Sings Greatest Palace Music (3 Sides)

The most un-Will Oldham-like of Oldham's releases, SINGS GREATEST PALACE MUSIC finds the singer/songwriter returning to the material he wrote in the 1990s under the monikers Palace Songs, Palace Brothers, and Palace Music. The twist here is two-fold. Oldham sings in the voice he developed recording under the name Bonny "Prince" Billy--an understated, clear tenor, which bears little resemblance to the ragged, throaty vocals he employed with Palace. He also invites a host of high-profile Nashville session men to flesh out the record, making the whole sound decidedly more mainstream than devotees of Oldham's indie aesthetic have come to expect. Those who like the earlier versions of these songs may take issue with the cleaned-up updates and how the steady vocals of Bonnie "Prince" Billy-era Oldham supplant his Palace-era yelp. But there is something undeniably intriguing about hearing "Ohio River Boat Song" with a female backing chorus and weeping, countrified electric guitar, or rich strings and saxophone supplementing "Viva Ultra." The songs themselves, of course, are strong as ever, and many Palace music devotees will enjoy hearing them recast. The top-notch production and country arrangements should win some new converts to Oldham's back catalogue as well.