Prine
took five years between his ninth studio album and this, his tenth -- enough time to gather his strongest body of material in more than a decade. From the caustic
"All the Best"
to the cliche compilation "It's a Big Old Goofy World,"
's gifts for emotional revelation and off-the-wall humor are on display in abundance, and he's aided by excellent production (courtesy of
Heartbreaker
Howie Epstein
) and strong backup musicians.
The Missing Years
won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. ~ William Ruhlmann