Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Beware (2009) [Drag City] // Grade: C+

Brushing aside his trademark stripped and gloomy folk for a lusher southern-fried rock, Will Oldham pens his most commercially ambitious album to date, that at times is downright cheerful, sometimes captivating but mostly generic.

While it does have those moment’s where your inner monologue says “Hmm Country can be damn good”, the cold haunting chills you’d normally find on a Bonnie “Prince” Billy album emanating from a broken man and his guitar are all but gone. Beware may indeed prove that Will Oldham can become a commercial Alt-Country darling like Neko Case, but why does he really need to?

Speaking as someone who isn’t the hugest fan of alt-country/folk, Oldham’s way of transcending the sound and project his own sadness & pain is what made me a fan. His cold, sparse and delicate songs were so well crafted, they were much more than any genre tag could describe. Beware however, is just that, a genre album, Alt-Country to be specific. While it’s interesting and enjoyable to hear all of Will Oldham’s work out some of his trademark nuances within Beware’s upbeat gloss, it just doesn’t get under your skin.

Honestly the most interesting thing about this album is it’s cover. I have to think the design for Beware doesn’t just coincidentally echo the cover of Neil Young’s seminal Tonight’s the Night. It looks like an intentional allusion and thet peaks my curiosity. Tonight’s the Night was one of Young’s most depressing and personal albums after years of radio friendly southern rock, Beware on the other is Will Oldham’s first real stab at a commercial album after years of dark, bare bones country & folk. Both mark changes for each artist but in completely opposite of directions… Intentional? Coincidental? Something to ponder.

- My Pal the Crook