“Tonight With the Dogs I’m Sleeping” may have the archaic phrasing common in Oldham’s lyrics and song titles, but it’s an old-school country lament, a carouser’s complaint about the missus, with a barroom sing-along and the self-deprecating wordplay of Jerry Reed and Bobby Bare: “Sitting at the bar with a drink or two, telephone rings and it’s you-know-who,” he sings. “You know who’s a-gonna get his ass chewed tonight.” Oldham co-writes and sings with a wry sense of humor, as though he’s both charmed and chagrined to discover that his life fits the contours of a country song. Of course, his brand of country has nothing in common with folks like Jelly Roll or Post Malone. He’s closer to folks like Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall, and Don Williams. You can imagine Cash himself lending his rich voice to “Turned to Dust (Rolling On)” or including “Is My Living in Vain?” on one of his later American Recordings albums.
Oldham has always been an immensely intentional and engaged singer, but on The Purple Bird he pushes himself to live up to such idols, and to match the musicians backing him. His vocals have a subtly quivering intensity on “London May,” as though he’s recoiling from some horror, and that makes the chorus sound all the more cathartic. Similarly, he conveys wonder and amazement on the fearful ecological warning “Downstream,” although it may be less at the fragility of nature and more at the majestic twang of duet partner John Anderson. For possibly the first time in his catalog, Oldham sounds starstruck. He seems to be re-evaluating how to use his voice, which is a remarkable thing for an artist 30 years deep into a twisting and singular career.
If The Purple Bird sounds like a companion to his previous two studio albums, it’s because they’re all animated by a similar passion for life. Oldham is exhorting his listener to live ardently, to see a lightness rather than a darkness. “Come on in, the water’s fine,” he declares on “The Water’s Fine,” but with less burden than he would have sung it 15 or 20 years ago. There’s an unguarded quality to his performances, even when he ponders impossible questions about hardship and suffering on “Is My Living in Vain?” The song leaves the questions unanswered, but Oldham follows it up with “Our Home,” which provides an ecstatic affirmation. Featuring veteran songwriter and mandolin ace Tim O’Brien, it defines home—one of country music’s most enduring topics, and a new fascination for Oldham—in terms of community. “When the hard times are coming to push you down low, you’re only as good as the people you know.” It’s a rousing anthem of contentment and appreciation, an epiphany that sounds like it’s been years in the making.
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