Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Wolf of the Cosmos

LA RECENSIONE

Once again, after the release of 'Best Troubador' in May, Will Oldham engages in the reinterpretation of songs written by another author and in a tribute album, even though the objectives are completely different. In the case of 'Best Troubador', Oldham wanted to pay homage to Merle Haggard, a fundamental author in his development as a musician and his main reference model, while 'Wolf of the Cosmos' (Drag City/Palace Records) is practically a complete revisitation of 'Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos', an album written and published by the Norwegian musician and composer Susanna aka Susanna and the Magical Orchestra in 2007.

The decision to release a second album within six months where he reinterprets the music of other authors has been heavily criticized for an author historically known for being very prolific, but Oldham responded to the criticisms decisively, specifying that for him this type of operation is exactly the same as working in the studio on new material. Moreover, in this case, there isn't the same emotional component that had viscerally involved him in the tribute to Merle Haggard, but the desire to pay homage without constraints to an album that he simply considers of special beauty.

Recorded together with the same musicians who accompanied him during the studio recording sessions of the EP 'Chijimi' (Drag City, 2007), namely Cheyenne Mize and Emmett Kelly, 'Wolf of the Cosmos' is an elegant and very sophisticated work. The tones are different from those of the Bakersfield Sound of Merle Haggard and 'Best Troubador', which was typically 'American' and outlaw country music, and aligns with a series of Oldham's productions that have that delicate and more minimalist folk character. Songs whispered in atmospheres full of mysterious charm that evoke landscapes painted in pastel colors and a certain serenity. Certainly a beautiful album, then, and an interesting reinterpretation of a work that originated from different premises than Oldham's recording choices, but that nevertheless, as far as I am concerned and as has happened in other episodes of this author's discography, has really too little energy and easily tires the listener.