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Sunday Music Spotlight - Bonnie “Prince” Billy

December 2, 2007 in Music, Spotlight by Sean | No comments

Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham)
Will Oldham is something of a Renaissance man. Not only is he a multi-faceted musician, but he’s also an accomplished actor and photographer. In his musical career he’s performed and recorded under a number of different monikers, including Palace Brothers, Palace Brothers, Palace Music, and his most recent and most famous, Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

Oldham records under different names to minimize the audience’s expectations of each album. He wants to be able to constantly evolve and experiment without alienating his audience. As for how he picked Bonnie “Prince” Billy he says:

the name has so many different references that it could almost have a life of its own. Bonnie Prince Charlie has such a beautiful ring to it, and I was very conscious of appropriating that mellifluous sound. And I was also thinking about the name Nat King Cole. But it wasn’t until later, and this may have been subconscious, that I remembered that Billy the Kid was William Bonney or Billy Bonney.

Oldham is difficult to pin down stylistically, since every album is a unique entity. However there are some common threads that run through his catalog. Typically the albums have a do-it-yourself aesthetic, a grounding in American roots music, and honest lyrics. Vocally he sounds like the direct predecessor of Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s latest album, Ask Forgiveness, is basically a collection of covers (with one original song thrown in). If you didn’t know this I think it would be difficult to spot the covers though. He does an excellent job re-imagining the songs and presenting them with his unique spin. With covers ranging from R. Kelly to Bjork to Danzig, Ask Forgiveness is well worth checking out.

Bonnie Prince Billy - The Worlds Greatest

An R. Kelly cover. Because who wouldn’t expect a root/folk musician to cover R. Kelly…