Bonny Billy - More Revery EP (Temporary Residence):
Only the Bonnie Prince Will Oldham would find this collection of songs for an album of covers. Possibly he is the only person who could have found these songs.
The EP has six songs: John Phillips' 'Someone's Sleeping' off of his only solo album (better known for leading and founding The Mamas and the Papas, naturally), PJ Harvey's 'Sweeter Than Anything,' Bill Withers' 'Same Love That Made Me Laugh' (better known for writing 'Lean on Me'), 90s New Zealand pop band The Renderers 'Dream of the Sea,' reggae legend John Holt's 'Strange Things', and Tim (Mr. Faith Hill) McGraw's 'Just to See You Smile.' Six songs from six different genres and eras.
The range of styles and genres on this EP leaves obvious why these songs were selected: the lyrics and emotion of the pieces. While each song is clearly not from Oldham's hand, they all display similar feelings and contain lines and phrases that seem deeply attuned with Oldham's own prose, whether it's Phillips' 'I suppose we all need lovers' or Withers' 'I've given all that I've got to give / If you don't want me, I don't want to live.'
The highlight of the album is, surprisingly, "Just to See You Smile." McGraw's prose is simple and to the point, but the emotion is quite profound. This is not just another "I Would Do Anything For Love" song, and few musicians could deliver it as earnestly as Oldham does.
...what may be Oldham's best put together musical arrangements with what he, no doubt, feels are amongst the purest expressions of love and loss in the history of popular music...