| The Tree of Forgiveness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 13, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | July 13, 2017–18 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee) [1] | |||
| Genre | Country folk, Americana | |||
| Length | 32:51 | |||
| Label | Oh Boy | |||
| Producer | Dave Cobb | |||
| John Prine chronology | ||||
| ||||
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.
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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [7] |
| Metacritic | 77/100 [8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Chicago Tribune | [10] |
| The Independent | [11] |
| The Irish Times | [12] |
| Mojo | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| The Times | [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]
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]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Knockin' on Your Screen Door" | Pat McLaughlin, Prine | 2:19 |
| 2. | "I Have Met My Love Today" | Roger Cook, Prine | 1:50 |
| 3. | "Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)" | McLaughlin, Prine | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Summer's End" | McLaughlin, Prine | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Caravan of Fools" | Dan Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine | 2:28 |
| 6. | "The Lonesome Friends of Science" | Prine | 4:41 |
| 7. | "No Ordinary Blue" | Prine, Keith Sykes | 2:56 |
| 8. | "Boundless Love" | Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine | 3:35 |
| 9. | "God Only Knows" | Prine, Phil Spector | 3:46 |
| 10. | "When I Get to Heaven" | Prine | 3:42 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
John Edward Prine was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, often with elements of social commentary and satire, as well as sweet songs and melancholy ballads. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death.
Todd Daniel Snider is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.
Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.
Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Daniel "Slick" Ballinger, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder, and Todd Snider, along with a dozen reissues of classic country music artists. Oh Boy Records also manages two subsidiary labels: Steve Goodman's Red Pajamas Records and the Mountain Stage label Blue Plate Music. Oh Boy is based in Nashville, Tennessee and is managed by Fiona Whelan Prine.
Amanda Rose Shires is an American singer-songwriter and fiddle player. Shires has released seven solo albums starting in 2005, her most recent being Take It Like a Man in 2022. In 2019, she founded a country music supergroup called The Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby and has also performed as a member of the Texas Playboys, Thrift Store Cowboys, and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, as well as in a duo with Rod Picott. Along with Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Shires won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for their 2017 album The Nashville Sound.
Southeastern is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, released on June 11, 2013 on Southeastern Records. Initially set to be produced by Isbell's friend and touring companion Ryan Adams, the album was recorded following a stint in rehab, with Isbell noting, "This time I want to remember it all." Produced by Dave Cobb, the album was released to widespread critical acclaim. In 2020, the album was ranked at 458 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo from Deale, Maryland. The duo consists of brothers TJ Osborne and John Osborne. The duo signed a recording contract with EMI Records Nashville in 2012 and began releasing music the following year. Their 2015 song "Stay a Little Longer" became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and their success led to the release of their debut studio album titled Pawn Shop the same year. Since then, Brothers Osborne have released the albums Port Saint Joe (2018), Skeletons (2020), and Brothers Osborne (2023).
Something More Than Free is the fifth studio album by Jason Isbell, released on July 17, 2015. It was produced by Dave Cobb, who had produced Isbell's previous record, Southeastern (2013). At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won the award for Best Americana Album, and the song "24 Frames" won the award for Best American Roots Song.
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.
American musician Sturgill Simpson has released seven studio albums, six singles, and ten music videos. Simpson debuted in 2013 with the album High Top Mountain on his own High Top Mountain label. This was followed in 2014 by Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which featured the single "Turtles All the Way Down". Simpson signed to Atlantic Records for A Sailor's Guide to Earth in 2016, which included his first chart entries "Brace for Impact " and a cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" He moved to Elektra Records for Sound & Fury in 2019, which was accompanied by an anime film of the same name. He returned to High Top Mountain for a pair of albums, Cuttin' Grass, Vol. 1: The Butcher Shoppe Sessions and Cuttin' Grass, Vol. 2: The Cowboy Arms Sessions; both released in 2020, these consisted of acoustic re-recordings of previous songs. The Ballad of Dood & Juanita followed in 2021.
Midland is an American country music group formed in 2014 in Dripping Springs, Texas. The group members are Mark Wystrach, Jess Carson, and Cameron Duddy. Through Big Machine Records, the band has released two EPs, their self-titled EP and The Last Resort. They have released four studio albums, On the Rocks, Let It Roll, The Last Resort: Greetings From and Barely Blue, which have accounted for seven charted singles on the Billboard country chart: "Drinkin' Problem", Burn Out", "Make a Little", "Mr. Lonely", "Cheatin' Songs", "Sunrise Tells the Story" and "Longneck Way to Go". Midland's musical style is known as neotraditional country.
The Nashville Sound is the sixth studio album by Jason Isbell, and the third credited to "Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit". It was released on June 16, 2017. The album was produced by Dave Cobb, who had produced Isbell's previous two albums: Southeastern (2013) and Something More Than Free (2015). At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won the award for Best Americana Album, and the song "If We Were Vampires" won the award for Best American Roots Song.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2018.
Fever Breaks is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. The album was released on April 26, 2019, by Pytheas Recordings.
The Highwomen is an American country music supergroup composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. Formed in 2019, the group's self-titled debut album was released on September 6 of the same year by Elektra Records and was produced by Dave Cobb.
The Highwomen is the debut studio album by country music supergroup the Highwomen, made up of band members Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. It was released on September 6, 2019, by Elektra Records.
The Owl is the sixth studio album by American country music band Zac Brown Band. It was released on September 20, 2019, through Wheelhouse Records.
"Cover Me Up" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell. It is the first track on his 2013 studio album Southeastern.
Southside is the second studio album by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It was released through MCA Nashville on April 3, 2020. It was slated to be supported by the Southside Summer Tour 2020, which would have featured guests Kip Moore, Travis Denning, Brandi Cyrus, and Ernest, and was set to begin in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 28, 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Take It Like a Man is the seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Shires. Produced by Lawrence Rothman and recorded at the RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, it was released on July 29, 2022, through ATO Records.
