Bonnie “Prince” Billy – ‘The Purple Bird’ album review: country for the hopeless and heartbroken
THE SKINNY: It’s 2025, and water is still wet. But how is the water? Is it hot or cold, sparkling or still, murky or clear? Yes, it’s inevitable that the water will be wet, but the specifics of the water’s condition are what’s going to help me determine whether it’s something I want to drink. Something else inevitable that comes around every year is a new release from Will Oldham, and in the same way that water can come bottled or from a tap, there are subtle differences in the flavours of each release from the Kentucky singer-songwriter.
On his latest album under his Bonnie “Prince” Billy guise, Oldham delivers perhaps his most authentically country-flavoured record since 2004’s Sings Greatest Palace Music. However, there’s one additive that’s been sprinkled upon the record that’s a little unusual for his work, and that’s that he’s brought in an external producer to work alongside him for only the second time in his career. While he’s been known to make collaborative albums with Bill Callahan and Matt Sweeney in the past, it’s only ever in a musical sense, and having someone else’s touch as a producer puts a fascinating new spin on Oldham’s sound.
There’s absolutely no question that Oldham is capable of producing a country record that both adheres to tradition and puts a novel twist on things by himself, but having the seasoned David Ferguson by his side adds a sense of purity to the overall sound of the record. Having met Ferguson at a Johnny Cash recording session in Los Angeles “over 20 years ago” and later reconvened at the studio he co-owned with John Prine, Oldham struck up a bond with the producer that can be felt in every song.
While the album’s downcast mood is perhaps more a reflection of the country music that Oldham and Ferguson wished to emulate than of Oldham’s actual well-being, it’s clear that these lamentful ballads and expressions of wanting to wash away the sorrow come from a deep and shared passion for country music.
With a talented cast of musicians accompanying Oldham throughout the album, the subtle touches are what make it more emotive rather than the overall form the album takes. You’ll hear an instrument come in and immediately recognise the emotion that it’s trying to capture, with the lyrics then coming through to support it.
There might be a whole lot of awful shit going on around us, but The Purple Bird is here to remind us at times that no matter how much the world might want to swallow you up in the negativity, we have to persist with things. Water condition update: “Come on in, the water’s fine”, says Oldham. Guess you’d better try it out.
For fans of: Reclining in a deckchair at the side of a dusty road, beer in hand, thinking about every little detail of what brought you to this moment in time as the tumbleweeds fly past.
A concluding comment from a beetle watching you on the other side of the road: “Man, I wonder what’s going on with him. Looks like he’s had one heck of a journey.”
The Purple Bird track by track:
Release Date: January 31st | Producer: Will Oldham & David Ferguson | Label: No Quarter
‘Turned To Dust (Rolling On)’: A beautiful yet melancholy song where Oldham laments the short amount of time we have on Earth and how the wicked deeds of others affect it. We have to accept that there will be bad things in the world and make the most of it by just rolling on. [4/5]
‘London May’: More musings on loneliness and death that start off with a mournful piano motif before the rest of his band come in with more optimistic-sounding vocal harmonies and violins. However, the lyrics maintain the pain and anguish, with “love overcomes nothing despite one’s needs” being one of the most sorrowful lines on the whole record. [4.5/5]
‘Tonight With the Dogs I’m Sleeping’: Slide guitars, banjos and bicycle bells make this a much more vibrant track in terms of the sonic palette, but the lyrics are a humorous if despairing take on the classic country trope of the singer being in his wife’s bad books, with Oldham being forced to make his bed in the yard with the family pet. [4.5/5]
‘Boise, Idaho’: After a night in the doghouse, things are looking down for our protagonist, who is down on his luck and has been kicked out of the home on a more permanent basis. The slide guitars come back, but they’re a lot less playful, and the tickling of the Rhodes feels akin to the tears he is crying as he departs his home in Boise. [4/5]
‘The Water’s Fine’: There’s less heartbreak and agony in this one, and despite there still being ill in the world, we’re being invited to leave all our troubles elsewhere and to come and enjoy the good things. [4/5]
‘Sometimes It’s Hard to Breathe’: This one feels like the soundtrack to an arduous walk along a desert highway, with the sun bearing down upon your back as you struggle to keep your eyes open. Oldham sounds weary as he lectures us on how to make right in a twisted world, and it’s clear that he’s struggling to keep up the energy it requires to deal with its trials. [4/5]
‘New Water’: Oldham is seemingly looking to build a new life for himself, but the things he wants seem to be the very same things that have gotten in the way of his happiness, and he’s ready to give himself up to the water. The trombones that come in periodically are my personal favourite touch. [4/5]
‘Guns Are For Cowards’: There’s a desire to commit acts of violence coming from our protagonist, but his inner conscience is telling him to refrain from doing something so careless, asking if he’d feel “exalted or destroyed”. The whimsical polka-ish feel to the track is an unusual juxtaposition to have with such a vengeful narrative. [4/5]
‘Downstream’: Another slow-paced track that contemplates change and the relationship that we as humans have with the world, and the duet with country legend John Anderson is perhaps the point that saves it from seeming too similar to other tracks of a similar lilt. [3.5/5]
‘One of These Days (I’m Gonna Spend the Whole Night With You)’: Keeping the tempo relaxed, our protagonist is in a loving mood, but he’s desperate to know if his feelings are requited or not. There’s a nervousness about the way he goes searching for an answer, and as the listener, you’re desperate for things to work out for him. [4.5/5]
‘Is My Living In Vain?’: A countryfied cover of The Clark Sisters’ 1980 gospel track, the song feels more hopeless than the original, and our protagonist has returned to questioning his own worth. The instrumentation is much more sparse than the rest of the album, and there’s little in the way of a spark to brighten things. [3.5/5]
‘Our Home’: One final hoedown to see things out, and we’re back to praising the Lord for the good things in life. When the album is bleak, it’s well and truly down low, but the occasional moments of hope do an incredible job of lifting up spirits ever so slightly when required. [4/5]
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