Fair & Square (John Prine album)

Last updated
Fair & Square
Fair and Square John Prine.jpg
Studio album by
John Prine
ReleasedApril 26, 2005
Recorded2002–05
Studio
Genre Country folk, Americana
Label Oh Boy
Producer John Prine, Gary Paczosa
John Prine chronology
Souvenirs
(2000)		Fair & Square
(2005)		 Standard Songs for Average People
(2007)

Fair & Square is the 15th studio album by American folk singer-songwriter John Prine, released on Oh Boy Records in 2005. It was rereleased in 2007 as a vinyl double-LP with four more bonus tracks, and in 2008 those four tracks were rereleased as an EP. [1]

Contents

At the 48th Grammy Awards, Fair & Square won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau-three-star-honorable-mention.png [3]
Freight Train BoogieStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]

Writing for AllMusic, critic Mark Deming wrote of the album "...the man on Fair and Square seems a good bit less scrappy and more contemplative than the guy who cut Prine's most memorable material... for the most part this album is an unusually spare and subdued effort from an artist who usually can't help but crack a smile; with any luck he'll be feeling a bit more hopeful next time out, though this is still great music for a quiet afternoon." [2] Music critic Bill Frater wrote "There is a timeless quality to his songwriting style. He claims that the words just come to him without him having to do anything, but just write ‘em down. I don't doubt it; even random words like Constantinople can work if the right writer hears it. John Prine is indeed a songwriter's songwriter and we all should be so honest and trusting." [4] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a 3-star Honorable Mention rating [3] but 15 years later admitted that he underrated it. [5]

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Prine, except where indicated:

  1. "Glory of True Love" (Prine, Roger Cook) – 4:12
  2. "Crazy as a Loon" (Prine, Pat McLaughlin) – 5:03
  3. "Long Monday" (Prine, Keith Sykes) – 3:22
  4. "Taking a Walk" (Prine, McLaughlin) – 6:09
  5. "Some Humans Ain't Human" – 7:03
  6. "My Darlin' Hometown" (Prine, Roger Cook) – 3:14
  7. "Morning Train" (Prine, McLaughlin) – 4:02
  8. "The Moon Is Down" – 3:47
  9. "Clay Pigeons" (Blaze Foley) – 4:27
  10. "She Is My Everything" – 4:25
  11. "I Hate It When That Happens to Me" (Prine, Donnie Fritts) – 2:49
  12. "Bear Creek Blues" (A. P. Carter) – 4:45

Bonus tracks:

13. "Other Side of Town" (Live recording) – 4:53

14. "Safety Joe" – 3:58

The following bonus tracks are also found on the 2007 vinyl rerelease and on a 2008 EP:

  1. "Carousel of Love"
  2. "That's Alright By Me" (Prine, McLaughlin)
  3. "That's How Every Empire Falls" (R.B. Morris)
  4. "Dual Custody" (Prine, Roger Cook)

Personnel

Chart positions

YearChartPosition
2005Billboard 20055
Billboard Top Independent albums2
Billboard Top Internet albums55

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<i>Warren Zevon</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon is the second studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. This album was recorded in 1975 and released on May 18, 1976, by Asylum Records. A remastered version of the album with bonus tracks was released in 2008 by Rhino Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Snider</span> American singer-songwriter

Todd Daniel Snider is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.

<i>Mortal City</i> 1996 studio album by Dar Williams

Mortal City is Dar Williams' second album, released in January 1996 by Razor & Tie.

<i>El Corazón</i> (Steve Earle album) 1997 studio album by Steve Earle

El Corazón is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released in 1997.

<i>Other Voices, Other Rooms</i> (Nanci Griffith album) 1993 studio album by Nanci Griffith

Other Voices, Other Rooms is the tenth studio album by American singer Nanci Griffith. It was released on March 2, 1993, by Elektra Records. Her first since leaving MCA Records, it consisted entirely of cover songs, in tribute to songwriters who influenced her own songwriting. Guest artists who appear in their own compositions included Frank Christian playing guitar on "Three Flights Up", Bob Dylan playing harmonica on "Boots of Spanish Leather", and John Prine lending harmony vocals on "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness". The album was titled after the Truman Capote novel of the same name.

<i>The Last of the True Believers</i> 1986 studio album by Nanci Griffith

The Last of the True Believers is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1986 by Philo Records. The acclaim accorded her from her previous album, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and this album earned her a contract with a major recording company. Here, Griffith continued her turn toward a more country-oriented work than her first two albums, which were primarily folk-sounding. It also includes two songs which were later hits for Kathy Mattea, "Love at the Five and Dime" from Walk the Way the Wind Blows (1986) and "Goin' Gone", her first number one, from Untasted Honey (1987).

<i>Standard Songs for Average People</i> 2007 studio album by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

Standard Songs for Average People is an album by John Prine and Mac Wiseman, released in 2007. Wiseman was 82 years old at the time of the recording and Prine was 60.

<i>Souvenirs</i> (John Prine album) 2000 studio album by John Prine

Souvenirs is a studio album by John Prine, released in 2000. Originally intended for German-only release, the album consists of new performances of some of Prine's most popular early songs.

<i>Aimless Love</i> 1984 studio album by John Prine

Aimless Love is the eighth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1984. It is his first release on his independent record label, Oh Boy Records.

<i>Storm Windows</i> 1980 studio album by John Prine

Storm Windows is the seventh album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1980. It was his last release on a major label; he joined Al Bunetta and Dan Einstein to form Oh Boy Records, on which all his subsequent recordings were released.

<i>Diamonds in the Rough</i> (album) 1972 studio album by John Prine

Diamonds in the Rough is the second studio album by American country-folk singer-songwriter John Prine, released in 1972.

<i>The Missing Years</i> (album) 1991 studio album by John Prine

The Missing Years is the 10th studio album by American folk musician John Prine, released in 1991 on Oh Boy Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In July 2003 the label released a deluxe vinyl reissue of the album with a bonus track called "The Third of July" from Prine's appearance on the PBS concert series Sessions at West 54th in 2001.

<i>Infamous Angel</i> 1992 studio album by Iris DeMent

Infamous Angel is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Iris DeMent. It was released by Philo Records in 1992. The liner notes were written by John Prine, to whom DeMent's music has been compared by Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn.

<i>German Afternoons</i> 1986 studio album by John Prine

German Afternoons is the ninth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1986.

<i>Live on Tour</i> 1997 live album by John Prine

Live on Tour is a live album by American singer-songwriter John Prine, released in 1997. The album also include three studio tracks.

<i>Great Days: The John Prine Anthology</i> 1993 compilation album by John Prine

Great Days: The John Prine Anthology is a compilation album by American folk singer John Prine, released in 1993.

<i>For Better, or Worse</i> 2016 studio album by John Prine

For Better, or Worse is the seventeenth studio album by John Prine. It consists of tracks in which the artist teams with an all-star contingent of female singers on a selection of vintage country songs as duets. It was his first studio album in nine years, preceded by 2007's Standard Songs for Average People.

<i>The Tree of Forgiveness</i> 2018 studio album by John Prine

The Tree of Forgiveness is the eighteenth and final studio album by American country folk singer John Prine. The album was released on April 13, 2018. It is the last album released by Prine before his death on April 7, 2020.

<i>Somebody Elses Troubles</i> 1972 studio album by Steve Goodman

Somebody Else's Troubles is an album by singer/songwriter Steve Goodman, released in 1972. The record received favorable reviews but failed to sell. Goodman soon left Buddah Records and signed with Elektra Records. Bob Dylan contributes piano on the title song under the pseudonym of Robert Milkwood Thomas. John Prine is standing second person from left to right. Jimmy Buffett is standing between Prine and Goodman's wife Nancy. In 1990, the album was released on CD by Sequel Records.

<i>The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family</i> 2004 various artists compilation album

The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family is a 2004 compilation album featuring various artists performing the work of country music pioneers The Carter Family.

References

  1. ↑ "Fair & Square Liner Notes". The John Prine Shrine. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Fair & Square > Review" . Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Fair & Square > Review". Robert Christgau . Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Frater, Bill. "Fair & Square > Review". Freight Train Boogie. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Xgau Sez: May 20, 2020". Robert Christgau . Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  6. ↑ Ableson, Jon. "Chris Carrabba To Release "Covered In The Flood" Solo Album". Alter The Press!. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.