Rating: 8/10
Top Track: ‘Summer’s End’
I decided to start off my blog with a post about one of my dad’s last purchases. I definitely intend to dig into the large collection soon, but as of right now I felt like listening to John Prine. Then again, I’m usually in the mood for some Prine. I also thought that this album would be timely considering the legendary songwriter passed away earlier this year due to complications from COVID-19, making this his last studio album. I know he was one of my dad’s heroes when it came to folk music and songwriting, as he was to many others I’m sure; and it was difficult not to get emotional listening to this album all the way through for the first time.
Let’s start with my personal top track off of this album. I want to choose a top track from each album I listen to just in case anyone who reads this wants to just dip their toe into an album or an artist they haven’t listened to without diving in head first, which can always be a little daunting. ‘Summer’s End’ is a very somber and melancholic song, which is not a bad thing at all. You can hear the sorrow of losing loved ones over the years and the small amount of hope that we might be lucky enough see them again. That raw emotion in his lyrics combined with his aged voice turns the song into something that could not be replicated by anyone else. I can’t help but tear up listening to this song, which is why I chose it as my top track off of this album.
I watched Prine’s performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts on YouTube and was absolutely floored by the soul and love Prine put into his music and his lyrics. Listening to this album as whole made it clear how much he loves music and I could hear how much fun he was having while recording this album. This passion especially comes through in the albums last track, ‘When I Get To Heaven’. The song plays much more differently now that he’s gone, but this song about death is so happy and vibrant, it just brought a smile to my face. Prine talks about all the things he plans to do once he gets to heaven and sings about smoking a cigarette ‘that’s nine miles long.’
I hope that he does everything he said he was going to do in that song, if there is a heaven, and more. This album is probably one of the best albums of 2018 and highly recommend you give it a listen if you can. Simply one of the best folk songwriters of all-time, Joh Prine lived and died a legend of the music industry and I hope his legacy lives on for a long time to come.
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