It would be ridiculous to say that Will Oldham goes country on the upcoming album from his Bonnie “Prince” Billy alias because what could that possibly mean? Oldham has been messing around with country music sounds, traditions, and imagery for decades. Johnny Cash once covered him. Every so often, though, Oldham, a consummate outsider, tries out country-insider status, almost as an experiment, and that’s the version of Oldham that we’re getting on his upcoming LP The Purple Bird. Oldham recorded the album in Nashville with producer David “Ferg” Ferguson and a team of seasoned country session musicians. Today, he shares a duet with country legend John Anderson.

The 70-year-old singer-songwriter John Anderson has been in the game since the late ’70s, and he’s landed dozens of songs on the country charts. Last year, he was elected into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. (He’s not the guy from Yes. That’s Jon Anderson.) In 2020, Anderson released Years, an album that he recorded with producers David Ferguson and Dan Auerbach. In 2022, artists like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, and the late John Prine contributed covers to the Anderson tribute album Something Borrowed, Something New.

Will Oldham has already shared the Purple Bird songs “Our Home” and “London May.” Oldham and John Anderson wrote “Downstream,” the latest early Purple Bird single, together. It’s a soft, tender song about the tenuous state of the environment, and it’s got some tin-whistle action that reminds me, I swear to God, of the Titanic score. Oldham and Anderson sound great together. Here’s what Oldham has to say about the experience:

One of my favorite recorded John Anderson performances is a duet he sang with Merle Haggard called “The Winds of Change” on Merle’s 1996 record. It’s a minor-key ballad about climate change and over-development, the compromise of our environment’s integrity at the hands of humans. “Downstream,” though in a major key, hits on the same ideas. I don’t know how to explain how it felt to witness this master of song bring, beautifully and humbly, his experience and expertise to bear on this little recording we were making. Anderson’s singing on the final verse has weight in it, and concern, and love.

In the months ahead, Will Oldham will play a few Bonnie “Prince” Billy shows on both sides of the Atlantic. Below, check out “Downstream” and his tour dates.

TOUR DATES:
1/28 – New York, NY @ Rough Trade
2/07 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Vet’s Hall
2/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Grace Cathedral
2/09 – Grass Valley, CA @ Center for the Arts
2/10 – Sonoma, CA @ Sebastiani Theatre
2/12 – Ojai, CA @ Topa Bowl
2/13-14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pico Union Project
5/10 – Leuven, Belgium @ Het Depot
5/10 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Arenberg
5/12 – Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje –
5/13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
5/15 – Kortijk, Belgium @ Wilde Westen
5/17 – Nantes, France @ Stereolux
5/18 – Paris, France @ La Cigale

The Purple Bird is out 1/31 on No Quarter/Domino.