Bonnie "Prince" Billy Announces New Album 'The Purple Bird'
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: David Kasnic
Bonnie "Prince" Billy will kick off 2025 with a new album.
Kentucky artist Will Oldham will release 'The Purple Bird' on January 31 via Domino in the UK and Europe and No Quarter for North America.
Recorded in Nashville alongside producer David "Ferg" Ferguson, the project comprises 12 songs, seven of which were co-written by Ferg, who Oldham met while working on country icon Johnny Cash's 'American III'. Ferguson served as the engineer on that record, on which Oldham duetted with Cash on I See A Darkness.
'The Purple Bird' also features songwriting contributions from John Anderson, Ronnie Bowman, Tim O’Brien, Pat McLaughlin, Tommy Prine and Roger Cook, as well as Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Russ Pahl on electric guitar, Pat McLaughlin on mandolin, Steve Mackey on bass and Fred Eltringham on percussion. Oldham said:
"I’ve made records with friends, collaborative records like 'The Brave And The Bold' with Tortoise; the two 'Superwolf' records with Matt Sweeney; 'The Wonder Show' of the World with Emmett Kelly; 'Get On Jolly' with Mick Turner. These collaborators get top billing because that’s how this business works.
"This record, 'The Purple Bird', is similarly a collaborative effort but the collaborator is the producer, David Ferguson. He’s a giant of a man, an epic musical force, a dear friend. Our work together on this record was the result of years of sharing hard times and great joys, songs and stories, of making music together and apart.
"There’s a lot of trust in this record on Ferg's part and on mine, and the trust was hard- and well-earned. When I listen to the record, often times I can’t help but laugh in wonder that life allowed me to participate in such a thing."
Head below to view the video for the new song Our Home, a country duet with Grammy-winning bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien, who also co-wrote the track.
'The Purple Bird' tracklist:
1. Turned To Dust (Rolling On)
2. London May
3. Tonight With The Dogs I’m Sleeping
4. Boise, Idaho
5. The Water’s Fine
6. Sometimes It’s Hard To Breathe
7. New Water
8. Guns Are For Cowards
9. Downstream
10. One of These Days (I’m Gonna Spend The Whole Night With You)
11. Is My Living In Vain?
12. Our Home
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