In Spite of Ourselves
Studio album by
John Prine (with various accompanists)
ReleasedSeptember 28, 1999
RecordedAugust–October 1997, mid 1998, December 1998-99
StudioJack's Track and the Cowboy Arts Hotel & Recording Spa, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreFolk, alt-country, Americana
Length43:23
LabelOh Boy
ProducerJim Rooney, John Prine
John Prine chronology
Live on Tour
(1997)		 In Spite of Ourselves
(1999)		 Souvenirs
(2000)

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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Duet partnerLength
1."(We're Not) The Jet Set"Bobby BraddockIris DeMent2:34
2."So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)"Don EverlyConnie Smith2:28
3."Wedding Bells/Let's Turn Back the Years"Claude Boone/Hank WilliamsLucinda Williams3:45
4."When Two Worlds Collide"
Trisha Yearwood2:20
5."Milwaukee, Here I Come"Lee FikesMelba Montgomery2:20
6."I Know One"Jack ClementEmmylou Harris2:39
7."It's a Cheating Situation"
Dolores Keane2:54
8."Back Street Affair"Billy WallacePatty Loveless2:46
9."Loose Talk"
Connie Smith2:43
10."Let's Invite Them Over"Onie WheelerIris DeMent2:09
11."'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose"
Fiona Prine2:48
12."In A Town This Size"Kieran KaneDolores Keane3:30
13."We Could"Felice BryantIris DeMent2:16
14."We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds"Melba MontgomeryMelba Montgomery2:15
15."In Spite Of Ourselves"John PrineIris DeMent3:32
16."Dear John (I Sent Your Saddle Home)"
 2:24
Total length:43:23

Chart performance

Chart (1999) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 21
U.S. Billboard 200 197

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Michael B. "In Spite of Ourselves > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "In Spite of Ourselves > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Frater, Bill. "In Spite of Ourselves > Review". Freight Train Boogie. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Cantwell, David (November–December 1999). "Review: In Spite of Ourselves". No Depression. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
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