What's instantly noticeable and commendable about this tribute to the songwriting of
John Prine
is that none of the artists chosen to do the honors are contemporaries of the author.
Prine
, in his early sixties at the time of the album's release, had been a fixture on the singer/songwriter scene since the early '70s, long before most (any?) of the participants were even born. That's a smart move by the compilers: by removing the context in which these songs were first written and recorded, the younger artists were free to reinterpret them on their own merits. Issued simultaneously with
's own
In Person & on Stage
live album,
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows
completes a retrospective picture of
's accomplishments to the date of this release. Some of the performers choose from among
's better-known material, while others dig deeper into the catalog.
Old Crow Medicine Show
's take on
"Angel from Montgomery"
is reminiscent of the early music of
the Band
, old-timey yet contemporary too. The album opens with
Justin Vernon
of
Bon Iver
, who brings a faraway gospel feel to
"Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow),"
the title track of a 1978
album, and it closes with
Those Darlins
' surfy take on one of
's more humorous efforts,
"Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian."
Some of the most impressive interpretations veer from
's arrangements:
Conor Oberst
and
the Mystic Valley Band
turn up the indie rock volume on
"Wedding Day in Funeralville"
Drive-By Truckers
give a bar band rawness to
"Daddy's Little Pumpkin."
Justin Townes Earle
's
"Far from Me"
is low-key and imbued with an easygoing rural quality,
My Morning Jacket
turn
"All the Best"
into an alt-country singalong, and
Deer Tick
(featuring
Liz Isenberg
) are reminiscent of
Gram Parsons
Emmylou Harris
' duets with their front-porch
"Unwed Fathers."
~ Jeff Tamarkin