Another classic album by one of our all time favourites, long may he prevail.

Track Listing

1. (We're Not) The Jet Set - Iris DeMent, John Prine
2. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) - John Prine, Connie Smith
3. Wedding Bells/Let's Turn Back the Years - John Prine, Lucinda Williams
4. When Two Worlds Collide - John Prine, Trisha Yearwood
5. Milwaukee, Here I Come - Melba Montgomery, John Prine
6. I Know One - Emmylou Harris, John Prine
7. It's a Cheating Situation - Dolores Keane, John Prine
8. Back Street Affair - Patty Loveless, John Prine
9. Loose Talk - John Prine, Connie Smith
10. Let's Invite Them Over - Iris DeMent, John Prine
11. 'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose - Fiona Prine, John Prine
12. In a Town This Size - Dolores Keane, John Prine
13. We Could - Iris DeMent, John Prine
14. We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds - Melba Montgomery, John Prine
15. In Spite of Ourselves - Iris DeMent, John Prine
16. Dear John (I've Sent Your Saddle Home) - John Prine

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #465367 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
You've got to hand it to John Prine. On the first song on In Spite of Ourselves he plunges valiantly into "(We're Not) The Jet Set", singing the part made famous by George Jones, the Caruso of country music. And Prine, never blessed with the most pliant pipes, promptly pancakes a note flatter than Kansas. Aw, heck! The songwriter's songwriter takes a curious turn with his first studio album since 1995's Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings. Here he's penned only the hysterically coarse title track, opting instead to coo a slew of classic lovin'-and-losin' country tunes with Iris Dement, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Connie Smith, Trisha Yearwood, Melba Montgomery, Patty Loveless, Fiona Prine and Dolores Keane. Given Prine's ragged-but-right voice, the effect is something akin to casting a grizzled character actor opposite Katherine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story. And you know what? It'd probably still be a charming (albeit very different) movie, because romantic comedies, like country duets, are all about chemistry, which is something this collection of duets has in excess. --Steven Stolder

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Customer Reviews

An absolute gem!
John Prine chose his 16 favourite country duets and asked his 9 favourite country ladies to sing them with him. Thankfully they all said yes and together produced this absolute gem. It is a real treat especially the track he sings with Fiona Prine.

An unexpected masterpiece
hadn't taken much notice of John Prine before I bought this, and I'd tried to ignore Iris DeMent. This collection changed my mind about both of them. I was attracted to the album by the other guests - especially Connie, Trisha, Melba, Emmylou and Patty. Those excellent ladies lived up to my expectations - but I was surprised to discover that, of all the guests, Iris is the real star here. Iris sings four duets with John, and they seem to inspire each other. Connie, Dolores and Melba each do two duets, while the other five ladies do one each.

All the songs are country classics, several of them associated with George Jones and most of the others dating from the fifties and sixties. I see from the other reviewers that John's traditional fans do not all like this album. It is a departure from John's usual music, so that is inevitable. John recorded the album because he wanted to, and he obviously enjoyed himself. None of the ladies were contractually obliged to sing with John - they all agreed voluntarily when asked. Perhaps that's why this album works so well - it wasn't recorded to make a fast buck, yet it probably sold as well as any of John's other albums.

Fans of traditional country will enjoy this. John's loyal fans must make up their own minds.

Traditional John Prine Fan
Being a JP fan for more than 30 years now, I guess I would classify myself as traditional. I would also say that this album is a must buy for all JP fans. Go get it, if you don't like it, I guess you are not really a traditional JP fan.