We’re long time admirers of Kentucky’s Vandaveer and so you can imagine our delight to learn that new album Oh, Willie, Please… will be a collection of their reinterpretations of age-old traditional folk songs and murder ballads. Sounds like pretty much the perfect combination.

For now, download Pretty Polly as your dark-hearted taster, and accompany her to her pitiful end as Willy, rather than marrying her as planned, chooses to prepare a freshly dug grave and deposit her in it instead.

In the original version of this song from 1750, the 35 verses tell of Polly’s pregnancy that has trapped Willy into the forthcoming nuptials, her subsequent murder, Willy’s escape to sea, and her ghostly re-appearance, together with baby, on his ship, precipitating Willy’s own madness and death.

Happy ever after all round then…

Oh, Willie, Please...is out on the 30th April via Quack Media.

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