Jake Xerxes Fussell

North Carolina singer and guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell brings a unique voice to traditional folk music, interpreting it with a refreshing candor that is neither throwback nor modernist. During his first decade as a recording artist, he has created his own musical lane, often with the help of interesting and sympathetic collaborators. In 2015, his eponymous, William Tyler-produced debut introduced fans to his distinctive fingerstyle playing and laid-back take on traditional American blues and folk songs. Fussell's sound evolved with subsequent albums like What in the Natural World (2017) and Out of Sight (2019), revealing an idiosyncratic approach full of gentle mirth and inventive playing. Working with producer James Elkington, his fourth album, 2022's Good and Green Again, was the first to feature any original compositions. After switching from longtime label Paradise of Bachelors to Fat Possum, Fussell teamed up with Elkington again for 2024's When I'm Called.