Customer Reviews

Ask Forgiveness

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When Will Oldham puts out a full album it is almost always a masterpiece. His last several were brilliant, "Letting Go", "Master And Everyone", "Ease Down The Road", "I See A Darkness", just one great album after another. In between albums he puts out a lot of "projects". With the exception of his collaboration with Matt Sweeney, "Superwolf", none of these projects are as great as his fully conceived albums, but all of them are still good, still worthwhile. This album is not quite as diverse and interesting as the collection of covers Oldham did with Tortoise a few years ago, but it is a bit more accessible and certainly has some sublime moments. This new set of covers has a couple of numbers that will take you away. R. Kelly's tune, "World's Greatest" is mostly empty posturing in the hands of Kelly, but Oldham somehow imbues the song with an everyman quality that inverts the cockiness of the song by making "greatness" seem attainable to everyone. Danzig's "Am I Demon?" further explores a long running conceit for Oldham, that of embracing the darkness within. Phil Ochs comes back alive with Oldham's melodic and sincere take on Och's intimate song "My Life". Like Dylan, BPB is not afraid of putting one of his own great songs in an obscure place and the one original here "Loving The Street" is an upbeat laid back feel-good Oldham cut that would, in turn, make a great cover song for someone else. It's always a bit of a surprise when Oldham isn't brilliant and a few songs here feel like retread oldham. But nonetheless, the big moments make this compilation worthwhile to own, and the overall listening experience is smooth and subtle, everything fitting together like a worn in puzzle.

Will's back - if I See A Darkness or Superwolf are in your record collection, get this album. Then again, you were already planning on it, right? Closer to his collaboration with Tortoise (The Brave and the Bold) this is a collection of mostly-covers - so fragile and delicate and fargone from the source material as to make it all his own.

Achingly beautiful stuff from the hush-voiced master.

A few years back Will Oldham recorded an EP of cover songs as Bonny Billy called "More Revery", which I love. Based on his performance on that EP, which was rockin', I purchased "Ask Forgiveness" as soon as I heard about it and have not been disappointed. Oldham's gentle style here is much like his last few albums. However, as I found Dawn McCarthy's back vocals on "The Letting Go" to be distracting I have been itching for some "new" Oldham to listen to. "World's Greatest" is this EP's gem; Oldham takes words that are gaudy and boastful and makes them humble and endearing. Heartily recommended.

I had this on CD, but loved it so much I had to get it on vinyl. Even though it is a collection of covers, it still has the unmistakable mark of BPB. Very interesting interpretations of very different artists. A beautiful LP and so much purer on vinyl.

I have a hard time keeping up with everything the Bonnie "Prince" releases, and have found some well reviewed materials pretty resistible. But this record is so delightful, for the reasons Mike lists in his synopsis -- great choice of songs, sweet background vocals, and just charming (if oddly haunted) laid-back singing and playing. Possibly one of the finest of the year, and rewards persistent playing.

After the at-times breathtaking but inconsistent "The Letting Go", comes this very much consistent album. I give them both 4 stars, for very different reasons of course.

I am tempted to compare this to his earlier album "Master and Everyone", but this album has a lot more going on in terms of instrumentation. Pretty guitar work and nice harmonies help add sparkle to lyrics that are at times pretty conventional by Bonnie Prince Billy's standards. That doesn't mean that they are bad lyrics - except for Cycles, which is probably the most obvious country lyric I've ever heard. I hate straight country music, but Oldham's earnest delivery makes it all ok.

Will Oldham:" Greetings from the terrordome, my ship has come and sunk, I've lost all my money and I've--"

Jess E: --I'm going to stop you right there Propecia.

Will Oldham: (sets guitar aside) Please don't hurt me.

Jess E:Please don't hurt me.

Ethnic foil # 1: Oh snap!!

Will Oldham: Everythings just so conventional.

Jess E: What's that have to do with trite literary graft and bad singing.

Ethnic foil # 2: Booh-yah!

Leonard Cohen: Hey it works for me.

Jess E: Yes but your attractive.

Ethnic foil# 1: Not to mention he has a rather palettable sense of melodic nuance.Er-- I mean 'Can't touch this!

Will Oldham is prolific yet SO INCONSISTENT as to be completely uninteresting/repelling. But then I heard his cover of R Kelley's "The World's Greatest" and I thought, "at least this guy knows what to steal". That IS important...and I GAINED SOME RESPECT FOR HIM. Then I went looking for the mp3 online. And it was nowhere to be found. Nowhere. And I know where to look. I find that so UN "indie"? This mother $%%^&*^%$ is soo professional he has his $%^& completely locked down. Does he really think I am going to buy the whole album just to get that song? We have full Will Oldham albums here at my house and they are nothing but disappointing relics of a time of greater open-mindedness. My mind is now fully shut.