Search - Bonnie Prince Billy :: Master & Everyone

Ain't It All Good Enough to Sing?

r lee | suzhou, china.....originally from south carolina, | 02/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When critics reference Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, they tend to emphasize the shortcomings of everything following I See a Darkness. Heck, it's no wonder. Pitchfork's Samir Khan hit the nail squarely on the head, stating in his 10.0 review that ISaD is "not music." Indeed, that enigmatic album stands out as something of the "other"--from its skull-centered cover to its gypsy-funeral feel.



True, Master and Everyone echoes neither the ghost-folk eeriness of I See a Darkness nor the family-reunion feel evinced by its follow-up, Ease Down the Road. Nonetheless, when considered song-by-song, MaE represents BPB's most cohesive, melodic (though sparse) work. In fact, I would argue that it is--taken as an entire album--"better" than I See a Darkness.



Master and Everyone retains the gut-wrenching honesty set forth in ISaD. What it does in addition, though, is strip away the Halloween spirits and fiery chants. Rather, Master penetrates to the inner feelings that fuelled these chilling displays. One senses a strong degree of solitude in songs such as "Master and Everyone" and "Wolf Among Wolves". I cannot help but picture a broken man, sitting alone on his prairie porch, defeated by love, war, and/or life writ large.



This brokenness seems intense, yet it is not final. In "Maundering" and "Lessons...", BPB grabs hold of something--a hope born of faith, love, and humanity. The fact these songs feature little more than the barest of guitar strums effectively places our attention on the vocals--on the man whose ever-fluctuating cycle of direction and despair we are witnessing.



The album's closing track, "Hard Life", provides a fitting end to the sentiments expressed therein. Whether or not such is its intent, BPB's last number conveys a feeling of...contentedness, and even humble appreciation. "And it's a hard life/For a man with no wife/Baby, it's a hard life/God makes you live. But without it/Don't doubt it/You don't even have/Your tears to give." We have drawn an often trying and tumultuous lot; nonetheless, it is what we have, and we (or, at least he) will strive to survive the terrain.



Indeed, these 10 songs present to us the core of a tormented, yet beautiful, soul. He still, no doubt, sees a darkness. There is, however, light at the end of the road. There must be, or else why is living worth it?"

Junkmedia Review- Solid, if not exceptional

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 02/19/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Will Oldham's first singing credits can be traced back to John Sayles' 1987 film Matewan. He co-starred as a 15-year-old preacher caught in the middle of a union war and sang along on three church hymns included on the soundtrack: "Avanti Populo," "Blood of the Lamb" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Draw whatever conclusions you see fit, but I tend to think this had a big influence on his music. Oldham's caustic and completely unique approach to American folk music has always stood out from the droves of roots-music ramblers and ersatz Dylan singer/songwriters. His first two albums conceived under the guise of The Palace Brothers, There Is No One What Will Take Care of You and Days in the Wake, revealed Oldham as a weathered wanderer: His gravelly tenor focused on love, death and religion while relating experiences that were well beyond the years that his still young face wore. As good as his early releases were, and still are, Oldham was known best for his lyrical content. Barring the rock excursions on 1995's excellent Viva Last Blues, his arrangements were merely appropriate until, oddly, after he christened himself Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It was then that his music as a whole became greater than its parts. Piano accompaniment, percussion and rich backing vocals dressed "I See a Darkness" and "Ease Down the Road" in a warm shade of black, making them perfect companions for your breaking heart. His newest Bonnie 'Prince' Billy installment, Master and Everyone, is not the follow-up that everyone is likely expecting. It is, more importantly, a good album that finds Oldham retreating from the layered solemnity of his most recent releases in favor of a mood that is as intimate and delicate as it is bittersweet and biting. The album opens with Oldham singing Winter comes and snow/ I can't marry you ya' know, as if it were a lullaby -- and even though it's not. Each squeak of the chair, each toe tapped on the floor, every deep breath drawn can be heard dancing among his acoustic guitar and haunting voice (The sprinkling of strings and an organ throughout the chorus do nothing to lighten the mood). On "Ain't You Wealthy, Ain't You Wise?" Marty Slayton makes her appearance as Oldham's duet partner. Her presence, however, does nothing to keep him from ruminating on a loneliness that functions as the album's solitary theme. Shivers run up my spine when the two unapologetically harmonize, There's no pain to lament, and no dream undreamt. Tragedy, not irony -- that's why fans flock to Will Oldham concerts. Overall, no new ground has been covered on Master and Everyone. Oldham has been known on occasion to let listeners down (anyone buy Ode Music?), but that's not the case here. There's more than enough material to keep fans happy, and, according to the opening verse of "Hard Life," there will be much more material soon. Wake up and I'm fine, with my dreaming still on my mind
But it don't take long you see, for the demons to come
and visit me.
And I've got my problems, sometimes love don't solve them/
And I end each day, in a song.Ronald Andryshak
February 5, 2003
Junkmedia Review"