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0696859970207
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Overview
In 1999, John Prine released a thoroughly charming and engaging album called In Spite of Ourselves, in which he covered a handful of classic country tunes (tossing in one new original for good measure) as duets with nine talented female vocalists. Prine has given the same approach another try 17 years later, and though For Better, or Worse isn't quite as good as his first go-round with this concept, it's still a fine collection of songs from a man who knows a bit about crafting a tune. The greatest strength of For Better, or Worse is also one of its weaknesses -- Prine himself. Prine was nearly 70 when he recorded this album, and his voice has grown worse for wear (his battle with throat cancer in the '90s and a more recent brush with lung cancer haven't helped). But if he sounds his age on these tracks, he also spins that to his advantage; on numbers like "Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out," "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," and "I'm Telling You," he sounds like an wily old rascal who's seen it all and has plenty to tell. Prine's female co-stars are all in better shape than he is in terms of their instruments, and across the board they sound happy and honored to be working with the great man. Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, Kacey Musgraves, Susan Tedeschi, Miranda Lambert, and Kathy Mattea all bring their A game to these sessions, and help to give Prine a boost when he needs it. Of course, the best tracks are the ones where Prine teams up with Iris DeMent; the two singers have long shown they're simpatico, and hearing them together on "Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out" and "Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be" is a delight. Add in a studio band that delivers the classic Nashville honky tonk sound these songs demand, and a closing solo performance of "Just Waitin'," where Prine makes Luke the Drifter's lyrics sound like something he could have written himself, and you get a fine latter-day album from a seminal artist. It's still troubling that one of America's best songwriters seems to have lost the desire to pen new material, but For Better, or Worse shows John Prine hasn't lost his spirit as a performer.
Product Details
Release Date: | 09/30/2016 |
---|---|
Label: | Oh Boy |
UPC: | 0696859970207 |
catalogNumber: | 44 |
Rank: | 6023 |
Tracks
Album Credits
Performance Credits
John Prine Primary Artist,Acoustic Guitar,VocalsKathy Mattea Vocals
Iris DeMent Vocals
Pat McLaughlin Mandolin
Mark Howard Acoustic Guitar,Mandolin
Tim O'Brien Fiddle,Mandolin
Perkins Dobro,Steel Guitar
Pete Wasner Piano
Lee Ann Womack Vocals
Jason Wilber Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar
Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson Harmonica
Susan Tedeschi Electric Guitar,Vocals
Kenneth Blevins Drums
Shad Cobb Fiddle
Fiona Prine Vocals
Holly Williams Vocals
Miranda Lambert Vocals
Kacey Musgraves Vocals
Amanda Shires Vocals
Dave Jacques Upright Bass
Morgane Stapleton Vocals
Technical Credits
Larry Davis ComposerGeorge Jones Composer
Ray Kennedy Engineer
Joe Maphis Composer
Buck Owens Composer
Iris DeMent Liner Notes
John Prine Producer,Liner Notes
Johnny Tillotson Composer
Rose Lee Maphis Composer
Jim Rooney Producer
Jessi Colter Composer
Neal Cappellino Engineer
Vince Gill Composer
Allen Reynolds Composer
Hank Williams Composer
Bob Delevante Layout
Lawton Williams Composer
Teddy Wilburn Composer
Jason Wilber Executive Producer
Friedrich Hollaender Composer
Sammy Lerner Composer
Max T. Barnes Composer
Borney Bergantine Composer
Dixie Davis Composer
Billy Hughes Composer
Matt Allen Engineer
Fiona Prine Executive Producer
Betty Peterson Composer
Raymond Smith Composer
Joe Deaton Composer
Scott Wiseman Composer
Lucille Cosenza Composer
Jody Whelan Producer
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