Will Oldham's third album under the Bonnie Prince Billy guise. Oldham's songwriting displays an exquisite sensitivity here, his melodies are uncluttered and direct, and his lyrics are so simple and carefully crafted that they approach allegory. This is especially true of the title track, with a master/servant theme that compounds the personal and the metaphorical, and in "Wolf Among Wolves", a song almost unbearable in its honesty and loneliness. The album's closer, "Hard Life", is a meditation on enduring struggles of the heart, and features Oldham and Slayton's loveliest duet. Beautifully executed on every level, "Master And Everyone" is a record to absorb, study, and treasure.
... not just the best Will Oldham album, it might well be one of the best albums ever recorded. End of.
1. The Way
2. Ain't You Wealthy. Ain't You Wise?
3. Master and Everyone
4. Wolf Among Wolves
5. Joy and Jubilee
6. Maundering
7. Lessons From What's Poor
8. Even If Love
9. Three Questions
10. Hard Life
Like Beck he's not frightened of mixing bluegrass religiosity, slacker nonchalance or even English folk rock - BBC Online
This is an album about love....Underneath the starched, Sunday-best formality pulses a raw humanity - Mojo
In just over 35 minutes, the Bonnie Prince's mastery of form, blend of gentle awe and trembling sweetness are distilled to their essence....A perfectly balanced blend of candour and heartstopping beauty - Uncut
a collection of beguilingly beautiful alt.country classics - NME
