Customer Reviews

Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine

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Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine is perhaps the best tribute album in recent memory. It's melancholy, upbeat, beautiful and emotional all at once. As a fan of the songs of John Prine and of music, new and old, I am really happy that this album was put together. I know little about how this came together and whose brain-child it was, but I wish I knew who to thank.

This collection has the potential to introduce a new generation to the wonderful songs of John Prine. And it also has the potential to introduce dedicated John Prine fans to some of today's best recording artists.

There's something for everybody here, from neo-folk to indie rock. As somebody who generally is not attracted to covers, this album is full of fantastic renditions of John's music from start to finish.

It doesn't hurt that some of my favorite bands are included here, from the lovely understated take on "All The Best" from My Morning Jacket, to the beautifully haunting rendition of "Bruised Orange" done by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Though it's hard to pick favorites on this album, those two are probably mine, along with "Mexican Home" and "The Late John Garfield Blues."

Josh Ritter's no frills take on "Mexican Home" mirrors John's own performances of the song. Perhaps it's not surprising that Josh, a great songwriter in his own right, is so respectful of this classic. Justin Townes Earle's take on "Far From Me" is similarly nuanced, sung to simple banjo accompaniment. Sara Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek, gives a lovely rendition of "The Late John Garfield Blues." And Deer Tick joins with Liz Isenberg for a beautiful rendition of "Unwed Fathers."

Though many of the songs are tinged with John's beautifully melancholy lyrics, there are a variety of songs included here. Conor Oberst & TMVB, of Bright Eyes and Monsters Of Folk fame, should need no introduction to music fans. "Wedding Day In Funeralville" is his contribution, and it's got a great country rock feel to it.

"Spanish Pipedream" is given an upbeat treatment by the Avett Brothers in keeping with the original. The up-tempo bluegrass sound provides a lovely bridge between the melancholy "Far From Me" and the beautiful "Angel From Montgomery," one of the best known Prine songs and a nice introduction to Old Crow Medicine Show. Other up-tempo tracks include the rockabilly-esque rendition of "Daddy's Little Pumpkin" by the Drive By Truckers. And the take on "Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian" by Those Darlins can only be described as playful alt-country pop.

Lambchop's "Six O'Clock News" is almost conversational in a Leonard Cohen sort of way. It's so understated that it may not be as immediately accessible as some of the more traditional takes on this album. But with repeated listens it has grown on me.

CONCLUSION

The alternative country genre really seems like it's reaching a climax now, and a lot of great bands showcase their chops here. There can be no better time for a tribute to John Prine. And even as somebody who buys a lot of new music, this album opened my eyes to several groups I haven't listened to a lot in the past. I definitely recommend this album to fans of John Prine and new music lovers alike.

Enjoy.

I've been a fan of John Prine for more than three decades. His albums never disappoint--and that includes last month's live album IN PERSON & ON STAGE. However, I've always been a bit leery of tribute albums. But after one listen, this is an excellent collection of some of Prine's best known songs.

1. The album begins with a reverb-soaked vocal from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on "Chain of Sorrow," which gives the song a haunting quality.

2. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band crank up the tempo with a rousing interpretation of "Wedding Day in Funeralville." Clocking in at just over two minutes, it is by far the shortest track.

3. Jim James' gossamer falsetto adds a delicate beauty to "All the Best," one of my favorite Prine songs.

4. Josh Ritter (who also guested on Prine's recent live album) turns in a sparse arrangement accompanying himself on guitar in a moving version of "Mexican Home."

5. Lambchop's version of "Six O'Clock News" is my least favorite. This country-tinged rendition has some great acoustic guitar, but the vocal never really catches fire.

6. Justin Townes Earl--whose voice is very reminiscent of his dad's--does a heartfelt version of "Far from Me."

7. The Avett Brothers do a toe-tapping, old timey rendition of "Spanish Pipedream." Yee-haw!

8. Give the Old Crow Medicine Show points for chutzpah for taking on what is perhaps Prine's best known song, but they put their own spin on "Angel from Montgomery." The dobro and harmonica are nice touches.

9. Sara Watkins (formerly of Nickel Creek) does an absolutely gorgeous version of "The Late John Garfield Blues."

10. The Drive-By Truckers turn up the Southern boogie factor with their pull-out-all-the-stops performance of "Daddy's Little Pumpkin."

11. Liz Isenberg's shared vocal is a nice fit with John McCauley's rough-around-the-edges vocal on Deer Tick's version of "Unwed Fathers."

12. Prine could exhibit a keen sense of humor in his songwriting, and Those Darlins do him proud in their festive version of "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian."

This project took two years to complete, and was released on Prine's own Oh Boy label. It's encouraging to see these contemporary artists paying homage to one of the great singer/songwriters. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [Running Time - 44:03]

Let me start by saying that I like tribute albums, especially if they feature artists that I like. I like to hear the way they interpret songs that we already know well by another artist. That said, this album is even better than most. For the most part, the artists featured here stick to the spirit of John Prine's originals and, in several cases, even sound a lot like Prine. Even so, there is enough of the cover artists' personality and style coming through to differentiate these songs from the originals. I love almost every song on here with maybe 2 exceptions: I don't really care for Lambchop's vocals on "Six O'Clock News" and I think that "The Late John Garfield Blues" could have been better-served by someone with a more distinctive vocal style that Sara Watkins. Other than these 2 minor complaints based on my own preferences, I love the album. For me, the best tracks are "All The Best" by My Morning Jacket(Jim James' gorgeous vocal makes this almost better than the original!) and "Daddy's Little Pumpkin" by Drive-By Truckers(the only flat-out rocker on the album). Other highlights include Justin Townes Earle on "Far From Me," "Spanish Pipedream" by The Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show doing "Angel From Montgomery."

Generally speaking, the versions on this album take too literal a read on the original arrangements and fail to show how songs with bones as good as these can be adapted into new contexts and remain intact in their original intent and emotion. These guys are all being too reverent, which is ironic given how irreverent John Prine is at his best. Someone ought to have done "Everybody" or "Please Don't Bury Me" and they just overlook them. Thumbs down. If you wanna hear interesting takes on John Prine, Bonnie Raitt's old version of "Angel From Montgomery" is still the finest, and Nancy Griffith's version of "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" is pretty amazing. Lastly, youtube Omar Torrez's version of "Mexican Home" to see how a song so great can be adapted into a funkfest that makes Josh Ritter look like an ass, straight up.

I love love love me some John Prine and I was excited as heck to hear his songs done by some of my favorite new artists, but they left me disappointed. Nothing beats the original.

Nothing against these artists, the songs just lack a certain something, or that "soul" that Mr Prine puts into the originals. It's almost as if these covers were thrown together fairly quick without allowing the artists time to fully grasp the songs they covered.

It feels like whomever put this album together was trying to get the younger generation familiar with Jhn Prine and the older generation that is already John Prine fans familiar with the newer artists. They failed both sides in this undertaking in that you don't get to hear the soul of John Prine or the full talents of some of the new artists. That said, these are still some great songs. I would just rather hear them done by the master.

And if you do know him, you'll be disappointed.

Like several other reviewers, I've been a John Prine fan for a long time -- in my case, since the late 1970s, seeing him live in various Chicago venues and buying his albums and CDs when I could. There are two flaws in this tribute album: Lifeless covers of Prine's work by "hip" alternative country/folk artists and very poor song choices.

First, these are the dullest recordings of mostly great songs that I've heard in a while. Did the producers require that both the bands and the engineers take enough morphine to deaden talent and sound quality? I generally like most of these artists, but NOT ONE shows his or her talent on this badly produced compilation. "Angel from Montgomery" is an incredible song (and one of Prine's most famous), and you'd think it was hard to ruin -- but Old Crow Medicine Show manages to make it a dull dirge (and they are one of my favorite "new country" bands). If you don't have Prine's version run out and get the incredible live version by Bonnie Raitt (and friends). "Bruised Orange" sounds like an emo boy's whine, with a bad off tempo. I could criticize every cover on this album - none of them show off the songs well. The only listenable song on here is "Lets talk dirty in Hawaiian", which is a Prine throw away that I would include - maybe - on volume 2 of a long retrospective, not on a "showcase" of a few songs. See below for the bad song choices here. Prine CAN be covered, but not by artists who either don't have the range or maturity to handle him.

Second, this collection contains mostly newer songs. Not necessarily good songs. And surely Prine's best are missing. "Angel from Montgomery" is included, but the version is weak as noted above. Where is "Paradise"? Probably Prine's most famous song (thanks to John Denver). No one could be recruited to sing that most easy, gentle of country laments? Where is "Flag Decal"? Did the producers think that song is dated in the age of Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck? Prine IS political! Why would the producers leave off one of his most cutting, satirical songs about false American patriotism (unless they are pandering to the more conservative "country music" audience). My favorite fun song of Prine's (Please don't bury me) is missing (with its incredible first line of "Woke up this morning, put on my slippers, walked into the kitchen and died".) Finally, in what I consider a travesty in a "tribute" album, Prine's amazing song about the mistreatment of American veterans, "Sam Stone" is missing. HEY, Producers: why did no one cover "Sam Stone" when it is as relevant to Afghan and Iraq vets as it was to Vietnam vets?

Go buy Prine's "Haystack" album. Go buy the fun live album "Souvenirs". BUY ANYTHING of John Prine's instead of this claptrap. Get Bonnie Raitt doing John Prine. Don't buy this bad collection of a brilliant songwriter's work.

The Male Half of TEC

Like the others who have already reviewed this CD, I'm a huge fan of Prine and have been ever since I first heard "Sam Stone" and continued to sing songs like "Your Draft Card Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" (neither of which is covered here). (Hey most folks this album is being directed to won't even know what a draft card is <g>.) And Prine writes some great songs and still is puts on one heck of a live show. Want proof? Check out the new "Live" CD being released at the same time.

As I noted in my review title, the word "tribute" is never mentioned on this CD. What we get here are Prine songs covered by a bunch of new indie musicians, each giving it their own interpretation. The one that nearly replicates Prine's vocals is Old Crow Medicine Show (on the most recognizable song - "Angel From Montgomery"). The oddest is Lambchop's take on the "Six O'clock News". Its great to hear 2/3 of Nickel Creek (Sara Watkins on violin and vocal and bother Sean on guitar) again too.

I think the plan is to get Prine's songs out there to new listeners, and it will probably work. My only fear is that those new listeners will listen because of the arrangements and miss Prine's insightful lyrics (well on most songs - "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" is another side of Prine's character). Many of the tracks are so overproduced that you won't get the lyrics just by listening. (Try "The Six O' clock News" or "Bruised Orange"). I encourage anyone reading this review who is buying the CD to "Google" each song's lyrics and you'll see what a poet Prine is. Then go out and buy the albums that have the originals. Like this album, they are all on Prine's own Oh Boy label. Think of this album as the entryway to discovering the musical art of John Prine.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

JUST BOUGHT IT LAST WEEK...HAVEN'T STOPPED LISTENING,YET !!! SOME OF THE STANDOUTS ARE MY MORNING JACKET DOING ''ALL THE BEST'',THE AVETT BROS. ,''SPANISH PIPEDREAM'', DRIVE-BY-TRUCKERS,''DADDY'S LITTLE PUMPKIN'' ,AND MY FAVORITE...OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW ,DOING AN AWESOME VERSION OF ''ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY'' !!!OTHER MUSICIANS INCLUDED ARE JOSH RITTER,CONOR OBERST,BON IVER'S JUSTIN VERNON,SARA WATKINS, DEER TICK,THOSE DARLINS, LAMBCHOP,AND JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE !!! A MUST BUY...

This is an awesome album. Country brought to mainstream. I dont like "country" but this album made my eclectic collection.

I bought this as a gift for my spouse. I must have been in a Christmas gift-buying fog when I purchased it, because I didn't understand that it was a bunch of John Prine songs (which, in my youth, I did not appreciate at all). After listening, though, I'm pretty happy with it. Most of these songs are, well, fun. I don't have a better word to describe the listening mood. The bands appearing on this compilation are pretty solid and talented, and they've made me like John Prine. Good job, cover bands!