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The Letting Go
by
The Letting Go Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

  • Summary: Jim White and Paul Oldham are among the guests on prolific songwriter Will Oldham's latest Bonnie "Prince" Billy studio recording.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. The A.V. Club
    100
    The pull of European cool against Oldham's usual rustic, heartfelt love poetry creates moments of sweet tension.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    The effect is soothing, though it crosses the line into uncharacteristic blandness at times. [22 Sep 2006, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Dot Music
    80
    Arguably up there with his greatest achievements to date, "The Letting Go" is business as usual for Oldham, but also a brand new start.
  4. NOW Magazine
    80
    The lineup addition of [singer Dawn] McCarthy proves to be a genius move; her vocals blend beautifully with Oldham's, and her soaring solo flights make a great recording exceptional.
  5. BBC collective
    80
    It’s a winning combination, with the Prince’s shambolic charm still intact but lent clarity by the new additions that make this infinitely preferable to previous efforts.
  6. ShakingThrough.net
    76
    This promising notion of marrying the overly pensive, doomed-romantic Billy persona with orchestral-sized studio ambitions is a wash, the cumulative effect being undeniably gorgeous, in a rainy-day internalized apocalypse kind of way.
  7. Under The Radar
    60
    Though it’s extremely well-crafted and features all his beloved attributes, it’s unlikely to win him many new fans. [#15]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. DonB
    Dec 22, 2006
    10
    just beautiful
  2. RobertoM
    Sep 26, 2006
    10
    Luminous and lethargic, ecstatic and fairy.
  4. salomey
    Oct 27, 2006
    10
    back in form and - let's face - hardly anyone can touch this man when in form logical progression from Master & Everyone which was also back in form and - let's face - hardly anyone can touch this man when in form logical progression from Master & Everyone which was also delicious… Expand
  5. TimothyM
    Sep 19, 2006
    9
    Hypnotic and special. But this is coming from someone who thinks Mr. Oldham can do no wrong.
  6. MichaelE
    Sep 28, 2006
    9
    For me, there are four Bonny Prince Billy.classics - you can call them "classics" even now: "I See A Darkness", "Ease Down The Road", "Master For me, there are four Bonny Prince Billy.classics - you can call them "classics" even now: "I See A Darkness", "Ease Down The Road", "Master and Everyone", and now "The Letting Go". How can such dark songs have this uplifting quality, well, I still have to find out!… Expand
  7. GuyH
    Oct 9, 2006
    8
    The distinctive female backing vocals that appear throughout 'The Letting Go' seem to have split opinion amongst fans. They are The distinctive female backing vocals that appear throughout 'The Letting Go' seem to have split opinion amongst fans. They are quite dominant at times with Will happy to drop into the background occassionally. I can see why this would upset some but I think it adds to this album's appeal - the songs are quite restrained and gentle and benefit from the extra vocals and atmospheric instrumental passages. I'm not sure this is a Will Oldham classic, it's missing a little variety perhaps, and the album gets a bit sleepy towards the end (although it redeems itself with the excellent 'I called You Back'). The only complete misfire for me is 'The Seedling' - most people seem to love this track but after listening to it about 10 times now I still can't warm to it. Oh, and I agree that the backing vocals are awful on this track (unless they are meant to be intentionally funny!)… Expand
  8. shelbyt
    Oct 1, 2006
    4
    Boring and very flowery, in a bad way. I'm going to the renaissance festival today and expect to hear music not much less engaging than Boring and very flowery, in a bad way. I'm going to the renaissance festival today and expect to hear music not much less engaging than this. I loved the Superwolf Collab. and I See A Darkness but this release just has no pulse.… Expand

See all 18 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best Album of 2006
72
#72 Most Shared Album of 2006

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