Norwegian artist Susanna has released a stream of her new single Go Dig My Grave.
It’s the title track from her upcoming album which includes reworkings of folk ballads and covers. It’ll launch on February 9 via her SusannaSonata label and features baroque harp player Giovanna Pessi, accordion player Ida Hidle and fiddle player and folk singer Tuva Syvertsen.
Speaking about Go Dig My Grave, Susanna says: “During my trips to the States over the past years I have picked various Folkways records and I have been able to discover some old songs.
“The label presents a broad variety of American folk songs and among my favourites are the Jean Ritchie albums and her version of Go Dig My Grave.
“When I heard the song I knew immediately that I wanted to sing it. I was struck by the presence in her singing and the tragic story to the song. It took a while to make my own version of it though, to find the right way to present it.”
Susanna says she’s drawn to sad songs and how people have used music throughout the years and adds: “It feels like they use songs and singing as a way of processing and dealing with of the difficult times in their lives.
“There’s a lot of similarities in the dramatic ways of telling a story in the old English ballads such as The Willow Song and The Three Ravens and the American folk songs like Go Dig My Grave – even if the newer folk songs have more of a straightforwardness to the tragedy.”
Susanna will play at the Oslo World Festival on November 5. Find the Go Dig My Grave cover art and tracklist below.
- Our TeamRock+ offer just got bigger. And louder.
- TeamRock+ Exclusive Festival Offer
- New Issue Of Prog Onsale Today!
- The Audio Archive – exclusive to TeamRock+ members
Susanna Go Dig My Grave tracklist
- Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten)
- Cold Song (John Dryden/Henry Purcell)
- Invitation to the Voyage (Charles Baudelaire/Susanna Wallumrød)
- Rye Whiskey (Traditional)
- The Willow Song (Anonymous)
- Go Dig My Grave (Traditional)
- Lilac Wine (James Shelton)
- Wilderness (Joy Division)
- The Three Ravens (Old English folk ballad)
- Perfect Day (Lou Reed)