Bonnie “Prince” Billy

The Kentucky lad is in full, heart-breaking form for 'The Purple Bird' - if the cheeriness of the instrumentals fool you, the deeply melancholic lyrics will put you right.

We snapped this one straight up on the devastating strength of 'Boise, Idaho' alone. 'The Purple Bird' finds Bonnie "Prince" Billy working with a "producer" for only the second time in his illustrious catalogue. This time it's David "Ferg" Ferguson (Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson) who guides the songs backed by "the best band you can get in Nashville right now", country singer John Anderson and Bluegrass legend Tim O'Brien. 'The Purple Bird' is simultaneously like and unlike other BPB records. Many of the songs are a product of multiple composers’ voices, making the shape-shifting aspect of the BPB persona more fluid than ever before.