In Spite of Ourselves

by John Prine

Overview

Raspy voiced troubadour John Prine, best known for the heartfelt ballad "Angel from Montgomery" and irreverent social commentary including "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore," devotes himself to duets with an album of country classics -- and then some. "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" is sung here with country standard bearer Melba Montgomery, and Prine revels in some lesser known nuggets like the bizarre honky-tonk jukebox take on wife swapping, "Let's Invite Them Over," which he performs with Iris DeMent. Country great Connie Smith guests on two songs, and there's a pair of unexpected duets with Irish songstress Dolores Keane as well. Prine's conversational style fits best with Patty Loveless's high lonesome sound on "Back Street Affair," Emmylou Harris's cracked crystalline phrasing on "I Know One," and Lucinda Williams' delta dialogue on "Wedding Bells." The delicate duet with his wife, Fiona, on "When a Tear Becomes a Rose" shows that Prine can handle the softer side of things, too. But lest things get too sentimental, he closes with a song for (and with) the guys, "John I Sent Your Saddle Home." Ironic, funny, and sentimental -- would you expect anything less from John Prine?

Product Details

Release Date:	09/14/1999
Label:	Oh Boy
UPC:	0094012001926
catalogNumber:	120019
Rank:	17145

Tracks

1. (We're Not) the Jet Set
2. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
3. Wedding Bells/Let's Turn Back the Years
4. When Two Worlds Collide
5. Milwaukee, Here I Come
6. I Know One
7. It's a Cheating Situation
8. Back Street Affair
9. Loose Talk
10. Let's Invite Them Over
11. 'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose
12. In a Town This Size
13. We Could
14. We Must Have Been out of Our Minds
15. In Spite of Ourselves
16. Dear John (I Sent Your Saddle Home)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Prine   Primary Artist,Vocals
Buddy Emmons   Pedal Steel Guitar
Dolores Keane   Track Performer
Sam Bush   Fiddle,Mandolin
Emmylou Harris   Track Performer
Patty Loveless   Track Performer
Melba Montgomery   Track Performer
Trisha Yearwood   Track Performer
Iris DeMent   Track Performer
Connie Smith   Track Performer
Lucinda Williams   Track Performer
Kieran Kane   Mandolin
Larry Atamanuik   Drums
James Blennerhassett   Upright Bass
Shawn Camp   Fiddle
Glen D. Hardin   Piano
Dan Dugmore   Pedal Steel Guitar
Paul Griffith   Drums
Kenny Malone   Drums
Arty McGlynn   Acoustic Guitar
Pat McInerney   Percussion
Gene Wooten   Dobro
Jason Wilber   Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar
David Jacques   Upright Bass
Phil Parlipiano   Mandolin,Accordion,Hammond B3

Technical Credits

Marty Stuart   Producer
Bill Anderson   Composer
Tex Ritter   Composer
John Prine   Producer,Liner Notes,Executive Producer
Phil Everly   Composer
Freddie Hart   Composer
Jim Rooney   Producer,Liner Notes
Bunetta   Executive Producer
Dan Einstein   Executive Producer
David Ferguson   Engineer
Pat Neary   Engineer
Mark Miller   Engineer
Aubrie Gass   Composer
Mary Stuart   Producer
King Williams   Engineer
Dana Arnett   Art Direction

Editorial Reviews

In Spite of Ourselves is John Prine's tribute to the music he grew up with -- good country songs written by folks like Roger Miller and Jack Clement. It is, at the same time, a golden opportunity for him to collaborate with some of his all-time favorite female vocalists. In the liner notes booklet, Prine tells the story: "I made a list of my favorite girl singers and the first nine I called said 'yes.' I nearly fell over." One of Prine's favorites is Iris DeMent, and her unique vocals grace four of the tracks here, including "(We're Not) The Jet Set," "We Could," and Prine's lone songwriting appearance, "In Spite of Ourselves," a song written for the upcoming Billy Bob Thornton film, Daddy & Them, in which Prine appears. Trisha Yearwood, Connie Smith, Fiona Prine, Melba Montgomery, Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, Patty Loveless, and Lucinda Williams all share the studio with Prine, creating some mighty powerful duets. From Freddie Hart's "Loose Talk" to Don Everly's "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)," the album manages to create a seamless scrapbook of both old and new songs, artists and memories. Prine's duets are backed by some of the very best musicians available. Buddy Emmons and Dan Dugmore, two incredible pedal steel players, and Sam Bush, Kenny Malone, Jason Wilber, Jim Rooney, and Marty Stuart are just a few of the stellar players featured on the album. Overall, In Spite of Ourselves ranks as one of Prine's finest works, a scrapbook of country classics, interpreted by some of the genres best female vocalists, in duet with one fine American singer and a great songwriter.

All Music Guide - Michael B. Smith