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The Tree of Forgiveness

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The Tree of Forgiveness
Studio album by
John Prine
ReleasedApril 13, 2018 (2018-04-13)
RecordedJuly 13, 2017–18
StudioRCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
GenreCountry folk, Americana
Length32:51
LabelOh Boy
ProducerDave 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.

Background

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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]

  • John Prine: Lead vocals and acoustic guitar
  • Dave Cobb: Acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, and mellotron
  • Pat McLaughlin: Background vocals and mandolin
  • Jason Wilber: Electric guitar
  • Dave Jacques: Bass
  • Ken Blevins: Drums, kick drum, and rack tom
  • Mike Webb: B3, piano, and mellotron

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[7]
Metacritic77/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Chicago Tribune[10]
The Independent[11]
The Irish Times[12]
Mojo[13]
Pitchfork7.6/10[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
The Times[16]
Uncut8/10[17]
ViceA−[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

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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

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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 Sykes2:56
8."Boundless Love"Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine3:35
9."God Only Knows"Prine, Phil Spector3:46
10."When I Get to Heaven"Prine3:42

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Gold, Adam (8 February 2018). "Three Years After Being Saved, Studio A Still Makes an Impact". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ Pareles, Jon (April 18, 2018). "John Prine Returns to Songwriting, Jaunty and Dark, on 'The Tree of Forgiveness'". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (February 8, 2018). "John Prine Announces New Album of Original Songs, Releases "Summer's End"". Spin.
  4. ^ Ganz, Jacob (February 8, 2018). "John Prine To Release His First Album Of New Songs In 13 Years". NPR.
  5. ^ Casey, Jim (February 8, 2018). "Listen to John Prine's New Song, "Summer's End," From Upcoming Album, "The Tree of Forgiveness"". Nash FM 1071.
  6. ^ Morris, Edward (April 24, 2018). "John Prine Runs the Gamut in The Tree of Forgiveness". CMT. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Tree Of Forgiveness by John Prine reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "The Tree of Forgiveness by John Prine Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Deming, Mark. "The Tree of Forgiveness – John Prine". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Kot, Greg (April 13, 2018). "John Prine gets surreal once more about love and death on 'The Tree of Forgiveness'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  11. ^ O'Connor, Roisin; Hasted, Nick; Kaplan, Ilana (April 11, 2018). "Album reviews: Cardi B, John Prine, Tinashe, Laura Veirs, Say Sue Me, Josh T Pearson". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  12. ^ Breen, Joe (April 13, 2018). "John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness review – sounds like an old friend already". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Fyfe, Andy (May 2018). "John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness". Mojo (294): 97.
  14. ^ Horton, Kaleb (April 13, 2018). "John Prine: Tree of Forgiveness". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  15. ^ Hermes, Will (April 13, 2018). "Review: John Prine Keeps Finding Fresh Revelations on 'Tree of Forgiveness". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  16. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (April 13, 2018). "Pop review: John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness". The Times. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  17. ^ McKay, Alastair (May 2018). "John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness". Uncut (252): 33.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 28, 2018). "Robert Christgau on the Late-Career Clarity of Willie Nelson and John Prine". Vice. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  19. ^ Hudak, Joseph (December 13, 2018). "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Rolling Stone.
  20. ^ Hudak, Joseph (December 3, 2019). "50 Best Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone.
  21. ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 22, 2018). "Jason Aldean Scores Fourth No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'Rearview Town'". Billboard.
  22. ^ Bjorke, Matt (September 25, 2019). "Top 10 Country Album Sales Chart: September 25, 2019". Roughstock. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  25. ^ "John Prine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  26. ^ "John Prine Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  27. ^ "John Prine Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  28. ^ "John Prine Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  29. ^ "John Prine Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  30. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
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