It was the title song from an album John had done where he teamed up with a variety of women vocalists to record some of the classic duets of country music. After watching the movie, I rushed out and picked up a copy of it and rediscovered the joy of listening to John Prine all over again. The interesting thing was he had only written the one song, "In Spite Of Ourselves," of the fourteen tracks recorded, but he is so distinctive in style and presentation the songs became his.
Except perhaps for the duets with Iris Dement, the rest of the tracks were John Prine accompanied by someone else. That has nothing to do with him hogging the spotlight or lack of talent on the part of the other singer, but more to do with the strength of his personality. Just singing and playing guitar, he has presence people with twice his fame and notoriety can only dream of.
But to really appreciate John, you have to listen to him singing his own music and you need look no further than his most recent release on his Oh Boy Records label, Fair & Square, to experience that treat. In fact, if you're like me and still relatively new to coming back to listening to him, you'll be happy to know he seems to have obtained a comfort level absent for the longest time.
His songs are still matter of fact, with only some poetic flights of fancy to soften the edges of reality, but it's the unsentimental nature of his material that gives it such universal appeal. Songs like "Glory Of True Love" sings the praises and itemizes the merits of true love in terms we can all relate to, but without being simple or melodramatic. The tune is so up-tempo and cheerful, you wonder why everyone else makes such a meal out of the subject.
His biggest strength as a songwriter has always been his ability to make his listener empathize with his subject matter; the old couple in "Hello In There" is a perfect example. He shows he hasn't lost his touch on Fair & Square, with songs like "Long Monday" and its lyrics about the feelings of longing generated by missing someone you care for deeply, and "Some Humans Ain't Human" with its description of the ways in which people can be mean to each other and some folk, including Presidents of the United States, just don't get it.
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
Always enjoyed Prines songs and delivery. Very intimate. I especially like "Paradise".
2 - Mat Brewster
I found Prine on The Missing Year and then went back to his old records. If you haven't heard the duet with Bonnie Raitt on "Angel in Montgomery" you simply must do so.
I haven't gotten around to checking out Fair and Square. Thanks for reminding me that I need to.
3 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article was chosen as a Editor's Pick!
4 - Melissa
John's music is wonderful! It reminds me of another artist, Denny Brown. What do you guys think?
5 - elaine
I grew up w/ John Prine's music.
It is as much a part of my life, as it is for my, now, adult sons.John Prine's music, runs , like a tapestry, throughout the last 30 years of my life, & secured a place in the warp & weave of my adult sons' lives as well.My husband died in July of 2000, a single motorcycle accident,he had a headset on, the headset was stopped in the middle of track 11 on the Great Days Anthology CD- the song, Please Don't Bury Me. Ironic??? I think not!But, I am touched deeply by the fact, that just 3 nights prior, my husband & I were riding around with the top down, on back country roads, & singing our guts out to this anthology. Who knew?Since then I moved away from Pa., to Florida, a few months ago I went on my first real road trip, since my husband's death. I drove my sister & myself from St. Pete., Fla. to Pensacola, Fla., across a time zone!- I stocked up my CD changer & of course loaded John Prine's Anthology. My sister was in utter shock, when she heard the music. This is exactly what John Prine would have liked to have witnessed, I believe. I got to learn some things about my sister,& she, got a chance to learn some things about me! No miracles-just some small opening of another kind of door.