Beware [PA]

Performer: Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Engineer: Neil Strauch; Jake Westermann
Distributor: Revolver USA Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Josh Abrams (vocals, various instruments); Emmett Kelly (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Jennifer Hutt (vocals, violin); Michael Zerang (vocals, marimba, drums, percussion); Dee Alexander, Jon Langford (vocals); Greg Leiscz (pedal steel guitar, mandolin); Jim Becker (banjo); Nicole Mitchell (flute); Robert Cruz (accordion); Dv Devincentis (saxophone); Rob Mazurek (cornet); Azita Youssefi (piano, synthesizer); Leroy Bach (organ). Singer-songwriter Will Oldham's seventh album under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy (not counting collaborations with Tortoise, Matt Sweeney, and Dawn McCarthy, nor live albums or the rarities compilation LITTLE LOST BLUES), BEWARE is of a piece with Oldham's previous works, but it also feels like the culmination of a sound he has been slowly inching towards since rechristening himself Bonnie "Prince" Billy with 1999's I SEE A DARKNESS. Musically, the album is rooted in country and folk-rock, but Oldham's records have rarely had such depth to their arrangements before. The centerpiece track "You Are Lost" is built on pedal steel, fiddles,and other accoutrements of rootsy Americana, but moves slowly from a staid, martial opening to a gorgeous, epic rush of instruments and voices. Nearly every song has the word "I" or "You" in its title, and Oldham's lyrics are similarly direct, leaving aside his earlier fascinations with folklore and metaphor in favor of his most unvarnished and personal songs. BEWARE has the feel of a major achievement, and is arguably Will Oldham's finest work.

Spin (p.77) - "Oldham remains mostly untroubled on BEWARE, accompanied by an array of instruments -- marimba, cornet, banjo, and flute swirl around placid country-tinged ruminations..." Entertainment Weekly (p.63) - "BEWARE is studded with warm country rambles and folky, fiddle-tinged laments." -- Grade: B+ Q (Magazine) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] more muscular instrumentation....'There Is Something I Have To Say' and 'Without Work You Have Nothing' testify to Oldham's metaphysical powers." Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "'There Is Something I Have To Say' swells in that listless ennui he favored in a past life, while 'Afraid Ain't Me' -- with it gypsy punch -- adds flute and violin with an ear toward DESIRE-era Dylan." Pitchfork (Website) - "Oldham seems more inclined than ever to instruct and guide, a move befitting his age, experience and the role he plays in the indie-rock community." Clash (magazine) (p.111) - "There is an air of flamboyance surrounding this record, and it is this evocation of grandeur that ensures that these essentially personal anecdotes are give the life and breathing space they deserve." Record Collector (magazine) (p.88) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "BEWARE is yet another collection of songs veering from the poignant to the amusing, with heartbreaking, filthy ruminations upon the turbulence of relationships."

One of several monikers employed by country maverick Will Oldham, Bonnie "Prince" Billy became the artist's favored voice during the late 1990s and into the 2000s. The debut full-length I SEE A DARKNESS was hailed as one of Oldham's finest releases, augmenting the Appalachian gothic of his earlier work with additional instrumentation. In the always enigmatic artist threw fans a delightful curveball with 2004's SINGS GREATEST PALACE MUSIC, on which the singer-songwriter revisited his own back catalogue with a group of Nashville session musicians. As the 2000s rolled on, the Bonnie sobriquet would come to represent Oldham at perhaps his most prolific and challenging; he would collaborate with post-rock act Tortoise, cover a broad range of artists from Danzig to Bjork, and release several stunning original full-lengths.

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