In Spite of Ourselves | ||||
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Studio album by John Prine (with various accompanists) | ||||
Released | September 28, 1999 | |||
Recorded | August–October 1997, mid 1998, December 1998-99 | |||
Studio | Jack's Track and the Cowboy Arts Hotel & Recording Spa, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Folk, alt-country, Americana | |||
Length | 43:23 | |||
Label | Oh Boy | |||
Producer | Jim Rooney, John Prine | |||
John Prine chronology | ||||
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In Spite of Ourselves is the 13th studio album of John Prine, featuring duets with various well-known female folk and alt-country vocalists, released in 1999.
The album was Prine's first release since successfully battling throat cancer. The female duet partners include Iris DeMent, Connie Smith, Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Melba Montgomery, Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, Patty Loveless, and his wife, Fiona Prine.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | (A) [2] |
Freight Train Boogie | [3] |
No Depression | (no rating) [4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
Writing for Allmusic, critic Michael B. Smith wrote the album "ranks as one of Prine's finest works, a scrapbook of country classics, interpreted by some of the genre's best female vocalists, in duet with one fine American singer and a great songwriter." [1] Music critic Bill Frater wrote "To begin with, long-time John Prine fans might be a little put off by this new release. There is only one Prine-penned song in the bunch, In Spite of Ourselves, the title track... I love this album, and I applaud Prine proclaiming his love for these kinds of songs." [3] Robert Christgau gave the album an A rating, and had particular praise for Iris DeMent, writing "... the costar is Iris DeMent, who kills on both the Bobby Braddock cornpone of "(We're Not) The Jet Set" (rhymes with "Chevro-let set") and the conflicted spouse-swapping of the impossible old George & Melba hit "Let's Invite Them Over"—as well as Prine's only new copyright, the title track, in which a husband and wife who love each other to death paint totally different pictures of their marriage." [2]
Critic David Cantwell of No Depression specifically singled out the title track as the best duet on the album and wrote that the album "is a solid collection of country duets, and if nothing else, it proves that Prine has great taste in old country songs... not to mention great taste in what used to be called "girl singers." [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Duet partner | Length |
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1. | "(We're Not) The Jet Set" | Bobby Braddock | Iris DeMent | 2:34 |
2. | "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" | Don Everly | Connie Smith | 2:28 |
3. | "Wedding Bells/Let's Turn Back the Years" | Claude Boone/Hank Williams | Lucinda Williams | 3:45 |
4. | "When Two Worlds Collide" | Trisha Yearwood | 2:20 | |
5. | "Milwaukee, Here I Come" | Lee Fikes | Melba Montgomery | 2:20 |
6. | "I Know One" | Jack Clement | Emmylou Harris | 2:39 |
7. | "It's a Cheating Situation" | Dolores Keane | 2:54 | |
8. | "Back Street Affair" | Billy Wallace | Patty Loveless | 2:46 |
9. | "Loose Talk" |
| Connie Smith | 2:43 |
10. | "Let's Invite Them Over" | Onie Wheeler | Iris DeMent | 2:09 |
11. | "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose" | Fiona Prine | 2:48 | |
12. | "In A Town This Size" | Kieran Kane | Dolores Keane | 3:30 |
13. | "We Could" | Felice Bryant | Iris DeMent | 2:16 |
14. | "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" | Melba Montgomery | Melba Montgomery | 2:15 |
15. | "In Spite Of Ourselves" | John Prine | Iris DeMent | 3:32 |
16. | "Dear John (I Sent Your Saddle Home)" |
| 2:24 | |
Total length: | 43:23 |
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 21 |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 197 |
John Edward Prine was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He was known for an often humorous style of original music that has elements of protest and social commentary.
Iris Luella DeMent is a singer-songwriter and musician. DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice.
Melba Joyce Montgomery is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for a series of duet recordings made with George Jones, Gene Pitney and Charlie Louvin. She is also a solo artist, having reached the top of the country charts in 1974 with the song, "No Charge". Born in Tennessee but raised in Alabama, Montgomery had a musical upbringing. Along with her two brothers, she placed in a talent contest which brought her to the attention of Roy Acuff. For several years she toured the country as part of his band until she signed with United Artists Records in 1963.
Jason Wilber is an American folk/acoustic singer, guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist. He grew up in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Infamous Angel is the debut studio album of 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.
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"'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose" is a song originally recorded by American country music artist Leon Everette. It was released in 1985 from his album Where's the Fire. His version of the song peaked at number 44 on Hot Country Songs.
"Let's Invite Them Over" is a song written by Onie Wheeler, which was recorded as a duet by American country artists George Jones and Melba Montgomery. The song was released as the pair's second single in 1963.
"Milwaukee, Here I Come" is a song written by Lee Fykes and recorded as a duet by American country singers George Jones and Brenda Carter. The single, released on the Musicor label, was a hit, reaching #13 on the Billboard country singles chart. Carter was also signed to Musicor, which is the main reason she was brought in to sing with Jones on the track, and in an interview with Music City News in the summer of 1968, Jones expressed interest in producing the seventeen-year-old Maynardville, Tennessee singer. However, Jones would soon make several television appearances singing "Milwaukee, Here I Come" with Tammy Wynette, whom he married in 1969.
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