Greatest Palace Music

by

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

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I love this disc. Different from other reviewers who seem to know BPB's former works well, I do not--and therefore had no expections. I just think his voice is fantasticly rich, his lyrics very thought-provoking and his musicianship stunning. Mind you, I enjoy the Nashville sound-- and this disc does the genre well conjuring a haunting and beautiful sound without the bleek depression. If you like country, you'll love this. If you're taken by all BPB's other stuff, this may require an adjustment. For my taste, this music fits wonderfully in my livingroom on a regular basis.

For what it's worth, not all country music is bad. Admittedly, though, this is something I've had to convince myself of over the years. But as someone who was forced to listen to country music as a child, I can honestly say it has never been my favorite form of artistic expression. In the early `90s, country artists, led mostly by Garth Brooks, began to suck the lifeblood out of what was truly known as "country" music and replaced it with something a little more pop-oriented. What has since remained is the same old cut-and-dry songs typified by boring storylines (which are not even remotely entertaining to the average intelligent person) and extremely basic instrumentation meant for mass-consumption. Only now it's been given the title "new" country (read: corporate country). Even the city folk are country now; all you need is some cowboy boots and an Alan Jackson CD and your instantly countrified. I'm lost.

Will Oldham, or Bonnie "Prince" Billy as he's called again this time around, has set out to create an album that attempts to rebirth songs from his early days of Palace Music. These new versions are decidedly more heavily produced than their predecessors and have taken on a completely new face. Be forewarned, this is 100% country music with zero "alt" added. Unfortunately, a large portion of the album could fit into the category of corporate sounding country music. Is it bad? Not necessarily. Additionally, the fact that Will Oldham has been hailed the quintessential alt-country artist may be the saving grace that will keep Greatest Palace Music firmly placed in the underground.

Recorded in Nashville with several session musicians, you have to admire Oldham for not holding back on the country. This is easily his safest recording to date and is miles away from the highly admired I See a Darkness. Because of this, don't expect to hear too much song-by-song analysis of this album from the critics. There's nothing groundbreaking about any of this album. Once into the first song, you'll have a pretty good idea of where you stand. For the most part, the scope is entirely the same throughout the entire album. In some ways, it parallels Beck's approach on Sea Change, where every sense of edginess has been removed to only highlight the purest form of music expression. It's also similar in the sense that it's the last direction you'd expect someone like Oldham to take. Or is it really just something that was inevitable from the beginning? Either way, it sounds as if it's the record he has always wanted to record.

If I had to be completely honest with you (which I do), I'd say that Greatest Palace Music is a pretty fantastic album. It accomplishes exactly what it has set out to do, and that's to be a country album that holds no surprises. Although it has a lot of things going against it, including the fact that Oldham's fans are not typically traditional country music lovers, it's pretty hard not to deny the fact that this is the type of album that will stand out in his catalogue for quite some time. It just misses in its impact too many times to truly be a great album.