Beware (album)

Beware
Studio album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Released	17 March 2009
Genre	Americana, alt.country, indie folk
Label	Drag City Domino
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy chronology
Lie Down in the Light (2008) Beware (2009) The Wonder Show of the World (2010)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Drowned in Sound	(4/10) [2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [3]
The New York Times	[4]
Pitchfork Media	(7.9/10) [5]
PopMatters	(4/10) [6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Spin	[8]
The Skinny	[9]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[10]
Toro	(7.5/10) [11]
Uncut	[12]

Beware is a studio album by singer-songwriter Will Oldham, released on March 17, 2009, on Drag City. The album is Oldham's seventh under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Beware was recorded in October 2008 at Engine Studios in Chicago, IL. This album showcased a more upbeat and less melancholic side to Bonnie Prince Billy's music, with the artist attributing this to 'having found love' in a monologue to an audience on the album's subsequent tour. It was engineered by Neil Strauch and Will's backing band included Josh Abrams of Town & Country, Jennifer Hutt, Emmett Kelly of the Cairo Gang band, and Michael Zerang of Peter Brötzmann's and Ken Vandermark's jazz-combos. Guest artists included Leroy Bach (ex-Wilco), Jon Langford (of the Mekons, Waco Brothers), Greg Leisz, Rob Mazurek (of Chicago Underground Duo, Isotope 217), Nicole Mitchell, Azita Youssefi and others.

Reception

Critical response to Beware! was generally favorable and positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 74 ("Generally favorable reviews"), based on 32 professional reviews, and the average user rating for the album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 12 users' votes.^[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Will Oldham.

1. "Beware Your Only Friend" – 4:01
2. "You Can't Hurt Me Now" – 3:42
3. "My Life's Work" – 3:53
4. "Death Final" – 3:01
5. "Heart's Arms" – 3:26
6. "You Don't Love Me" – 3:09
7. "You Are Lost" – 2:55
8. "I Won't Ask Again" – 4:26
9. "I Don't Belong to Anyone" – 3:15
10. "There Is Something I Have to Say" – 3:19
11. "I Am Goodbye" – 2:21
12. "Without Work, You Have Nothing" – 3:45
13. "Afraid Ain't Me" – 4:49

• Tracks 12–13 were only available on the initial pressing and have been removed from subsequent pressings. These tracks have been released as a digital download single and the new eleven-track version of Beware! has an alternative cover. These changes were instigated by Will Oldham who felt that I Am Goodbye is more suitable as the final track.^[14]

Personnel

Backing band

• Joshua Abrams – bass, guimbri, vocal
• Jennifer Hutt – violin, vocal
• Emmett Kelly – guitars, keyboards, vocal
• Michael Zerang – percussion, marimba, drums, vocal

Special guests

• Greg Leisz – mandolin, pedal steel guitar
• Rob Mazurek – cornet
• Dee Alexander – vocal
• Leroy Bach – organ
• Jim Becker – banjo
• Robert Cruz – accordion
• D.V. DeVincentis – saxophone
• Jon Langford – vocals
• Nicole Mitchell – flute
• Azita Youssefi – piano, synthesizer
• Neil Strauch – engineer, mixing
• Paul Oldham – mastering
• Sammy Harkham – back cover, label design
• Dan Osborn – layout design
• Jeff Hamilton – cover illustration

References

1. Beware (album) at AllMusic
2. Drowned In Sound review
3. Entertainment Weekly review
4. New York Times review
5. Pitchfork review
6. Popmatters review
7. Rolling Stone review
8. Spin review
9. The Skinny review
10. Tiny Mix Tapes Review
11. Toro review
12. Uncut review
13. "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy:Beware (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
14. Alan Licht (Ed.) (2012), Will Oldham on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Faber and Faber Ltd., London, pp. 294-5. ISBN 978-0-571-25814-7.