BONNIE PRINCE BILLY Vinilo y CD

Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy (Will Oldham) is a folk artist of towering stature, so the news of a new album in 2023 was nothing if not a "stop what you're doing" moment. Now coming to full-length LP format for the first time, after an initial CD and digital release, Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You hears Billy revive the spirit of folk music's roots in community and place, conjuring the wise memories of his past and fusing them with the anxieties of his present day. An all-acoustic, all-emotive album, Oldham makes constant reference to his family and people, getting at the real impossibility of divorcing oneself from community, despite the myths to the contrary peddled by merchants of the American dream.

Review: It's October 2020 and two Bills decide to do a cover version of the 1967 Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) protest track 'Blackness of the Night'. A fitting choice given at the time the world was stuck in a strange recurring nightmare, defined by confusion, isolation, and pessimism, the track was not only appropriate, it was wonderfully re-read by the artists bringing it into the present day.

And they didn't stop there. Soon, there were more new versions of old greats coming from the pair, and the smart money was always on an album arriving at some point in the future. Well, that point is now, and finally we have it. Better yet, this is every bit as lovely as we could have hoped. Combining elements of pop, folk, blues, country, gospel, and rock, it's accomplished, sophisticated, and hugely enjoyable.