Wilding in the West

AMG Review of Wilding in the West

John Bush
All Music Guide

Recorded in California in 2007, Wilding in the West is a live Bonnie "Prince" Billy document, incorporating 14 ragged-but-right songs. His band includes guitarist Emmett Kelly, bassist Aram Stith, drummer Alex Neilson, and keyboard player Azita, plus Dawn McCarthy and Paul Oldham on vocals. The material comes largely from 2003's Master and Everyone and 2006's The Letting Go, not so very far away from 2005's live album Summer in the Southeast (which even has a similar design scheme). Billy is an impassioned performer in a live context, and while the quiet beauty of songs from The Letting Go and Master and Everyone is what made them so powerful in the studio, they're not without their charms here. Overall, however, this one -- an Australian exclusive upon its release in 2008 -- is definitely one for the fans.