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For Better, or Worse
Studio album by John Prine
Released	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Recorded	January–February 2016
Genre	Country
Label	Oh Boy
John Prine chronology
Singing Mailman Delivers (2011) For Better, or Worse (2016) The Tree of Forgiveness (2018)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Associated Press	(favourable)
Robert Christgau
Exclaim!	9/10
The Guardian
NPR	(favourable)

For Better, or Worse is the seventeenth studio album by John Prine. It consists of tracks in which the artist teams with an all-star contingent of female singers on a selection of vintage 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.

The 15 tracks include 14 duets and feature 11 female artists, (with Iris DeMent, Lee Ann Womack and Kathy Mattea recording two duets each and Alison Krauss, Susan Tedeschi, Holly Williams, Morgane Stapleton, Amanda Shires, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Prine's wife, Fiona, also contributing). The last track is a solo recording by Prine, of Hank Williams' "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 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 – drums
• Shad Cobb – fiddle
• Iris DeMent – vocals on tracks 1 and 13
• Lloyd Green – pedal steel guitar
• Mark Howard – acoustic guitar, mandolin
• Dave Jacques – upright bass
• Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica
• Alison Krauss – vocals on track 3
• Miranda Lambert – vocals on track 10
• Kathy Mattea – vocals on tracks 6 and 11
• Pat McLaughlin – mandolin
• Kacey Musgraves – vocals on track 12
• Tim O'Brien – fiddle, mandolin
• Al Perkins – pedal steel guitar, resonator guitar
• Fiona Prine – vocals on track 14
• Amanda Shires – vocals on track 8
• Morgane Stapleton – vocals on track 7
• Susan Tedeschi – electric guitar, vocals on track 4
• Pete Wasner – piano, Wurlitzer piano
• Jason Wilber – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Holly Williams – vocals on track 5
• Lee Ann Womack – vocals on tracks 2 and 9

Charts

References

1. Deming, Mark. "John Prine: For Better, Or Worse". AllMusic.
2. Wine, Steven (September 29, 2016). "Music Review: John Prine performs covers on duets album". Associated Press.
3. Christgau, Robert. "For Better, or Worse > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
4. Mullin, Kyle (September 30, 2016). "John Prine For Better, Or Worse". Exclaim!.
5. Spencer, Neil (October 2, 2016). "John Prine: For Better, Or Worse review – marriage duets, country-style". The Guardian.
6. Allen, Jim (September 22, 2016). "Review: John Prine, 'For Better, Or Worse'". NPR.
7. Richard Turner in The Wall Street Journal: John Prine Sings Duets in New Album, ‘For Better, or Worse’
8. Jim Allen review on npr.com: John Prine - 'For Better, Or Worse'
9. Neil Spencer in The Guardian: John Prine: For Better, Or Worse review – marriage duets, country-style
10. Bjorke, Matt (March 5, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: March 6, 2017". Roughstock.
11. "Ultratop.be – John Prine – For Better, or Worse" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – John Prine – For Better, or Worse" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
13. "John Prine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
14. "John Prine Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
15. "John Prine Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
16. "John Prine Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
17. "John Prine Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
18. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2020.

• 2016 albums
• John Prine albums
• Oh Boy Records albums
• 2010s covers albums