''For Better, or Worse'' is the seventeenth studio album by

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) 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 humoro ...

. It consists of tracks in which the artist teams with an all-star contingent of female singers on a selection of vintage

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

songs as duets. It was his first studio album in nine years, preceded by 2007's '' Standard Songs for Average People''.

Background

This is the second album featuring duets with Prine. His first album of duets was released in 1999 with the similarly styled ''

In Spite of Ourselves ''In Spite of Ourselves'' is the 13th studio album of John Prine, featuring duets of classic country songs with various well-known female folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk h ...

''. The 15 tracks include 14 duets and feature 11 female artists, (with

Iris DeMent Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice. Early life DeMent was born in Parag ...

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack (; born August 19, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, " I Hope You Dance" ...

and

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...

recording two duets each and

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

Susan Tedeschi Susan Tedeschi (; born November 9, 1970) is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks' band, and other musicians. Ea ...

, Holly Williams,

Morgane Stapleton Morgane Stapleton (pronounced "Morgan"; née Hayes; born January 25, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and the wife of Chris Stapleton. She performs background, harmony, and duet vocals in her husband's band, was instrumental in the creati ...

Amanda Shires Amanda Rose Shires (born March 5, 1982) 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 super ...

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 20 ...

and Prine's wife,

Fiona Fiona is a feminine given name of Gaelic origins. It means white or fair, while the Irish name ''Fíona'' means 'of wine', being the genitive of 'wine'. It was coined by Scottish writer James Macpherson. Initially, the name was confined to ...

, also contributing). The last track is a solo recording by Prine, of

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

' "Just Waitin'". Iris DeMent and Fiona Prine were featured on the 1999 album as well.

Commercial performance

Released on September 30, 2016 on CD and vinyl and in digital formats, the album debuted at No. 2 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Country Albums chart and at No. 30 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It also reached No. 7 on the US Independent Albums chart and No. 5 on the US Folk Albums chart. The album sold 43,700 copies in the US within its first six months of release.

Track listing

Personnel

* John Prine – lead vocals, acoustic guitar *

Kenneth Blevins Kenneth Blevins (born in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. As a session drummer, he has contributed to the work of many well-known artists. Biography Early career As a child ...

– drums * Shad Cobb – fiddle *

– vocals on tracks 1 and 13 *

Lloyd Green Lloyd Lamar Green (born October 4, 1937) is an American steel guitarist noted for his extensive country music recording session career in Nashville performing on 116 Chart Hit, No.1 Country music, country hits including Tammy Wynette's “D-I-V-O- ...

– pedal steel guitar * Mark Howard – acoustic guitar, mandolin * Dave Jacques – upright bass * Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica *

– vocals on track 3 *

– vocals on track 10 *

– vocals on tracks 6 and 11 *

Pat McLaughlin Pat McLaughlin is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was raised in Waterloo, Iowa, but moved to San Francisco, California, in the early 1970s. There McLaughlin began to write songs, playing alone at open mic nights ...

– mandolin *

– vocals on track 12 * Tim O'Brien – fiddle, mandolin *

Al Perkins Al Perkins (born January 18, 1944) is an American guitarist known primarily for his steel guitar work. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player" and began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2 ...

– pedal steel guitar, resonator guitar * Fiona Prine – vocals on track 14 *

– vocals on track 8 *

– vocals on track 7 *

– electric guitar, vocals on track 4 * Pete Wasner – piano, Wurlitzer piano *

Jason Wilber Jason Wilber is an American folk/acoustic singer, guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist. He grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. Musical career Jason Wilber has released eleven CDs of mostly solo work to date. His ninth album, ''Echoes'', con ...

– acoustic guitar, electric guitar * Holly Williams – vocals on track 5 *

– vocals on tracks 2 and 9

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2016 albums John Prine albums Oh Boy Records albums 2010s covers albums