BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY - KEEPING SECRETS WILL DESTROY YOU

Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You [KSWDY], the first solo album proper from the Louisville, Kentucky songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s since 2019’s I Made a Place, is as down-home a record as the king of alt-folk/country has ever made, and it evinces the sheer joy and power of musicians playing – communing – together in room. This is perhaps no accident, given the strictures imposed during the pandemic, and its organic mix of strings, wood, keys and harmonising voices feels gleefully life-affirming, even alimental. But this is the iconoclast Will Oldham we’re talking about, and so KSWDY is not only a paean to the marrow and life blood of traditional folk, but also fluidly encompasses a wide range of musics from classical to Japanese acid folk, and more – all beautifully rendered by Oldham and his wonderful band of local Louisville players.