Bonnie "Prince" BillyBeware
Drag City Records [2009]
Fire Note Says: Another staple in Oldham's catalog that has a true country flavor!
Album Review:
Bonnie "Prince" Billy aka Will Oldham has always walked an Americana line on his albums and Beware puts this genre front and center. The tracks on Beware offer a more direct bluegrass/country vibe then previous albums with the consistent use of twangy guitars, strumming banjos and humming violin. Now there are plenty of other instruments that supplement the overall sound here like the flutes on "I Am Goodbye" or the marimba in "You Can't Hurt Me Now" but the use of pedal steel and slide guitars maintains the overall flavor on Beware, which gives the album its "music for a ride into the mountains" tag. Oldham sounds completely loose singing here and not nearly as serious as some of his previous efforts, which puts the listener at ease and enhances the experience for this record. On Beware, Billy calls upon some of his staple female friends in Jennifer Hutt and Emmett Kelly to lend a hand vocally to the backgrounds like he has done on previous records, which helps give his songs extra depth, harmony, and feeling. Beware does a nice job of showcasing Bonnie "Prince" Billy's talent as he dives deep into a more traditional sound and as it should not surprise you - is really good!
Key Tracks: "I Am Goodbye", "Beware Your Only Friend", "You Don't Love Me"
Bands With Similar Fire:
William Elliott Whitmore
Sun Kil Moon
Neil Young
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: The Letting Go [Fire Note Review 10/31/06]
Official Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Website
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy MySpace
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Info [Allmusic]
Drag City Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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