Jake Xerxes Fussell – The Old Beloved Path

Jake Xerxes Fussell's The Old Beloved Path is his sixth album and a 2026 set for Fat Possum that returns to the deep well of traditional song while sharpening the intimacy of his approach. Fussell has built his reputation as a patient interpreter rather than a revivalist, and here that role feels especially clear: these performances strip the material back to its essentials, letting tradition, memory and his quiet sense of pacing do the work.

Drawn from a personal selection of favourites, the album mixes well-known standards with the kind of careful re-framing that has made Fussell such a distinctive figure in contemporary folk. He takes on songs including “Rock Island Line” and “Boll Weevil,” while opening with his own “No. 1,” an original that sits naturally beside the older material. That balance matters: The Old Beloved Path is less about museum-piece preservation than about showing how durable these songs remain when sung plainly and with conviction.

The record was made in North Carolina with producer Ben Whiteley, and the results are described as raw, warm and gently hypnotic. Even by Fussell’s standards, this sounds pared down and close to the source, with outside noise kept to a minimum so the character of each song can come through. If his recent records broadened the arrangements, this one seems to pull back in, making the album feel especially direct and companionable on vinyl.

Reviews

• The North Carolinian folk singer's pastoral sixth record soothes like a balm. - AllMusic.com