Will Oldham's third full-length release as Bonnie 'Prince' Billycontinues to develop the intimate, personal songwriting he's known for.The sparse, haunting tone of 'I See a Darkness' has given way to a muchwarmer, lush feel that began to emerge on 'Ease on Down the Road.'Billy's acoustic guitar is the center of the sound, and it comes acrosssoft, clear and resonant against his reedy voice. The album's opener"The Way" shows that in spite of the more comfortable musical feel ofthe album, Billy is still not content, with its opening line "Wintercomes and snow / I can't marry you, you know" and its string-backedchorus, "Love me the way I love you." The broken romance dominates thealbum. Bonnie Billy can be imagined sitting by a fire in a tiny woodencottage in some Southern backwater, rehashing the heartache and penningbitter lyrics like "Constancy and love is a joke / I'm not afraid ofmeeting you / I'm fickle and I brag about it / neither will I cry foryou." Perhaps the most stunning song is "Wolf Among Wolves" where Billymost closely approaches his past 'Darkness' ghostliness. In betweenoccasional ambient gusts, Billy intones, "Why can't I be loved as whatI am? / A wolf among wolves and not as a man / among men." At times,the album can drag, particularly with the repetitive chorus of "Joy andJubilee," but for the most part, Oldham's words and arraignments areenough to keep you interested. "Master and Everyone" fleshes outOldham's melancholy songwriting with the addition of female backupvocals and instrumentation like strings, winds, and accordion. Mostimportantly, they are not used needlessly or overbearingly, butsparingly and sound like a perfect fit for the quiet, folky atmosphere.Oldham has a knack for crafting soulful, emotional songs and 'Masterand Everyone' demonstrates that he's only getting stronger. -Read More
