The Letting Go - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 31
  3. Negative: 1 out of 31

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. 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 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
  2. PerspicaciousCritic
    Oct 20, 2006
    6
    All the stars seem to perfectly align on
  3. 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 this. I loved the Superwolf Collab. and I See A Darkness but this release just has no pulse.
  4. TimP
    Oct 24, 2006
    9
    Fucking great.
  5. 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 delicious
  6. MattD.
    Oct 3, 2006
    10
    Beautiful, but don't expect a tidy folk album. This album aches, just like the heart does.
  7. TimothyM
    Sep 19, 2006
    9
    Hypnotic and special. But this is coming from someone who thinks Mr. Oldham can do no wrong.
  8. BillK.
    Sep 20, 2006
    10
    Perfect.
  9. TimA
    Sep 22, 2006
    10
    Another perfect album. Beautifully crafted and some amazing lyrics, but thats what we come to expect.
  10. HenryV.
    Sep 25, 2006
    9
    Beautiful songs. Complex and mysterious lyrics. But some of Oldham's singing is on the rough and pitchy side. Overall, amazing.
  11. RobertoM
    Sep 26, 2006
    10
    Luminous and lethargic, ecstatic and fairy.
  12. CarolR
    Nov 18, 2006
    10
    silly to rank, but whatever it is that this guy does so beautifully, he does it again here. We go with him to that place.
  13. ReubenF
    Dec 19, 2006
    8
    Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, can thank the fickle winds of Indie fashion that he has a long pedigree for producing the sort of music that is currently in much demand. It also happens to be one of his best albums. 'Cursed Sleep' is a standout.
  14. KevinB
    Oct 2, 2006
    9
    Much fuller, richer sound than on previous Oldham albums. Not as accessible because it takes longer to get through all of the layers, but it rewards those who stick with it.
  15. madsl
    Dec 4, 2006
    5
    I think Will Oldhams persona (this "wild man in the woods"-shtick) is beginning to wear a bit thin...in my mind he peaked with the magnificent I see a Darkness - this is just a minor rerun with added strings and that horrible backing singer, who certainly does her best at making the music obtrusive in an almost comical way...
  16. 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 and Everyone", and now "The Letting Go". How can such dark songs have this uplifting quality, well, I still have to find out!
  17. DonB
    Dec 22, 2006
    10
    just beautiful
  18. TheDaveHimself
    Aug 6, 2011
    7
    Bonnie "Prince" Billy (Will Oldham) isn't for everybody. But I think anyone can like at least something by him. "Lay & Love" and "Strange Form of Life" are highlights for me. A very quiet album.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Paste Magazine
    90
    At last, Will Oldham as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy has given us a record of cryptic romanticism to complement the silver-rimmed bleakness of his 1999 masterpiece I See A Darkness. [Sep 2006, p.73]
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    The effect is soothing, though it crosses the line into uncharacteristic blandness at times. [22 Sep 2006, p.94]
See all critic reviews »