Bonnie “Prince” Billy :: “The Purple Bird” - No Quarter
Whether he’s effortlessly shapeshifting into the brittle breeze of ballads, conquering the climates of cosmic change, or simply meditating on the many different elements it typically takes to conjure the complex situations of songwriting, Louisville, KY-born musician, actor, and all-around master of melody, Joseph Will Oldham, known professionally as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, has radioactively returned. However, he never left, after his soothingly sensational collaboration with fellow neighbors Nathan Salsburg and Tyler Trotter on the Lungfish mantra, “Hear The Children Sing The Evidence,” as well as the “High and High and Mighty” (abbreviated as HAHAM) release on his new home away from home, No Quarter, Oldham has once again, carefully plucked from the ancient atmosphere this gorgeous body of work entitled “The Purple Bird,” that is sure to sedate the soaring skies and entertain the empty eyes as we fast asleep under a biblical blanket of stars and celestial comfort. While occupying a sophisticatedly safe space for exciting explorations into the dubious depths of a faith-based future, community connection, emphasis on environmental existentialism, and total preparation for peace for the people, Oldham blissfully bridges the gap between the legendary laughter of the heart and the tedious tears of the soul with his God-given abilities to take form and transcend into this religious realm of endless ascension.
Defined by an anatomical atmosphere in which it desperately dwells, “The Purple Bird,” produced by legendary engineer David “Ferg” Ferguson in his hometown of Nashville, TN, sifts through the sensational sands of time by inviting this harmonious healing in with rich choruses, vibrating verses, and strings of serenity, while simultaneously being guided by Ferguson and the plethora of mesmerizing musicians he says are “the best band you can get in Nashville right now.” While featuring atmospheric appearances from country legend and 1982 Grammy winner John Anderson and Bluegrass titan Tim O’Brien, which brings together the voluminous valley landscape of genre-bending harmonies that quickly transpire into this total literature experience for listeners as they take flight over its monumental mountains and raging rivers below, the album’s third single “Downstream” embarks on this enormous environmental ecstasy that can be felt from the ground to the galactic ceiling.
“One of my favorite recorded John Anderson performances is a duet he sang with Merle Haggard called “The Winds of Change” on Merle’s 1996 record. It’s a minor-key ballad about climate change and over-development, the compromise of our environment’s integrity at the hands of humans. “Downstream”, though in a major key, hits on the same ideas. I don’t know how to explain how it felt to witness this master of song bring, beautifully and humbly, his experience and expertise to bear on this little recording we were making. Anderson’s singing on the final verse has weight in it, and concern, and love.”
Photo: David “Ferg” Ferguson
Anderson’s impeccable iconism throughout the track helps relieve the pressures of the constant costume party of society by introducing the legend’s established “eco-ballad” ideology to successfully question the battered and torn world filled with dysfunctional despair and outstanding optimism. With numbers like “London May” and “Our Home” all rebirthing the multiple stages of life before the elated eyes of past, present, and future creatures of comfort, “The Purple Bird” and its calming core helps to awaken the body from a level of lethargic lunacy that’s been weighing heavy on us this past five years, by slowly administrating an almighty attitude in alchemy and inner peace across the album’s twelve tracks of harmonious hysteria. Set for release at the end of the month, Oldham will also follow up with a run of both East and West Coast, as well as shows in the Netherlands, France, Paris, and Belgium in May as the summer begins to unravel into this brilliantly colorful collection of memory images and solidified sunsets.
