Bonnie 'Prince' Billy — Lie Down In The Light

Ever since the Superwolf record in 2005, Will Oldham has been getting closer and closer to regaining the form that made I See A Darkness a modern classic. Lie Down In The Light may be as close as he ever gets to recapturing the magic of that first watershed Bonnie 'Prince' Billy LP. For one, it's his most thoroughly consistent effort since 1999. Most of Oldham's BPB albums start strong and peter out by the seven-song mark. With a full band in tow, the rich instrumentation on Lie Down keeps the pace upbeat and the music highly engaging. But the savviest move might be the inclusion of former Organ member Ashley Webber, whose duet on "So Everyone" is Lie Down's high watermark. Her powerful pipes are more tempered and tuneful than her sister's (Black Mountain's Amber Webber), and she provides a nice change from Oldham's usual partner, Dawn McCarthy. With his own stellar vocals, it's hard for Oldham to fuck up, but he does tend to fall back on its power too often. On Lie Down, that thankfully couldn't be further from the case.

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