The Tree of Forgiveness

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The Tree of Forgiveness
John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness.png
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 13, 2018 (2018-04-13)
RecordedJuly 13, 2017–18
Studio RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee) [1]
Genre Country folk, Americana
Length32:51
Label Oh Boy
Producer Dave Cobb
John Prine chronology
For Better, or Worse
(2016)
The Tree of Forgiveness
(2018)

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.

Contents

Background

The album is Prine's first album since 2005's Fair & Square to consist of his own new songs. [2] Most of the songs were co-written with other songwriters, including Pat McLaughlin, Dan Auerbach, Keith Sykes, and Phil Spector. [3] The album features guest vocals from artists such as Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile. [4] Isbell and Shires also played instruments in some of the tracks. [5] The album was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville. [6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.3/10 [7]
Metacritic 77/100 [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Uncut 8/10 [17]
Vice A− [18]

The Tree of Forgiveness has received positive reviews from professional music critics, with a Metacritic rating of 77 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8] Rolling Stone listed the album as the 22nd best album of 2018 [19] and the 91st best album of the 2010s [20]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, which is Prine's best-ever ranking on the chart. It also debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and Rock Albums, and No. 1 on Americana/Folk Albums, selling 53,000 copies (54,000 album-equivalent units) in the first week. [21] It has sold 156,000 copies in the United States as of September 2019. [22]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Knockin' on Your Screen Door" Pat McLaughlin, Prine2:19
2."I Have Met My Love Today" Roger Cook, Prine1:50
3."Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)"McLaughlin, Prine4:05
4."Summer's End"McLaughlin, Prine3:29
5."Caravan of Fools" Dan Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine2:28
6."The Lonesome Friends of Science"Prine4:41
7."No Ordinary Blue"Prine, Keith Sykes 2:56
8."Boundless Love"Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine3:35
9."God Only Knows"Prine, Phil Spector 3:46
10."When I Get to Heaven"Prine3:42

Charts

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