Fair & Square

Fair & Square is the 15th studio album by American folk singer-songwriter John Prine, released on Oh Boy Records in 2005. It was rereleased in 2007 as a vinyl double-LP with four more bonus tracks, and in 2008 those four tracks were rereleased as an EP.[1]

Fair & Square
Studio album by
John Prine
ReleasedApril 26, 2005
RecordedThe Butcher Shop, Seventeen Grand Recording, and Minutia 2002-05.
GenreCountry folk, Americana
LabelOh Boy
ProducerJohn Prine, Gary Paczosa
John Prine chronology
Souvenirs
(2000)		 Fair & Square
(2005)		 Standard Songs for Average People
(2007)

At the 48th Grammy Awards, Fair & Square won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]
Robert Christgau [3]
Freight Train Boogie [4]

Writing for AllMusic, critic Mark Deming wrote of the album "...the man on Fair and Square seems a good bit less scrappy and more contemplative than the guy who cut Prine's most memorable material... for the most part this album is an unusually spare and subdued effort from an artist who usually can't help but crack a smile; with any luck he'll be feeling a bit more hopeful next time out, though this is still great music for a quiet afternoon."[2] Music critic Bill Frater wrote "There is a timeless quality to his songwriting style. He claims that the words just come to him without him having to do anything, but just write ‘em down. I don't doubt it; even random words like Constantinople can work if the right writer hears it. John Prine is indeed a songwriter's songwriter and we all should be so honest and trusting."[4] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a 3-star Honorable Mention rating[3] but 15 years later admitted that he underrated it.[5]

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Prine, except where indicated:

  1. "Glory of True Love" (Prine, Roger Cook) – 4:12
  2. "Crazy as a Loon" (Prine, Pat McLaughlin) – 5:03
  3. "Long Monday" (Prine, Keith Sykes) – 3:22
  4. "Taking a Walk" (Prine, McLaughlin) – 6:09
  5. "Some Humans Ain't Human" – 7:03
  6. "My Darlin' Hometown" (Prine, Roger Cook) – 3:14
  7. "Morning Train" (Prine, McLaughlin) – 4:02
  8. "The Moon Is Down" – 3:47
  9. "Clay Pigeons" (Blaze Foley) – 4:27
  10. "She Is My Everything" – 4:25
  11. "I Hate It When That Happens to Me" (Prine, Donnie Fritts) – 2:49
  12. "Bear Creek Blues" (A. P. Carter) – 4:45

Bonus tracks:

13. "Other Side of Town" (Live recording) – 4:53

14. "Safety Joe" – 3:58

The following bonus tracks are also found on the 2007 vinyl rerelease and on a 2008 EP:

  1. "Carousel of Love"
  2. "That's Alright By Me" (Prine, McLaughlin)
  3. "That's How Every Empire Falls" (R.B. Morris)
  4. "Dual Custody" (Prine, Roger Cook)

Personnel

Chart positions
Year Chart Position
2005 Billboard 200 55
Billboard Top Independent albums 2
Billboard Top Internet albums 55

Cover versions

References
  1. "Fair & Square Liner Notes". The John Prine Shrine. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. Deming, Mark. "Fair & Square > Review". Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "Fair & Square > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  4. Frater, Bill. "Fair & Square > Review". Freight Train Boogie. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  5. Christgau, Robert. "Xgau Sez: May 20, 2020". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  6. Ableson, Jon. "Chris Carrabba To Release "Covered In The Flood" Solo Album". Alter The Press!. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
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