| The Tree of Forgiveness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 13, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | July 13, 2017–18 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio A | |||
| 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. [1] Most of the songs were co-written with other songwriters, including Pat McLaughlin, Dan Auerbach, Keith Sykes, and Phil Spector. [2] The album features guest vocals from artists such as Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile. [3] Isbell and Shires also played instruments in some of the tracks. [4] The album was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville. [5]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [6] |
| Metacritic | 77/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Chicago Tribune | [9] |
| The Independent | [10] |
| The Irish Times | [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| The Times | [15] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [16] |
| Vice | A− [17] |
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". [7] Rolling Stone listed the album as the 22nd best album of 2018 [18] and the 91st best album of the 2010s [19]
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. [20] It has sold 156,000 copies in the United States as of September 2019. [21]
| 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, as well as serious songs about melancholy tales from his life. His songs would often have elements of social commentary and satire. 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.
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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 specialty label Blue Plate Music. Oh Boy is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
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.
The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime Achievement Awards are handed out while over 2000 artists, music-loving fans and entertainment industry executives look on.
Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo consisting of brothers T.J. Osborne and John Osborne. Born in Deale, Maryland, 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) and Skeletons (2020).
John Sturgill Simpson is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. Simpson's style has been met with critical favor and frequent comparisons to outlaw country.
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Maren Larae Morris is an American singer-songwriter. Rooted in the country genre, her music also blends elements of pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Morris has won multiple accolades including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award and five Academy of Country Music Awards.
Matt Ross-Spang is an American record producer, Grammy award winning engineer, and mixer. His credits include such artists as Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Al Green, John Prine and Elvis Presley.
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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.
Golden Hour is the fourth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves, released on March 30, 2018, through MCA Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 13 tracks and co-produced the album with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. A country pop record, Golden Hour also contains elements of disco, electropop, electronica, and yacht rock.
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.
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