Drowning in Love: e2k and "The Water is Wide"

The random tune for today is The Water is Wide by e2k. e2k grew out of the original English band Edward the Second. Edward the Second formed in 1980 as a world fusion, reggae and English folk band. The band made a conscious effort to steer away from a folk-punk fusion and instead gravitated toward Jamaican reggae based on similar harmonics and a shared folk tradition. In the early 90s they shortened their name to Edward II. In 1999 Edward II dissolved, but in 2000 some former members reformed as e2k, and brought in a Ghanaian instrumentalist and the lead singer and guitarist from the Albion Band. In addition, some other former members of Edward II have reformed themselves. The Water is Wide can be found on e2k's 2001 album Shift, and on the 2001 BBC compilation The Folk Awards.