One of the most fascinating aberrations ive ever reviewed. Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy) has an impeccable thirty year discography, with some of his best and most interesting work in recent years. He is undoubtedly one of the finest songwriters and lyricists in modern American history. So for some reason he has decided to release a generic modern mainstream country album. The lyrics are either very broad and trite, or surprisingly on the nose takes on men and women, the instrumentation, arrangements and song progressions as predictable and unambitious as modern country itself. Then there's the anti gun track. Most baffling of all is how this album is actually acclaimed by critics.