THE MOST original of the Americana crop, Bonny Prince Billy is metamorphosing into a sexually deviant sprite with a wicked turn of phrase.

Whipped is testament to this more overt outlook, a S&M tale in search of redemption. This latest release reprises five songs from his 2011 Wolfroy Goes To Town, for reasons not entirely clear, but they are given a studio makeover and added fervour care of some impressive backing singers.

Lambchop’s Mark Never’s ensures the production is polished, but the material on offer is not from his top drawer, and the predictable country settings simply underline this lack of distinctiveness. The lusty girl singers rapidly outstay their welcome, good as they are. Billy is best at his simplest and starkest, with only a guitar and his clever wordplay, and there are only isolated examples here, New Black Rich (Tusks) being the standout.

Billy’s desire to produce new work and evolve is to commended, but this feels like a transitional album, and his motives may become clearer further down the road. Or probably not.