make them our own.
