Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down The Road

Will Oldham released this album in 2001.  It's considerably more 'musical' than any of his previous albums.  It opens with May It Always Be which features a muted electric guitar, piano and Oldham actually singing 'properly', before a full on guitar solo midway through the song.  Many of the songs on the album are catchy and feature tunes you can really sing along to, such as the trio of Just To See My Holly Home, At The Break of Day and After I Made Love To You.  

A King At Night has a pleading, plaintive yet muted quality to it, a sweet tune distracting from lyrics concerned with "going down on me".  It's an incredibly melodic album in comparison with anything which came before.  The title track is an amiable shuffle, with the just the 'right' amount of each instrument, even the banjo doesn't overshadow anything.  Languid tunes such as Lion Lair and the country-tinged Mrs. William are the order of the day, making the album a great listen.  Grand Dark Feeling of Emptiness and Rich Wife Full of Happiness are bluesier, a bit like a very sparse Nick Cave.  In fact, not a bad place to start with Will Oldham.