“Some of these songs are the most meaningful and most personal I’ve written,” said local singer-songwriter Joseph F. Persinger, describing the track list of “The Fall”, his latest studio album. “And some are just for fun and entertainment. We’ve honestly tried to have something for everyone. I’m very excited about this album.”

“The Fall” features ten songs, nine of which are original compositions.

“As a fan, I enjoy many different kinds of music,” Persinger said. “This album reflects that, including everything from folk and folk rock to bluegrass to traditional country to a Caribbean-type song. Taken altogether, I suppose [the album] would be classified as Americana.”

An aspect of “The Fall” that varies from Persinger’s previous five albums is the participation of several special guest artists.

“There were a number of exciting developments during our work on this project, and one of those was the involvement of master songwriter and folksinger Tim Grimm in the title song,” Persinger said. “Thinking he might appreciate the subject matter, I sent him a rough cut and I was elated when he agreed to sing with me on it.”

On the surface, “The Fall” is the story of a magnificent old sycamore tree that comes down in a storm after enduring for more than two centuries. On a deeper level, it’s an allegory for the ongoing assault on American democracy, Persinger said.

Two of Persinger’s folk rock songs, “Midnight at the Plaza” and “A Faded Dream,” feature soaring electric guitar solos and keyboard tracks by longtime associate Mike Shelton of Columbus.

Persinger said he was inspired to write “When Midnight Comes Around,” a traditional country song, last summer when Alan Jackson released a new recording along with some pointed comments about the state of modern country music.

“After I finished my song, it occurred to me that I should get a real country artist to sing it, and naturally I thought of my friend and fellow songwriter Forrest Turner,” Persinger said. “His vocals capture that pure country sound as well as anyone I know. And he graciously agreed to do it.”

Turner is lead vocalist on the track with Persinger contributing just a few lines of vocal harmony.

One very special track on the album is not new.

“As 2023 drew to a close, we realized that 2024 would bring the 30th anniversary of ‘The Raggedy Man’, which was written in January 1994,” Persinger said. “To mark that milestone, we decided to do an all-new recording with me doing vocal and rhythm guitar and Brian Leaver playing banjo. But to make it really special, Brian was able to persuade his longtime friend Michael Cleveland to provide mandolin and fiddle tracks.”

Cleveland is an internationally known musician and Grammy Award winner, and the youngest person ever inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame. He has been named Fiddle Player of the Year numerous times by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

“After doing ‘The Raggedy Man,’ Michael also agreed to play on some other songs,” Persinger said. “Of course, I also wanted to involve my old pickin’ and grinnin’ buddy, Curt Kovener. We’ve been singing and playing music together for 46 years.”

Persinger said he finally settled on including Kovener on the only tune on the CD that isn’t one of his originals. ‘Wasted Days’ was written by Seymour native John Mellencamp, and he recorded it with fellow rock star Bruce Springsteen on Mellencamp’s “Strictly a One-Eyed Jack” album in 2021.

“To put our own stamp on it — and possibly add a touch of humor — we decided to back up the vocals with bluegrass instruments, arranged by banjo master Brian Leaver with some of his bluegrass friends; again including Michael Cleveland, who came up with some mind-bending fiddle tracks,” Persinger said. “Brian, who is also our recording engineer, did a great job of putting it all together.”

Other tracks include “In These Hills,” “The Camera Never Lies,” “That Train Don’t Make Me Cry” and “Winter Winds,” a duet with Heather Leaver.

“The Fall” CD is packaged in a classic jewel case with a four-page booklet providing information about the songs and musicians. Copies are available at 13th Floor Music in downtown Seymour and at Family Drug in Brownstown.

Digital copies of the full album or individual tracks can be purchased and downloaded at josephfpersinger.bandcamp.com. Physical copies by mail can also be purchased at that location.